Candelario last played for the Detroit Tigers, however, he was non-tendered by the team earlier this month. This came after the 29-year-old player compiled a career-low .633 OPS in 2022.

While last season proved to be a low point for the seven-year veteran, he will be looking to return to his 2021 form, when he led the league in doubles with 42. Considering that Washington is currently in the early phases of its team rebuilding process, Candelario has a prime opportunity to make an impact and turn around the team’s fortunes.

Joining the Chicago Cubs back in 2016, Candelario was traded to the Detroit Tigers a year later, where he hit a career-high 19 home runs in 2018.

Tuesday proved to be a busy day for the Nationals, with the team signing outfielder Stone Garrett from the Arizona Diamondbacks in addition. Garrett hit. .276 with four home runs in 27 games for the Diamondbacks last season.

The post Jeimer Candelario Reaches Deal With Washington Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to the official announcement, Washington sent Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres while receiving the following top prospects: shortstop C.J. Abrams, lefty MacKenzie Gore, righty Jarlin Susana, and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood. The deal also saw the Nationals getting 2020’s MLB homer run leader Luke Voit.

The Padres previously attempted to include first baseman Eric Hosmer in the deal as well, but the veteran refused to waive his no-trade clause for Washington. Instead, he is heading to the Boston Red Sox as part of a separate trade.

Acquiring Juan Soto significantly moves the needle for the Padres, who were immediately pushed into the World Series contenders tier with this deal. It is believed that pairing Soto with stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado will make Padres a formidable force in National League and finally give San Diego enough firepower to jump over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On the other hand, the Washington Nationals surely feel gutted for giving away their best player. However, with Soto recently rejecting a contract extension, the Nationals couldn’t afford to wait. The 23-year-old player’s value could only get lower as he approached the end of his deal, so it was crucial for the franchise to act as quickly as it did.

It isn’t all bad for the franchise, as the prospect arriving in Washington will replenish the team’s weak farm system. The Nationals can now be a bit more optimistic about their rebuild, although the sting from letting Soto leave will probably last a long time or at least until one of the arrivals proves to be a superstar in the making.

The post Nationals Trade Star Slugger Juan Soto to Padres appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Dominican MLB player discussed his plans for the future with The Washington Post‘s Jesse Dougherty. He told him that he just wants to play baseball and that his agent is discussing the deal with the Nationals.

“Everybody wants to go to free agency and see how the market is going to be for them… I really don’t know if I want to go there or if I want to stay here… We’ll see what’s going to happen. For me, right now, the plan that we always have is go year by year,” explained Soto.

Juan Soto says he remains open to an extension with the Nationals https://t.co/Kmjyn2gjpJ

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 2, 2022

Soto’s potential free agency is just two years away, and the Nationals are doing everything they can to keep him on board. He refused a $350 million, 13-year extension with the team before the lockout last fall. Earlier this week, it was reported that he refused another mega-offer, which exceeded the previous one.

Juan Soto kicked off his MLB career with the Washington Nationals in 2018 and led them to their first World Series championship in 2019.

The post Juan Soto Discusses His Future After Rejecting $350 Million Extension from Washington Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a recent appearance on 106.7 The Fan, Rizzo said that Washington has no intention of trading Soto.

“We are not trading Juan Soto,” Rizzo said. “We made it clear to his agent and to the player.”

Rizzo added that the Nationals are fully committed to building their team around Soto and see him as the future of the franchise.

Despite being only 23, Juan Soto is already considered one of the best players in baseball. He made the All-MLB teams in the previous three seasons and has back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards to his name.

This season, Soto is in the midst of an underwhelming campaign, hitting .227 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs. However, some of it is more on the struggling Nationals, who are at the bottom of the NL East, rather than the outfielder himself.

The main reason Soto’s name is mentioned in the rumors is that he is yet to ink an extension with Washington. It is believed that the organization sent several offers his way in recent months, but the negotiations didn’t progress very far. Luckily for the Nationals, they still have plenty of time to get the deal done, considering they have Soto under contract through the 2024 MLB season.

The post Nationals GM: “We are Not Trading Juan Soto” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Avila revealed that he contemplated making another run in 2022 but ultimately felt “that this was the right time” to call it quits. The 34-year-old star played 29 games with the Nationals this season, batting .179 with one home run and seven RBIs.

“I went through that back-and-forth in my head, as far as if I wanted to play for another year,” said Avila via Masn Sports. “But I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while, even since last year. And just came to the conclusion after debating it with myself and my wife that this was the right time.”

Avila added that he doesn’t intend to step away from baseball despite his retirement. He hopes to continue his involvement in the sport in a non-playing role, following the footsteps of his father and Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila.

Alex Avila started his career in Detroit, playing seven seasons for the Tigers and earning an All-Star nod in 2011. He became a free agent in 2015, but his father decided he wasn’t deserving of a contract offer at the time.

Avila would return to Detroit after one year with the Chicago White Sox, but he didn’t last long in his second stint with the Tigers and was traded by Avila Sr. to the Chicago Cubs midway through the season. He later played with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Minnesota Twins before landing in Washington ahead of this season.

The post Alex Avila Sets Sights On Retirement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In the wake of Boone’s departure, the Washington Nationals released the following statement in support of its vaccine mandate: “As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community.”

The 73-year-old Boone has been a member of the Washington Nationals organization since 2005, serving in multiple positions including assistant GM and senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo. He also filled the position of vice president of player development from 2006 to 2013.

The Nationals were one of the first teams in the MLB to require non-playing, full-time employees to be inoculated against COVID-19. The policy, which went into effect on August 12, required employees to meet an August 26 deadline to either provide proof of a first shot or apply for an extension.

The post Washington Nationals VP Resigns, Citing Vaccine Requirement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Hand, formerly of the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Cleveland Indians, became a free agent earlier this offseason after Cleveland decided to decline its club option for his services next season despite his outstanding 2020.

The Minnesota native fired 22 innings for Cleveland, posting an outstanding 2.05 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only four walks. This past season was the fourth in the past five in which Hand has posted an ERA under 3, with his only “slip-up” occurring in 2019 when it was still a very respectable 3.30.

Hand is expected to take over as the Nationals’ primary closer option, supplanting Sean Doolittle who has struggled in the role over the past two seasons.

The Nationals knew that they needed to acquire a top-flight lefty reliever to counteract bats like Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, and Michael Conforto, just three of the outstanding left-handed hitters in the NL East.

Hand will report to West Palm Beach, Florida over the next couple of weeks with his new teammates to begin preparations for the upcoming season.

The post Reliever Brad Hand Joins Nationals For 1 Year, $10.5 Million appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Lester is best known for his time with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, two teams that he helped lead to a total of three World Series championships as a key member of their rotations. The 37-year-old veteran will now embark on a new adventure with a club that won the title just two seasons ago.

The five-time All-Star saw his ERA balloon during the past two seasons with the Cubs. After an excellent 2018 season, he saw his ERA rise over a run to 4.46 in 2019 before seeing it go even higher in the abbreviated 2020 season, finishing at 5.16 with a 3-3 record.

While the deal has still not been officially announced, sources have indicated that Lester will be paid $5 million for the 2021 season. There is no word on how much the 2022 mutual option would be worth.

Expect Lester to slot into the back of the Nationals rotation and build depth behind Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin as the Nationals look to get back into playoff contention after a disappointing 2020.

The post Nationals Add Free Agent SP Jon Lester appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 2019 World Series champions, who failed to make the playoffs in the 2020 season, picked up Schwarber to fill a hole in left field that was left by the departure of long-time starter Adam Eaton.

Schwarber had a career season in 2019 but was let go after a poor 2020 in which he failed to produce offensively, which is his normally calling card. The Ohio native batted just .188 white hitting 11 home runs, regressing after his 38 home run, 92 RBI effort the year before in which he hit .250.

The Nationals will look for Schwarber to play passable defense and return to the hot-hitting prowess he displayed as a cornerstone of the Cubs’ offense over the past several seasons. Despite a bad 2020, there are signs that many of his struggles last season were related to bad luck and that he should return to being a productive player next year.

Schwarber is expected to report for Nationals Spring Training in late February to solidify his starting job.

The post Kyle Schwarber Joins Nationals on 1-Year Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the trade might be surprising initially, it made sense from the Pirates’ standpoint to make the deal. Bell struggled in 2020, batting .226 and recording only eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 57 games. He is also on an expiring contract and is set to earn $6 million in 2021.

The Nationals, on the other hand, are hoping they will get the version of Bell from two years ago. In the 2019 MLB season, the 28-year-old slugger had a .277 batting average while knocking 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 143 games.

The Pirates get a nice return in Crowe, who was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Nationals’ farm system. The 26-year-old player made his MLB debut in 2020, starting three times and posting an 11.88 ERA with eight strikeouts. He went 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA in the minors in 2019.

“Wil Crowe commands a solid fastball and several good secondary pitches. He brings a strong reputation and work ethic and has a chance to compete for Major League innings in 2021,” said Pittsburgh’s general manager Ben Cherington.

Yean, on the other hand, has 20 starts in the minors in which he compiled a 3-7 record with 4.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

The post Pirates Trade All-Star 1B Josh Bell to Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Candelario last played for the Detroit Tigers, however, he was non-tendered by the team earlier this month. This came after the 29-year-old player compiled a career-low .633 OPS in 2022.

While last season proved to be a low point for the seven-year veteran, he will be looking to return to his 2021 form, when he led the league in doubles with 42. Considering that Washington is currently in the early phases of its team rebuilding process, Candelario has a prime opportunity to make an impact and turn around the team’s fortunes.

Joining the Chicago Cubs back in 2016, Candelario was traded to the Detroit Tigers a year later, where he hit a career-high 19 home runs in 2018.

Tuesday proved to be a busy day for the Nationals, with the team signing outfielder Stone Garrett from the Arizona Diamondbacks in addition. Garrett hit. .276 with four home runs in 27 games for the Diamondbacks last season.

The post Jeimer Candelario Reaches Deal With Washington Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to the official announcement, Washington sent Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres while receiving the following top prospects: shortstop C.J. Abrams, lefty MacKenzie Gore, righty Jarlin Susana, and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood. The deal also saw the Nationals getting 2020’s MLB homer run leader Luke Voit.

The Padres previously attempted to include first baseman Eric Hosmer in the deal as well, but the veteran refused to waive his no-trade clause for Washington. Instead, he is heading to the Boston Red Sox as part of a separate trade.

Acquiring Juan Soto significantly moves the needle for the Padres, who were immediately pushed into the World Series contenders tier with this deal. It is believed that pairing Soto with stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado will make Padres a formidable force in National League and finally give San Diego enough firepower to jump over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On the other hand, the Washington Nationals surely feel gutted for giving away their best player. However, with Soto recently rejecting a contract extension, the Nationals couldn’t afford to wait. The 23-year-old player’s value could only get lower as he approached the end of his deal, so it was crucial for the franchise to act as quickly as it did.

It isn’t all bad for the franchise, as the prospect arriving in Washington will replenish the team’s weak farm system. The Nationals can now be a bit more optimistic about their rebuild, although the sting from letting Soto leave will probably last a long time or at least until one of the arrivals proves to be a superstar in the making.

The post Nationals Trade Star Slugger Juan Soto to Padres appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Dominican MLB player discussed his plans for the future with The Washington Post‘s Jesse Dougherty. He told him that he just wants to play baseball and that his agent is discussing the deal with the Nationals.

“Everybody wants to go to free agency and see how the market is going to be for them… I really don’t know if I want to go there or if I want to stay here… We’ll see what’s going to happen. For me, right now, the plan that we always have is go year by year,” explained Soto.

Juan Soto says he remains open to an extension with the Nationals https://t.co/Kmjyn2gjpJ

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 2, 2022

Soto’s potential free agency is just two years away, and the Nationals are doing everything they can to keep him on board. He refused a $350 million, 13-year extension with the team before the lockout last fall. Earlier this week, it was reported that he refused another mega-offer, which exceeded the previous one.

Juan Soto kicked off his MLB career with the Washington Nationals in 2018 and led them to their first World Series championship in 2019.

The post Juan Soto Discusses His Future After Rejecting $350 Million Extension from Washington Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a recent appearance on 106.7 The Fan, Rizzo said that Washington has no intention of trading Soto.

“We are not trading Juan Soto,” Rizzo said. “We made it clear to his agent and to the player.”

Rizzo added that the Nationals are fully committed to building their team around Soto and see him as the future of the franchise.

Despite being only 23, Juan Soto is already considered one of the best players in baseball. He made the All-MLB teams in the previous three seasons and has back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards to his name.

This season, Soto is in the midst of an underwhelming campaign, hitting .227 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs. However, some of it is more on the struggling Nationals, who are at the bottom of the NL East, rather than the outfielder himself.

The main reason Soto’s name is mentioned in the rumors is that he is yet to ink an extension with Washington. It is believed that the organization sent several offers his way in recent months, but the negotiations didn’t progress very far. Luckily for the Nationals, they still have plenty of time to get the deal done, considering they have Soto under contract through the 2024 MLB season.

The post Nationals GM: “We are Not Trading Juan Soto” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Avila revealed that he contemplated making another run in 2022 but ultimately felt “that this was the right time” to call it quits. The 34-year-old star played 29 games with the Nationals this season, batting .179 with one home run and seven RBIs.

“I went through that back-and-forth in my head, as far as if I wanted to play for another year,” said Avila via Masn Sports. “But I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while, even since last year. And just came to the conclusion after debating it with myself and my wife that this was the right time.”

Avila added that he doesn’t intend to step away from baseball despite his retirement. He hopes to continue his involvement in the sport in a non-playing role, following the footsteps of his father and Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila.

Alex Avila started his career in Detroit, playing seven seasons for the Tigers and earning an All-Star nod in 2011. He became a free agent in 2015, but his father decided he wasn’t deserving of a contract offer at the time.

Avila would return to Detroit after one year with the Chicago White Sox, but he didn’t last long in his second stint with the Tigers and was traded by Avila Sr. to the Chicago Cubs midway through the season. He later played with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Minnesota Twins before landing in Washington ahead of this season.

The post Alex Avila Sets Sights On Retirement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In the wake of Boone’s departure, the Washington Nationals released the following statement in support of its vaccine mandate: “As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community.”

The 73-year-old Boone has been a member of the Washington Nationals organization since 2005, serving in multiple positions including assistant GM and senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo. He also filled the position of vice president of player development from 2006 to 2013.

The Nationals were one of the first teams in the MLB to require non-playing, full-time employees to be inoculated against COVID-19. The policy, which went into effect on August 12, required employees to meet an August 26 deadline to either provide proof of a first shot or apply for an extension.

The post Washington Nationals VP Resigns, Citing Vaccine Requirement appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Hand, formerly of the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Cleveland Indians, became a free agent earlier this offseason after Cleveland decided to decline its club option for his services next season despite his outstanding 2020.

The Minnesota native fired 22 innings for Cleveland, posting an outstanding 2.05 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only four walks. This past season was the fourth in the past five in which Hand has posted an ERA under 3, with his only “slip-up” occurring in 2019 when it was still a very respectable 3.30.

Hand is expected to take over as the Nationals’ primary closer option, supplanting Sean Doolittle who has struggled in the role over the past two seasons.

The Nationals knew that they needed to acquire a top-flight lefty reliever to counteract bats like Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, and Michael Conforto, just three of the outstanding left-handed hitters in the NL East.

Hand will report to West Palm Beach, Florida over the next couple of weeks with his new teammates to begin preparations for the upcoming season.

The post Reliever Brad Hand Joins Nationals For 1 Year, $10.5 Million appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Lester is best known for his time with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, two teams that he helped lead to a total of three World Series championships as a key member of their rotations. The 37-year-old veteran will now embark on a new adventure with a club that won the title just two seasons ago.

The five-time All-Star saw his ERA balloon during the past two seasons with the Cubs. After an excellent 2018 season, he saw his ERA rise over a run to 4.46 in 2019 before seeing it go even higher in the abbreviated 2020 season, finishing at 5.16 with a 3-3 record.

While the deal has still not been officially announced, sources have indicated that Lester will be paid $5 million for the 2021 season. There is no word on how much the 2022 mutual option would be worth.

Expect Lester to slot into the back of the Nationals rotation and build depth behind Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin as the Nationals look to get back into playoff contention after a disappointing 2020.

The post Nationals Add Free Agent SP Jon Lester appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 2019 World Series champions, who failed to make the playoffs in the 2020 season, picked up Schwarber to fill a hole in left field that was left by the departure of long-time starter Adam Eaton.

Schwarber had a career season in 2019 but was let go after a poor 2020 in which he failed to produce offensively, which is his normally calling card. The Ohio native batted just .188 white hitting 11 home runs, regressing after his 38 home run, 92 RBI effort the year before in which he hit .250.

The Nationals will look for Schwarber to play passable defense and return to the hot-hitting prowess he displayed as a cornerstone of the Cubs’ offense over the past several seasons. Despite a bad 2020, there are signs that many of his struggles last season were related to bad luck and that he should return to being a productive player next year.

Schwarber is expected to report for Nationals Spring Training in late February to solidify his starting job.

The post Kyle Schwarber Joins Nationals on 1-Year Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the trade might be surprising initially, it made sense from the Pirates’ standpoint to make the deal. Bell struggled in 2020, batting .226 and recording only eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 57 games. He is also on an expiring contract and is set to earn $6 million in 2021.

The Nationals, on the other hand, are hoping they will get the version of Bell from two years ago. In the 2019 MLB season, the 28-year-old slugger had a .277 batting average while knocking 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 143 games.

The Pirates get a nice return in Crowe, who was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Nationals’ farm system. The 26-year-old player made his MLB debut in 2020, starting three times and posting an 11.88 ERA with eight strikeouts. He went 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA in the minors in 2019.

“Wil Crowe commands a solid fastball and several good secondary pitches. He brings a strong reputation and work ethic and has a chance to compete for Major League innings in 2021,” said Pittsburgh’s general manager Ben Cherington.

Yean, on the other hand, has 20 starts in the minors in which he compiled a 3-7 record with 4.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

The post Pirates Trade All-Star 1B Josh Bell to Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.