The Nationals will be holding a teleconference at 3 p.m. to announce a trade, and a club source has confirmed that Washington has traded Brian Schneider and Ryan Church to the Mets for outfielder Lastings Milledge.

There's obviously plenty to get into on this one -- Can Milledge play center field? Is Jesus Flores the Nats' new everyday catcher? Was this a good deal for Washington? -- and I'll try to get to that later when I have a free moment.

Until then ... wow, some news, huh?

The Washington Nationals have hired former All-Star Devon White as roving minor-league outfielder coordinator.

White, who hit .263 in 17 seasons with the Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Brewers, was perhaps best known for his sterling defensive work as one of baseball’s best center fielders in the 1980s and ’90s. (He won seven Gold Glove awards, a total surpassed by only 11 other outfielders.)

The 44-year-old, who has been out of the sport since retiring in 2001, will travel around to all of the Nationals' minor-league affiliates working with outfielders on defensive fundamentals.

White replaces Jose Cardenal, who will not return after three years with the organization.

Obviously, all attention around town today is on the Redskins and Sean Taylor, as it should be. The Nationals, though, did just announce the signings of 19 minor-league free agents, including pitcher Mike Bacsik (who returns to the club after an up-and-down season that included Barry Bonds' 756th career homer).

There won't be enough space in tomorrow's paper to detail each of the players signed, but here's the full press release from the Nats for those who are interested ...

NATS PRESS RELEASE
The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with 19 minor league free agents, including
righthanders Steven Shell and Dennis Tankersley, catcher Humberto Cota, and infielders William Bergolla, Yurendell de Caster and Antonio Perez. The club also agreed to terms with lefthander Mike Bacsik, righthander Bobby Brownlie, righthander Tristan Crawford, lefthander Mike Hinckley, lefthander Arnie Munoz, lefthander Jason Stanford, righthander Jim Ed Warden, catcher Chad Moeller, infielders Luis Jimenez and Ed Rogers, and outfielders Jason Dubois, Tommy Murphy and Jorge Padilla. All 19 players received an invitation to 2008 Nationals Spring Training. Nationals Assistant General Manager/Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone and Director of Player Development Bobby Williams made the joint announcement.

Shell, 24, went 7-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 31 games (seven starts) with the Angels' Triple-A Salt Lake City club in 2007 after beginning his year with five appearances for Double-A Arkansas. He was the winning pitcher for Team USA against Cuba in the IBAF World Cup championship game on November 18, when he tossed three innings of one-run relief. Shell, a seven-year pro, was recommended to the Nationals by Team USA manager Davey Johnson. Shell, who stands 6-foot-5, was a third-round pick of the Angels in 2001. He pitched mainly as a reliever in 2007 after starting 126 of his 143 games in his first six seasons. He is 53-44 with a 4.47 ERA in 179 minor league games overall.

Tankersley, 28, went 10-7 with a 4.41 ERA in 24 starts with Detroit's Triple-A Toledo club in 2007, including a 4-2 mark and a 3.09 ERA (20 ER/58.1 IP) in nine starts after the All-Star break. The nine-year pro appeared in 27 big league games (16 starts) with San Diego from 2002-04, going 1-10 with a 7.61 ERA. He is 65-61 with a 3.67 ERA in 213 minor league contests (197 starts).

Cota, 28, appeared in 196 big league games with Pittsburgh from 2001-07, batting .233 with 12 homers and 61 RBI. The Mexico native played in five games in a pair of stints with the Pirates in 2007, going 4-for-14 (.286) with three RBI. He spent most of the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hit .284 with nine RBI in 30 games.

Bergolla, 24, hit .306 with 22 doubles, seven homers and 37 RBI in 99 games with San Francisco's Triple-A Fresno squad in 2007. He appeared in 17 games with Cincinnati in 2004 for his lone big league experience, batting .132 with an RBI. In eight minor league seasons, the Venezuela native is hitting .289 with 144 doubles, 27 homers and 253 RBI.

De Caster, 28, batted .280 with 25 doubles, nine homers and 54 RBI in 120 games with Pittsburgh's Triple-A Indianapolis team in 2007. His lone big league experience came in 2006, when he had just two at-bats in three games with Pittsburgh. The Curacao native is hitting .260 with 201 doubles, 113 homers and 485 RBI in 963 minor league games. de Caster played for Team Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Perez, 27, batted .218 with two homers and nine RBI in 26 games with Oakland's Triple-A Sacramento team in 2007 before a sprained right knee ended his season in May. The Dominican native has appeared in 216 big league games with Tampa Bay (2003), Los Angeles-NL (2004-05) and Oakland (2006), batting .244 with six homers and 43 RBI overall. He played in a career-high 98 games with the Dodgers in 2005, batting .297 with 13 doubles, three homers and 23 RBI.

Other minor league free agents:
Pitchers:
Bacsik went 5-8 with a 5.11 ERA in 29 games (20 starts) with Washington in 2007. He ranked third on the club with 20 starts and 118.0 innings pitched. The Dallas native surrendered Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th career home run August 7 at San Francisco's AT&T Park. Bacsik is 10-13 with a 5.46 ERA in 51 career games (35 starts) with Cleveland (2001), New York-NL (2002-03), Texas (2004) and Washington (2007).

Brownlie, 27, went 1-2 with a 3.17 ERA in nine games (eight starts) with Cleveland's Double-A Akron club in 2007 after pitching for Newark of the independent Atlantic League for the first four months of the season. He went 8-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 14 starts with Newark, and was the starting pitcher for the North Division All-Stars in the Atlantic League All-Star Game. The Rutgers University product was a first-round pick (21st overall) of the Chicago Cubs in 2002. He was a teammate of Jason Bergmann's at Rutgers during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Brownlie is 24-36 with a 4.19 ERA in 115 minor league games (70 starts) overall.

Crawford, 25, spent nearly all of the 2007 season with Minnesota's Double-A New Britain club, going 8-5 with a 5.16 ERA in 27 games (11 starts). He also made three appearances for Minnesota's Triple-A Rochester squad. The eight-year pro has appeared in 189 minor league games (21 starts), going 31-23 with a 4.24 ERA. He was born in Alaska, and grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Crawford pitched for Team Australia in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Hinckley, 25, went 9-10 with a 5.83 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) with Washington's Double-A Harrisburg team in 2007. The Oklahoma native has spent all seven of his pro seasons with the Washington/Montreal franchise, which selected him in the third round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. He is 50-39 with a 4.02 ERA in 152 career games (146 starts).

Munoz, 25, appeared in 13 games with Washington as a September call-up last year, registering a 6.75 ERA despite holding the opposition scoreless in 11 of his 13 games. The southpaw posted a 2.56 ERA in 54 games with Washington's Triple-A Columbus squad in 2007, and limited opposing left-handed hitters in the International League to a .198 average (16-for-81).

Stanford, 30, is 2-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 23 games (12 starts) in portions of three big league seasons (2003, '04, '07) with Cleveland. The 30 year-old owns a career record of 52-37 (.584), a 3.21 ERA and a 2.9/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight minor-league seasons. By signing with the Nationals, the 6-foot-2 Stanford will play outside the Indians organization for the first time since signing with Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent in 2000 out of UNC-Charlotte.

Warden, 28, spent most of his 2007 season with Cleveland's Double-A Akron club, going 4-4 with six saves and a 2.81 ERA in 40 appearances. The 6-foot-7 Tennessee native started the year at Triple-A Buffalo, but was reassigned to Akron after posting a 7.33 ERA in 16 games. He is 28-31 with a 4.12 ERA in 243 games career minor league games (41 starts).

Catchers:
Moeller, 32, is a veteran of eight big league seasons with Minnesota (2000), Arizona (2001-03), Milwaukee (2004-06), Los Angeles-NL (2007) and Cincinnati (2007). He has appeared in 421 big league games overall, including a career-high 101 contests in 2004 with Milwaukee. Moeller is a career .224 hitter with 26 homers and 113 RBI. The University of Southern California product played in a combined 30 games with Los Angeles-NL and Cincinnati in 2007, batting .161 with a homer and two RBI.

Infielders:
Jimenez, 25, batted .328 with 22 homers and 79 RBI in 90 games with Baltimore's Double-A Bowie club after being released by Boston in May and signing as a minor league free agent. He finished tied for fifth in the Eastern League in home runs and eighth in RBI. His average would have ranked second in the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify, and his .591 slugging percentage would have led the circuit. Jimenez batted just .148 in 25 games with Boston's Triple-A Pawtucket club before being released. The left-handed hitter is averaging 19 homers and 75 RBI in his last four seasons, and is batting .286 with 118 doubles, 85 homers and 375 RBI in seven minor league seasons overall.

Rogers, 29, batted .249 with 16 doubles, six homers and 35 RBI in 111 games with Boston's Triple-A Pawtucket club in 2007. The Dominican Republic native, who originally signed with Baltimore as a non-drafted free agent in 1997, hit .207 with a homer and four RBI in 30 big league games with the Orioles in 2002 and 2005-06. Rogers is hitting .262 with 55 homers and 371 RBI in 930 minor league contests.

Outfielders:
Dubois, 28, is a .289 hitter in 698 career minor league games. The 28 year-old spent portions of the 2004 and ‘05 seasons in the big leagues, batting .233 with 10 homers and 29 RBI in a combined 86 games with Chicago (NL) and Cleveland. In 2007, Dubois hit .251 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 104 games with Norfolk of the Triple-A International League.

Murphy, 28, appeared in 20 games in three stints with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2007, batting .184 with a double and two RBI. The switch hitter spent the majority of the 2007 campaign with Los Angeles' Triple-A Salt Lake club, where he hit .270 with 18 doubles, six triples, four homers and 32 RBI in 80 games. Murphy, who was selected by Los Angeles in the third round of the 2000 draft, also appeared in 48 games with the Angels in 2006, when he hit .229 with four doubles, a homer and six RBI.

Padilla, 28, batted .316 with 22 doubles, 16 homers and 69 RBI in a combined 124 games with Kansas City's Double-A Wichita club and Triple-A Omaha squad in 2007. In 10 minor league seasons, the Puerto Rico native is hitting .278 with 81 homers and 484 RBI in 956 games. He was a third-round pick of the Phillies in the 1998 draft.

Some late-breaking news to report: Ryan Zimmerman had a second surgery performed today on his broken left wrist to take care of a minor complication that arose from his first operation.

Here's the gist of it: Zimmerman had surgery last Wednesday to remove the broken hook of the hamate bone in his left wrist. In the wake of that surgery, he developed hematoma (a build-up of blood) in the wrist that was causing compression of some nerves and the carpal tunnel. So Dr. Richard Barth (who performed last week's procedure) went back into the wrist today and relieved the pressure caused by the hematoma.

Nationals officials insist this was not a significant setback or anything like that. They say Zimmerman's recovery time (four to six weeks) won't change because of this. But it will certainly be worth watching closely over the rest of the offseason, just in case any other complications arise.

The Nationals and the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission held a joint event at the new ballpark this morning: an "unveiling" of the finished, grass-covered field. I've got to say, the place looks spectacular. It's amazing how far it's come just in the last two months. In addition to the field, the scoreboard is now complete (and huge!), the outfield walls have been painted green, the backstop has been covered in a cool-looking stone, the press box has been enclosed (not a bad view from up there, I must admit) and all sorts of other big and small touches have been completed.

Here's some other ballpark-related news revealed today by Stan Kasten:

-- Seating relocation packages for all season-ticket holders will be mailed out Friday. In other words, if you had season tickets at RFK Stadium and are continuing at the new ballpark, you're about to find out where your seats will be. Kasten said that more than 90 percent of fans will be seated in one of their top three section choices, with 50 percent getting their first choice. That should make most people happy, though I'm sure some will have complaints about their relocation. In the Nats' defense, this was an extremely difficult undertaking, if for no other reason than the strikingly different seating configurations of the two parks. There was no way everyone was going to come out of this happy.

-- The Nats will host an exhibition game at the park on Saturday night, March 29, against the Orioles. Tickets will be free to all season-tickets holders and to a number of stadium workers and area children. Doesn't sound like the club will sell single-game tickets to this game, though, which will serve as a test-run for Opening Day. Speaking of which...

-- The club is still waiting to hear from MLB if it's been awarded the nationally televised season-opener on Sunday night, March 30. Kasten expects to hear within the next few weeks. If the Nats get the game, they'll get to open at home for one game before hitting the road. If not, they'll open the season March 31 at Philadelphia, with the home opener the following Monday (April 7) against the Marlins.

-- Pope Benedict will celebrate Mass at the ballpark on April 17 in the first non-baseball event staged there.

Good news for Bob Carpenter fans: The broadcaster will back with the Nationals in 2008 after all. MASN just sent out a press release announcing Carpenter has signed a one-year contract to return for his third season as the lead play-by-play man on game telecasts (though it should be pointed out that the Nats themselves really made this call).

What a strange couple of months it's been for Bob. As I wrote in late September, he was informed by Stan Kasten that the club would be looking elsewhere for an announcer and that his contract would not be renewed. Bob spent the last week of the season saying goodbye to everyone in sight, unsure what his future plans were, but certain they wouldn't involve the Nats. Here, then, is what transpired between now and then ...

First off, the Nats looked into hiring a couple other announcers, including ESPN's Dan Shulman, but quickly realized none of those options were viable. All the while, scores of fans wrote and called the team to voice support for Carpenter and criticize the decision to let him go. So Kasten informed Bob there may be an offer forthcoming after all. That deal was finalized today, hence the press release. Pretty bizarre, when you think about it.

I just gave Carpenter a call and happened to catch him in the middle of what he termed "the worst round of golf in my life." "Yeah, but at least you've got a job now," I countered, to which he laughed. I'll be talking to him later this afternoon and we'll have a full story in tomorrow's paper.

In the meantime, here's an update on Ryan Zimmerman: He had his left wrist surgery late Wednesday at Sibley Memorial Hospital, with Dr. Richard Barth removing the fractured hook of the hamate bone out of his hand. (Standard procedure for these type of injuries -- the wrist functions fine without the hamate bone.) Zimmerman will be in a splint for a week. He should be able to commence with light rehab as soon as the splint is removed, and he is expected to fully recover in four to six weeks.

Here's some interesting material for all you player development geeks out there to peruse ... Baseball America has unveiled the top 10 prospects in the Nationals' farm system. The overview is available to everyone, but to read the detailed capsules on each player, you need to be a subscriber. Here, though, are the top 10:

1. Chris Marrero, OF/1B
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP
3. Collin Balester, RHP
4. Michael Burgess, OF
5. Jack McGeary, LHP
6. Josh Smoker, LHP
7. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP
8. Glenn Gibson, LHP
9. Justin Maxwell, OF
10. Colton Willems, RHP

A few things immediately jump to mind, most notably that five of the top 10 prospects were 2007 draft picks (Detwiler, Burgess, McGeary, Smoker and Zimmermann). Three were 2006 draft picks (Marrero, Gibson and Willems). The other two (Balester, drafted in 2004, and Maxwell, drafted in 2005) haven't been around that long, either, underscoring just how low the franchise's system was when it arrived in Washington and how far it's come since. It still has a ways to go -- notice there's not a single infielder or catcher in the group -- but it's certainly getting there.

For comparison's sake, take a look at last year's top 10:

1. Collin Balester, rhp
2. Chris Marrero, of
3. Colton Willems, rhp
4. Kory Casto, 3b/of
5. Esmailyn Gonzalez, ss
6. Zech Zinicola, rhp
7. Glenn Gibson, lhp
8. Matt Chico, lhp
9. Stephen King, ss
10. Ian Desmond, ss

Only four players remain on the list. Balester and Marrero swapped spots at the top, Willems was bumped way down and Gibson fell one spot. The rest have fallen off the face of the earth.

And just for fun, here's the top 10 from 2005 (at least they got No. 1 right):

1. Ryan Zimmerman, 3b
2. Collin Balester, rhp
3. Clint Everts, rhp
4. Ian Desmond, ss
5. Armando Galarraga, rhp
6. Kory Casto, 3b
7. Mike Hinckley, lhp
8. Bill Bray, lhp
9. Larry Broadway, 1b
10. Daryl Thompson, rhp

A couple of interesting stories out today worth discussing ...

First off, have you heard the report linking ex-Nat Jose Guillen to steroids and human growth hormone? The story, in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle, also accuses retired third baseman Matt Williams and right-hander Ismael Valdez of purchasing thousands of dollars worth of performance enhancing drugs from a Florida anti-aging clinic.

Obviously, you never want to presume guilt in these matters, but there's some pretty significant detail to this story, and it's hard to believe it's not true. If so, are we really all that surprised? Guillen certainly fits the profile for someone charged with taking these kinds of drugs. In addition to his physical prowess, he has always been prone to mood swings, aggression, depression and serious injuries ... all known side effects of steroids and hGH.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I actually liked Jose when covering him in 2005 and 2006. I never thought he was a bad guy, just a high-drama player who seemed to think more of himself than he should have. Teammates loved how hard he played the game, but they also grew tired of his act, especially when he wasn't producing at the plate. Based on the Chronicle report, it appears Guillen first started buying the illegal drugs in 2002 while playing for the Diamondbacks. He enjoyed a career renaissance in 2003 with the Reds and A's, earned a large contract with the Angels in 2004, then had his infamous falling out with Mike Scioscia and was traded to the Nationals before 2005. After a nice rebound performance in Seattle this year, he was hoping to strike it big again on the free-agent market. This news, however, could severely hurt his chances.

In today's other big development, the major-league general managers have voted 25-5 to recommend the use of instant replay on controversial home-run calls. You'll notice in the story that Jim Bowden was one of five GMs in charge of the recommendation, which isn't a surprise, because Bowden has been a proponent of replay for years.

The proposal would allow an MLB official with access to all TV replay angles, to review and rule on any close call involving balls off the top of the fence, the foul poles or along the warning track down the lines. It does not give anyone the right to use replay on close plays at the plate or on balls and strikes.

Now, everyone should be aware that today's development doesn't mean replay is coming to baseball. It takes a lot more than the GMs to approve that kind of radical move. The commissioner's office must be on board (and Bud Selig has said he doesn't favor replay), the owners must be board, the players union must be on board and the umpires union must be on board. I doubt all those groups are going to agree on this matter in time for it to be used in 2008.

The larger question, though, is this: Should there be replay in baseball? My feeling is no. I've never been a fan of replay in any sport, though I reluctantly concede that it has mostly worked in the NFL and in basketball and hockey. Baseball, though, is a different animal. This game has been umpired by human beings in real time for almost 150 years, and while there have been a few blown calls over the years, the rate of success is remarkably high.

Umpires have done a good job in recent years of huddling up to make sure they get a call right. Rarely have they gotten a major one wrong, and usually those have involved bang-bang plays at the plate or first base (see: Matt Holliday in the NL wild-card tiebreaker game). Replay wouldn't be used in cases like those.

Here's my real problem with it: Doesn't baseball move slow enough already? Add replay to the mix, and you're talking about lengthy delays that may or may not ultimately get the calls right. How often are TV replays inconclusive? And how often do the umpires actually get it right without benefit of multiple looks in slow motion? I'd say their record is near-perfect.

I also don't like replay because I think it gives officials an "out," reason not to feel like they have to get every single call right. If they know a close call is going to be looked at again anyway, where's the motivation to get it right? I think replay is always in the back of officials' minds, and it shouldn't be that way. Umpires have enough to focus on. They shouldn't be worried about whether their call is going to stand or be overturned.

Leave instant replay to the other sports.