The Nats have at long last released their 2008 schedule. Most of the info in here has been out there for a while now -- including the much-anticipated, nationally televised, Opening Night 8:05 p.m. game against the Braves March 30 at spanking-new Nationals Park. But there are a few things fans might not have noticed before about the schedule...

-- Most night games now start at 7:10 p.m., presumably to allow for a longer TV pregame show.

-- Friday night games now start at 7:35 p.m., presumably to allow people more time to get to the ballpark during/after rush hour.

-- Sunday afternoon games will once again start at 1:35 p.m., continuing a trend set last season. But most other day games will begin at 1:05 p.m., except for the April 30 game against the Braves (4:35 p.m.) and the Sept. 1 Labor Day game against the Phillies (3:05 p.m.).

So for those keeping score at home, there are seven different starting times for home games this season: 1:05, 1:35, 3:05, 4:35, 7:10, 7:35 and 8:05. There is a five-game stretch from April 25-30 that boasts four different starting times. Good luck keeping track of all that.

In the meantime, here's the full, 162-game slate for everyone to peruse...

All times Eastern. Home games in ALL CAPS.

MARCH/APRIL
3/30 SUNDAY VS ATLANTA 8:05 PM
3/31 Monday at Philadelphia 3:05 PM
4/2 Wednesday at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
4/3 Thursday at Philadelphia 1:05 pm
4/4 Friday at St. Louis 8:15 pm
4/5 Saturday at St. Louis 1:15 pm
4/6 Sunday at St. Louis 2:15 pm
4/7 MONDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
4/9 WEDNESDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
4/10 THURSDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
4/11 FRIDAY VS ATLANTA 7:35 PM
4/12 SATURDAY VS ATLANTA 1:05 PM
4/13 SUNDAY VS ATLANTA 1:35 PM
4/15 Tuesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
4/16 Wednesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
4/17 Thursday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
4/18 Friday at Florida 7:10 pm
4/19 Saturday at Florida TBD
4/20 Sunday at Florida 1:05 pm
4/21 Monday at Atlanta 7:05 pm
4/22 Tuesday at Atlanta 7:05 pm
4/23 Wednesday VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
4/24 THURSDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
4/25 FRIDAY VS CHICAGO (NL) 7:35 PM
4/26 SATURDAY VS CHICAGO (NL) 7:10 PM
4/27 SUNDAY VS CHICAGO (NL) 1:35 PM
4/29 TUESDAY VS ATLANTA 7:10 PM
4/30 WEDNESDAY VS ATLANTA 4:35 PM

MAY
5/1 THURSDAY VS PITTSBURGH 7:10 PM
5/2 FRIDAY VS PITTSBURGH 7:35 PM
5/3 SATURDAY VS PITTSBURGH 1:05 PM
5/4 SUNDAY VS PITTSBURGH 1:35 PM
5/6 Tuesday at Houston 8:05 pm
5/7 Wednesday at Houston 8:05 pm
5/8 Thursday at Houston 8:05 pm
5/9 FRIDAY VS FLORIDA 7:35 PM
5/10 SATURDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
5/11 SUNDAY VS FLORIDA 1:35 PM
5/12 Monday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
5/13 Tuesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
5/14 Wednesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
5/15 Thursday at New York (NL) 1:10 pm
5/16 Friday at Baltimore 7:05 pm
5/17 Saturday at Baltimore 7:05 pm
5/18 Sunday at Baltimore 1:35 pm
5/19 MONDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
5/20 TUESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
5/21 WEDNESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
5/23 FRIDAY VS MILWAUKEE 7:35 PM
5/24 SATURDAY VS MILWAUKEE 7:10 PM
5/25 SUNDAY VS MILWAUKEE 1:35 PM
5/26 MONDAY VS MILWAUKEE 1:35 PM
5/27 Tuesday at San Diego 10:05 pm
5/28 Wednesday at San Diego 10:05 pm
5/29 Thursday at San Diego 3:35 pm
5/30 Friday at Arizona 9:40 pm
5/31 Saturday at Arizona 8:10 pm

JUNE
6/1 Sunday at Arizona 4:10 pm
6/3 TUESDAY VS ST. LOUIS 7:10 PM
6/4 WEDNESDAY VS ST. LOUIS 7:10 PM
6/5 THURSDAY VS ST. LOUIS 7:10 PM
6/6 FRIDAY VS SAN FRANCISCO 7:35 PM
6/7 SATURDAY VS SAN FRANCISCO 7:10 PM
6/8 SUNDAY VS SAN FRANCISCO 1:35 PM
6/9 MONDAY VS SAN FRANCISCO 7:10 PM
6/10 Tuesday at Pittsburgh 7:05 pm
6/11 Wednesday at Pittsburgh 7:05 pm
6/12 Thursday at Pittsburgh 12:35 pm
6/13 Friday at Seattle 10:10 pm
6/14 Saturday at Seattle 10:10 pm
6/15 Sunday at Seattle 4:10 pm
6/17 Tuesday at Minnesota 8:10 pm
6/18 Wednesday at Minnesota 8:10 pm
6/19 Thursday at Minnesota 1:10 pm
6/20 FRIDAY VS TEXAS 7:35 PM
6/21 SATURDAY VS TEXAS 7:10 PM
6/22 SUNDAY VS TEXAS 1:35 PM
6/23 MONDAY VS LA ANGELS 7:10 PM
6/24 TUESDAY VS LA ANGELS 7:10 PM
6/25 WEDNESDAY VS LA ANGELS 7:10 PM
6/27 FRIDAY VS BALTIMORE 7:35 PM
6/28 SATURDAY VS BALTIMORE 7:10 PM
6/29 SUNDAY VS BALTIMORE 1:35 PM
6/30 Monday at Florida 7:10 pm

JULY
7/1 Tuesday at Florida 7:10 pm
7/2 Wednesday at Florida 12:05 pm
7/3 Thursday at Cincinnati 7:10 pm
7/4 Friday at Cincinnati 1:15 pm
7/5 Saturday at Cincinnati 7:10 pm
7/6 Sunday at Cincinnati 1:15 pm
7/8 TUESDAY VS ARIZONA 7:10 PM
7/9 WEDNESDAY VS ARIZONA 7:10 PM
7/10 THURSDAY VS ARIZONA 7:10 PM
7/11 FRIDAY VS HOUSTON 7:35 PM
7/12 SATURDAY VS HOUSTON 7:10 PM
7/13 SUNDAY VS HOUSTON 1:35 PM
7/15 Tuesday All-Star Game at New York (AL)
7/18 Friday at Atlanta 7:35 pm
7/19 Saturday at Atlanta 7:05 pm
7/20 Sunday at Atlanta 1:35 pm
7/22 Tuesday at San Francisco 10:15 pm
7/23 Wednesday at San Francisco 10:15 pm
7/24 Thursday at San Francisco 3:35 pm
7/25 Friday at LA Dodgers 10:40 pm
7/26 Saturday at LA Dodgers TBD
7/27 Sunday at LA Dodgers TBD
7/29 TUESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
7/30 WEDNESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
7/31 THURSDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM

AUGUST
8/1 FRIDAY VS CINCINNATI 7:35 PM
8/2 SATURDAY VS CINCINNATI 7:10 PM
8/3 SUNDAY VS CINCINNATI 1:35 PM
8/4 Monday at Colorado 9:05 pm
8/5 Tuesday at Colorado 9:05 pm
8/6 Wednesday at Colorado 9:05 pm
8/7 Thursday at Colorado 3:05 pm
8/8 Friday at Milwaukee 8:05 pm
8/9 Saturday at Milwaukee 7:05 pm
8/10 Sunday at Milwaukee 2:05 pm
8/11 Monday at Milwaukee 2:05 pm
8/12 TUESDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
8/13 WEDNESDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
8/14 THURSDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
8/15 FRIDAY VS COLORADO 7:35 PM
8/16 SATURDAY VS COLORADO 7:10 PM
8/17 SUNDAY VS COLORADO 1:35 PM
8/19 Tuesday at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
8/20 Wednesday at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
8/21 Thursday at Philadelphia TBD
8/22 Friday at Chicago (NL) 2:20 pm
8/23 Saturday at Chicago (NL) TBD
8/24 Sunday at Chicago (NL) 2:20 pm
8/26 TUESDAY VS LA DODGERS 7:10 PM
8/27 WEDNESDAY VS LA DODGERS 7:10 PM
8/28 THURSDAY VS LA DODGERS 7:10 PM
8/29 FRIDAY VS ATLANTA 7:35 PM
8/30 SATURDAY VS ATLANTA 7:10 PM
8/31 SUNDAY VS ATLANTA 1:35 PM

SEPTEMBER
9/1 MONDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 3:05 PM
9/2 TUESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
9/3 WEDNESDAY VS PHILADELPHIA 7:10 PM
9/4 Thursday at Atlanta 7:05 pm
9/5 Friday at Atlanta 7:35 pm
9/6 Saturday at Atlanta 7:05 pm
9/7 Sunday at Atlanta 1:35 pm
9/9 Tuesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
9/10 Wednesday at New York (NL) 7:10 pm
9/12 Friday at Florida 7:10 pm
9/13 Saturday at Florida 7:10 pm
9/14 Sunday at Florida 1:05 pm
9/15 MONDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
9/16 TUESDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
9/17 WEDNESDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
9/18 THURSDAY VS NEW YORK (NL) 7:10 PM
9/19 FRIDAY VS SAN DIEGO 7:35 PM
9/20 SATURDAY VS SAN DIEGO 7:10 PM
9/21 SUNDAY VS SAN DIEGO 1:35 PM
9/23 TUESDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
9/24 WEDNESDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
9/25 THURSDAY VS FLORIDA 7:10 PM
9/26 Friday at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
9/27 Saturday at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
9/28 Sunday at Philadelphia 1:35 pm

The Nationals have issued the following statement regarding today's release of the Mitchell Report...

"We have just received the Mitchell Report and have not yet had an opportunity to fully review it. It is clear though that, like all Major League clubs, the report includes names of players that have had or currently have an association with the Nats. We will let all comments on this matter come from the Commissioner's office, and we will have no further comment at this time."

This will get buried underneath today's news of the Mitchell Report release, but the Nationals have signed a pair of veteran bench players to one-year contracts: Rob Mackowiak and Willie Harris.

Mackowiak, a career .262 hitter in seven seasons with the Pirates, White Sox and Padres, will earn $1.5 million. Harris, a career .247 hitter in seven seasons with the Orioles, White Sox, Red Sox and Braves, will earn $800,000.

Washington also came to terms this morning with reliever Jesus Colome on a one-year, $1.25 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

Newly signed Washington Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca has been named by former Sen. George Mitchell in his just-released report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

According to the Mitchell Report, former Mets clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski estimated he "engaged in six or more transactions with Lo Duca" while Lo Duca played for the Dodgers and Marlins and received three checks from Lo Duca for shipments of human growth hormone.

Lo Duca just signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Nationals on Tuesday.

Former Nationals players who have been named in the Mitchell Report in connection with Radomski include outfielder Nook Logan (who was not tendered a contract by the Nationals on Wednesday), outfielder Jose Guillen (who played for the Nationals in 2005 and 2006), reliever Mike Stanton (who pitched for the Nationals in 2005 and 2006) and catcher Gary Bennett (who played for the Nationals in 2005).

Nationals officials said earlier this afternoon they would not be commenting today on the report findings, but a club spokesman said later that team president Stan Kasten would be issuing a statement early this evening.

Tonight is the deadline to tender contracts to players with less than six years' of big-league service time, and the Nationals have decided not to sign outfielder Nook Logan or left-hander Mike O'Connor.

All of Washington's arbitration-eligible players -- Luis Ayala, John Patterson, Ryan Wagner, Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Jesus Colome, Felipe Lopez and Tim Redding -- will be tendered contracts. Three of those players (Ayala, Patterson and Wagner) agreed to terms today on one-year contracts, thus avoiding arbitration. Ayala will make $1.7 million, Patterson will make $850,000, Wagner will make $450,000.

Logan came to the Nats in Sept. 2006 as a potential long-term solution in center field, but he never really panned out. The speedster struggled to get on base at a consistent rate, didn't bunt enough for team officials' liking and gave up switch-hitting last summer, batting right-handed only. He wound up hitting .265 in 118 games and could have remained as a fourth or fifth outfielder, but the Nats' recent acquisitions of Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Rule 5 pick Garrett Guzman, plus their decision to re-sign Ryan Langerhans, left Logan as the odd man out.

O'Connor, you may remember, burst onto the scene in 2006 and made for a nice story. A local Baltimore kid who went to GW, he got off to a nice start before faltering to a 3-8 record and 4.80 ERA. Elbow surgery sidelined him for the start of 2007, and he never got going again in the minors.

Both Logan and O'Connor become free agents.

A hefty report detailing the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball will be released to the public tomorrow afternoon.

The report from former Sen. George Mitchell, the lead investigator of the inquiry, will be available on MLB.com, following a press conference at 2 p.m.. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will also hold a press conference at 4:30 p.m.

Mitchell, now chairman of the law firm DLA Piper, was appointed by Selig in March of 2006 to investigate the use of steroids, human growth hormone and similar drugs in the game. Over the last 20 months, Mitchell and his team have interviewed hundreds of people in baseball, though he reportedly received little cooperation from current players. Mitchell is expected to name dozens of current and former players with ties to performance-enhancing drugs in his report.

Selig was motivated to investigate the steroids issue after the publishing of the book "Game of Shadows" that detailed the relationship of former Giants slugger Barry Bonds to the Bay-Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), a group under investigation by the federal government for distributing steroids to athletes.

- Tim Lemke

Paul Lo Duca has passed his physical, making his signing with the Nats complete. He'll be introduced along with fellow ex-Met Lastings Milledge at a press conference later this afternoon.

Which brings me to something I've wanted to bring up to everyone: the Nats' payroll. I know there has been a lot of huffing and puffing from fans and media alike about the club going cheap and not spending money on players as it moves into the new ballpark. And certainly the Nats have not gone on an unlimited-budget spending spree this winter. But you may be surprised to see that the club will actually be devoting more to payroll in 2008 than perhaps you thought. Here are all the players who are already signed for next year...

SIGNED

1B Nick Johnson $5,500,000
OF Austin Kearns $5,000,000
1B Dmitri Young $5,000,000
C Paul Lo Duca $5,000,000
SS Cristian Guzman $4,200,000
OF Wily Mo Pena $2,000,000
2B Ronnie Belliard $1,600,000
3B Aaron Boone $1,000,000
LHP Ray King $850,000 (nonguaranteed, hasn't been announced yet)
OF Ryan Langerhans $500,000
TOTAL $33,150,000

OK, now let's add eight more players who are eligible for arbitration. These salary numbers are my best guess as to what they'll earn, but please remember these are only an estimate. They could wind up being very different...

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE (all estimates)

RHP Chad Cordero $6,000,000
2B Felipe Lopez $5,000,000
RHP Luis Ayala $2,000,000
RHP Jon Rauch $1,500,000
RHP Jesus Colome $1,000,000
RHP Tim Redding $1,000,000
RHP John Patterson $900,000
RHP Ryan Wagner $500,000
TOTAL $17,900,000

So, combining those two categories, we get 18 players making a total of $51,050,000. There will be seven more players on the Opening Day roster, all with less than three years' major-league experience. Their salaries will range from the league minimum of $390,000 to perhaps $500,000 for the most-established players in the group (like Ryan Zimmerman). Add them up, and that's another $3 million or so.

There's one more player that the Nats are partially responsible for in 2008: Jose Vidro. The terms of last winter's trade with Seattle stipulates that Washington will pay $2.5 million of the $8.5 million owed Vidro. Since he's obviously not on the team anymore, we won't count that in our final total, but we should remember that it's still money coming out of the Nats' pockets.

So what's the grand total? If the season opened today, the Nats' payroll would be roughly $54 million. Does that rank among baseball's leaders? No, not even close. But it would be a sizeable increase from last year's Opening Day payroll, which was a paltry $37 million. It also would be more than the Nats spent in their first season in the District ($48 million on Opening Day 2005). Only the Opening Day 2006 payroll ($63 million) was larger.

What does it all mean? Well, the Nats may still have a ways to go to catch the biggest spenders in the game. But they certainly seem to be showing a willingness to increase payroll as need be, and it's a safe assumption that the number will continue to rise over the next few seasons.

Before I close up shop and head to the airport to return home to snowy D.C., here's a final thought for everyone:

One week ago, the Nationals' roster included the following players:
-- Brian Schneider
-- Ryan Church
-- Jonathan Albaledejo
-- Billy Traber
-- Justin Jones
-- Glenn Gibson (minor leaguer, not on 40-man)

Those players have since been replaced by:
-- Lastings Milledge
-- Elijah Dukes
-- Tyler Clippard
-- Aaron Boone
-- Matt Whitney
-- Garrett Guzman

Improved team? It would appear so, but I'm interested to hear if others feel the same way.

So long from Nashville...

Here's a final flurry of news before everyone bolts from Nashville:

The Nats have signed Aaron Boone to a one-year, $1 million contract, with incentives. Boone, of course, has a lengthy history in the majors and is the son of Washington assistant GM Bob Boone.

Wily Mo Pena has agreed to a one-year contract with a one-year option. Pena, who was arbitration eligible and would have been a free agent after the 2008 season, gets $2 million in 08. One of two things can happen in 09: Either the Nats pick up a $5 million club option, or Pena picks up a $2 million player option. Either way, he's all but assured of being in a Nats uniform for the next two years (barring a trade or something crazy).

Ryan Langerhans also has avoided arbitration, agreeing to a contract that will pay him $500,000 if he's on the major-league roster, $300,000 if he's in the minors.

Add two more young players to the mix for 2008 roster spots: third baseman/first baseman Matt Whitney and outfielder Garrett Guzman. The Nationals selected both players in this morning's Rule 5 draft.

Whitney, 23, has big-time power potential. In a combined 128 games with Cleveland's two Class A affiliates last season, he hit .299 with 32 homers and 113 RBI. That's some serious pop. So why was he available? Because he was still stuck at Class A after missing all of 2003 after breaking his leg while playing basketball and spent the next three years trying to regain his swing. He obviously discovered it again last season, but the Indians figured they'd take a chance leaving him unprotected since he's clearly not major-league ready.

The Nats, though, figure he's worth a shot. If he makes the team, he'll be a right-handed bat off the bench. He's not much in the field, so don't look for him to be starting many games in place of Ryan Zimmerman or Nick Johnson or Dmitri Young. But as Jim Bowden put it, Whitney could easily take a role similar to the one Tony Batista held last year. Not a bad spot to put someone who was once referred to by Indians GM as the organization's best hitting prospect since Manny Ramirez.

Guzman, 24, is a little different case. He also suffered a serious injury when he was in a car accident and broke his neck in 2005. But he came back and hit .312 with 14 homers and 88 RBI for Minnesota's Class AA affiliate last season. He's more major-league ready, and Bowden said he envisions him battling for the fourth or fifth outfielder's spot. As a left-handed hitter, Guzman could fill an important need, because (as has been pointed out this week) the Nats' lineup is very right-handed heavy.

That's all for now, but stay tuned. Sounds like there could be some more news from the Nats this afternoon...

Some late-breaking news for you this evening: The Nats are talking contract extension with outfielder Wily Mo Pena, who is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2008 season.

Enrique Rojas at ESPN.com reported the two sides have already agreed to terms (two years, $7 million), but two high-ranking club sources just told me that report is not true and the team and Pena are still in the negotiating stage of the process.

Just got out of our daily media session with Jim Bowden, who (for what it's worth) was in a particularly jovial mood. Don't get too excited; Bowden didn't have anything major to announce (aside from the Tyler Clippard/Jonathan Albaladejo trade, which is at long last official).

Here are some key points from Bowden and Co.:

-- Clippard had been on the Nats' radar since 2005. They made attempts to acquire him back then, but the asking price was considerably higher than it was now because the 22-year-old struggled somewhat in 2007 with mechanical issues. Bowden was very excited to get him now and said he instantly becomes a contender for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. As a precaution, the Nats had Clippard undergo MRIs on both his shoulder and elbow. Bowden said he came back "100 percent clear."

-- The Nats liked Albaladejo a lot and had him penciled in for a bullpen spot in 2008. Remember, this is a guy picked up off the scrap heap last year, and Bowden was quick to credit farm director Bobby Williams for making the recommendation to sign him. But as Bowden said: "I've always been a believer that you trade relievers for starters."

-- Bowden spent much of the day engaged in talks about several available catchers, bench players and even admitted he was involved in a couple of significant trade talks. But, "We're not close to any deal with anybody." I would be surprised if they leave Nashville tomorrow with a catcher in tow.

-- The Nats likely will select a player in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, assuming the player they are interested remains available when the ninth pick comes up. This year's class is not considered as strong as last year's, but Bowden has a history of drafting Rule 5 players ... with only one success story: Jesus Flores last year.

-- Regarding the somewhat surprising release of left-hander Justin Jones: Bowden said Jones "blew his knee out" playing basketball recently and would have been out for the season. The Nationals could offer him a minor-league contract to stay with the organization, but couldn't justify keeping him on the 40-man roster while he's injured.

The Nationals have given left-handers Billy Traber and Justin Jones their unconditional release. Both players are thus removed from the 40-man roster, leaving the club with 36 remaining players.

Is this the precursor to something bigger? Could be. The Nats certainly have enough 40-man space now to sign a free agent or trade for a major-league player. They also have room to acquire a player or two in tomorrow morning's Rule 5 draft.

Stay tuned...

It's a good thing the gargantuan atriums here at the Opryland have glass ceilings, allowing some sunlight into the place. Since checking in to the hotel Sunday night, I have yet to set foot outside. Such is life at the winter meetings, an all-consuming event.

Not a whole lot to report so far today. The Baseball Writers' Association of America had a meeting this morning. Most of the details would be uninteresting to all of you, but one issue did come up that I'd be interested to hear fans' opinions on.

A handful of players now have clauses in their contracts that pay them bonuses if they receive votes for the BBWAA's postseason awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year). The most glaring case just came up with Curt Schilling, whose new contract stipulates that he receives $1 million if he receives just one third-place vote for Cy Young. Schilling then joked on his blog that he might sweet-talk a reporter into voting for him in exchange for a large payment.

This, of course, cuts to the very heart of journalistic integrity. No one in our busines should ever base our voting decisions on financial matters and obviously should be fired for accepting payment from a player for voting for him. It opens up a huge can of worms.

So, the BBWAA approved a resolution today that says we will no longer consider any player who has such a clause eligible for any of our awards. The proposal wouldn't take effect until 2013, since current contracts already include the clauses and can't be changed.

In theory, it makes perfect sense and is commendable. But what happens, say, if Curt Schilling goes 23-0 with a 1.50 ERA and is ineligible to win the Cy Young Award?

Thankfully, we have several years to work out the details, work with MLB and the players' union on a resolution that avoids such a scenario. But I'm interested to hear how fans feel about this...

OK, enough of that. I promise to get back to baseball (re: Nationals) matters later on this afternoon.

... but not involving the Nationals. (Ha! Made you look!)

No, the big development today at the winter meetings was the blockbuster deal just struck between the Tigers and Marlins. Detroit gets Miguel Cabrera AND Dontrelle Willis in exchange for SIX young players, including big-time prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. This one sent shockwaves through the Opryland. Can we just pencil in a Boston-Detroit ALCS right now? (Though I suppose the Indians, Angels and Yankees would have something to say about that.) ...

As far as the Nats are concerned, no major news to announce at this point. The Albaladejo/Clippard trade won't become official until tomorrow. A club source said Clippard already passed his physical today, but Albaladejo's physical with the Yankees won't take place until tomorrow morning.

A few other nuggets gleaned from our late afternoon meeting with Jim Bowden:

-- Austin Kearns is NOT on the trade block. The Nats fully intend to go to spring training with four outfielders (Kearns, Pena, Milledge and Dukes) and let it sort itself out from there.

-- Bowden is listening to plenty of offers for Chad Cordero (and to a lesser extent, Jon Rauch) but didn't exactly sound eager to strike a deal: "We like our bullpen very much. Everybody keeps saying: 'Trade this, trade that.' I'll tell you what, I'd feel very happy to have Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, [Luis] Ayala, [Saul] Rivera all in the bullpen for Manny. ... We like our bullpen. That doesn't mean if we're overwhelmed or get a long-term piece, we won't move one of them. You have to listen."

-- Finding another catcher to work with Jesus Flores is a top priority, but there's some question as to what type of guy to go after. If the Nats can find a young, potential long-term answer, they might go that direction. If not, they'll go with a short-term veteran.

-- The Nats are in discussions with "a couple" of Japanese pitchers, though not the top-tier, big-money guys. More likely relievers who may not sign until later in the offseason.

-- John Patterson is throwing once again and reports no pain in his surgically repaired right arm. Bowden all but confirmed the Nats will bring him back, go to arbitration for the second straight year with him, and give him a chance to make the rotation out of spring training.

That's all for now ...

Nothing too dramatic to report this afternoon from the Opryland. Jim Bowden will be holding his daily media gathering at 5 p.m. Eastern, at which time the club may officially announce the Albaladejo-Clippard trade (which required both players to pass physicals before completion). Manny Acta will also hold court at 5:30 p.m. in his scheduled manager's media session in the press workroom. Normally, he might draw a decent-sized crowd, but guess which AL manager is scheduled to speak at the same time? Yes, Joe Girardi. If there are more than four media members talking to Manny, I'll be stunned.

Otherwise, there's still plenty of chatter around the lobby here. The Nats are moving forward in their search for a catcher to share the job with Jesus Flores. Damian Miller is a short-term candidate, though I'm told the club is also looking into a more long-term solution, someone who could be signed for two or three years and help take pressure off Flores to develop faster than he needs to.

The bigger issue down here involves Chad Cordero, and whether or not the Nats can find a willing trade partner for the 25-year-old closer. As has been the case for two years now, Bowden has a high asking price for Cordero. (Example: He asked the Brewers for Rickie Weeks and was turned down.) He's also talked to the Astros and been unsuccessful so far. There aren't a whole lot of teams currently in the market for a closer, so that could make it tough. As we know, some teams view Cordero only as a setup man. But Bowden's not to going to accept offers from those teams unless he's blown away.

If the Nats can't work out a Cordero deal, look for them to shift their attention to Jon Rauch. The asking price won't be nearly as high, but the Nats still could get something of value in return for the man who has pitched in more games the last two seasons than anyone in baseball.

The Nationals are off and running again this morning at the Winter Meetings: Shortly after completing yesterday's trade for Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes, the Nats worked out a deal to send reliever Jonathan Albaladejo to the Yankees for right-hander Tyler Clippard, according to a source with knowledge of the trade. Both players still must pass physicals before it's official.

Clippard, 22, is a potentially interesting pitcher. He had a 6.33 ERA in six games with the Yankees last season, but he posted a 3.52 ERA with 640 strikeouts in 609 1/3 innings over five minor-league seasons. He could push his way into the battle for a rotation spot this spring.

Albaladejo, 25, pitched very well for the Nats last September, with a 1.88 ERA in 14 relief appearances. But as we know, the Nats' bullpen is overloaded with right-handers, and Albaladejo probably would have had a tough time cracking the roster this spring.

From Stan Kasten, at the end of the announcement of the Elijah Dukes trade:

"We do have more happening this week. Stay tuned."

The Nats have officially announced the trade, and the player sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Elijah Dukes is perhaps a little more significant than we originally thought: minor-league left-hander Glenn Gibson.

Gibson was the club's fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft and was just recently deemed the Nats' eighth-best prospect by Baseball America. He went 4-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts at short-season Class A Vermont and not long ago was considered "untouchable" by Jim Bowden. But after the Nats drafted three top left-handers this past summer (Ross Detwiler, Jack McGeary and Josh Smoker), Gibson dropped on the organizational depth chart, making him expendable.

Here are some other details of the trade, as we just finished our meeting with Jim Bowden, Stan Kasten and Manny Acta...

-- The Nats have a "plan" in place to help Dukes deal with his bevy of off-the-field issues. Citing privacy concerns, Kasten said he couldn't divulge all the details, but they will include counseling, legal assistance and mentoring from other players (primarily Dmitri Young). After meeting with Elijah, his agent and Dmitri this morning, the Nats' front office is convinced Dukes is 100 percent behind the plan. "He's a very honest person who wants to turn his life around," Bowden said.

-- As far as his place on the team and in the outfield, the Nats will let things play out. Bowden noted they now have four young outfielders in Dukes, Wily Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns. The players' performance will determine who plays. It should be noted, though, that Dukes (only 23) has minor-league options and could start the season at Columbus.

-- This trade was in the works for six months, and the Nats did their due diligence in researching Dukes. They talked to everyone who's ever known him. Manny Acta flew down to the Dominican a few weeks ago to watch him play for Licey and came away impressed. Licey's manager is Tim Tolman, also Washington's third-base coach. I talked to Tolman on the phone a little while ago, and he had very positive things to say about Dukes. "He's a good guy," Tolman said. "He mixed in well with the team. He played hard every single day. He's a complex person. He's got a lot of stuff that's happened to him in the past and right now, but he seems to handle it all very well."

-- More quotes from the front office:
"His book hasn't been written yet, just the first two chapters." -- Jim Bowden
"None of us should turn our backs on a 23-year-old." -- Manny Acta
"His talent is off the charts. There's a lot we need to do to get him to reach his potential." -- Jim Bowden
"Can lightning strike twice? That's the question." -- Stan Kasten, referring to Dmitri Young's successful reclamation project last year

It's confirmed: The Nats have acquired outfielder Elijah Dukes from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named later.

The trade opens up a world of questions, and it'll be interesting to hear what GM Jim Bowden has to say when he meets with us later this afternoon. But clearly the Nats have done their homework on Dukes. They know his history. They've talked to plenty of people who know him well, including first baseman Dmitri Young (who will certainly become a mentor for him in the Nats clubhouse). And they know they're taking a chance on a really talented 23-year-old who by all accounts needs to grow up off the field. We'll see how this plays out.

There's also the question of where Dukes fits into the Nats' outfield, since the club already has Wily Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns from left-to-right. But remember this: Dukes has only a couple months of major-league service time. He could very well be a bench player. He could also very well start out in the minor leagues.

As far as the player to be named is concerned, don't expect it to be anyone of great consequence, likely a minor-leaguer. The Rays were simply trying to rid themselves of Dukes, and the Nats were one of the only (possibly THE only) teams interested in his services.

I don't normally post rumor and speculation on here, but this one seems to have some serious legs and could be close to becoming official. There's a LOT of chatter here in Nashville about the Nats and Rays being on the verge of announcing a trade for troubled outfielder Elijah Dukes. This isn't only coming from one outpost, it's coming from a variety of sources on both sides of the deal.

Both teams' general managers are scheduled to meet with beat reporters at 5 p.m. Eastern, and I'm told the Nats will have some news to announce. Could be unrelated, but it's not hard to connect the dots and believe this is the case.

Still working on who the Nats would be giving up in exchange for Dukes, but we're probably not talking about a significant major-league player. Given Dukes' laundry list of issues, and the Rays' desire to move him, the asking price is pretty low. Probably a minor-leaguer.

I'll keep you posted as details emerge...

Howdy, y'all, from the fabulous Opryland Hotel/Resort/Convention Center/City-Within-A-City. This place is so big, when you check in, they hand you a map with directions to get to your room. There are nearly 3,000 rooms in the hotel, several gigantic atriums, a fake river that runs through the entire complex, a giant waterfall and more twists and turns than the inner hallways of the Pentagon. There's also an ongoing "A Country Christmas" show.

It is here that Major League Baseball has decided to hold its Winter Meetings. Things are just getting underway this morning, but here are a few things to watch for over the next four days:

-- Will the Nationals pull off another trade? Jim Bowden is aggressively shopping around closer Chad Cordero, and to a lesser extent, setup man Jon Rauch. With Cordero likely to make as much as $6 million in arbitration this offseason, now would seem an appropriate time to attempt to deal him. Not that the Nats don't think Cordero is a valuable member of the club and don't want to keep him. They do. But this team doesn't really need a premier closer right now, not while it's still in rebuilding mode, and Cordero could fetch a lot in a trade. Not saying Bowden will definitely strike a deal this week, but I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he finds a willing partner.

-- Who will get Johan Santana? The Yankees and Red Sox are engaged in yet another round of head-to-head trade talks, with each trying to outbid the other in an attempt to acquire the Twins ace and best young pitcher in baseball. Hank Steinbrenner has supposedly set a deadline of today to make a deal. Will the Twins bite, or will they hold out for more?

-- Will the less-than-stellar free agent class -- headlined by Andruw Jones -- strike it big?

I'll try to keep you posted on as many developments as I can along the way. Speaking of which, here's the first bit of news from the meetings: The Hall of Fame Veteran's Committee has announced five new inductees to Cooperstown. They are...

-- Barney Dreyfuss, former owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates who helped found the World Series in 1903.

-- Walter O'Malley, former owner of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers who helped integrate baseball and spread the game to the West Coast.

-- Bowie Kuhn, former MLB commissioner who served from 1969-84.

-- Billy Southworth, former manager of the Cardinals and Braves who won two World Series titles.

-- Dick Williams, former manager of six teams who won two World Series with the A's and guided both the Red Sox and Padres to the Fall Classic. Williams is the lone living member of this year's class.

Ray King is back with the Nationals, agreeing to a minor-league contract that will pay him $850,000 if he makes the Opening Day roster.

The 33-year-old left-hander, you'll recall, was 1-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 55 games for the Nats last season before getting traded to Milwaukee in early September for first base prospect Andrew Lafave. At the time, the popular King said he'd consider re-signing with Washington in 2008, and he made good on that promise.

King fills an obvious void in the Nats' otherwise strong bullpen. The club had no other reliable left-handed match-up man -- neither Billy Traber nor Arnie Munoz performed well in that role when given a chance last season. King may not be the best in the business, but he's got a pretty proven track record for getting left-handers out.

And if nothing else, GM Jim Bowden has just secured himself yet another commodity come next summer's trade deadline. Maybe the Nats should just consider re-signing Ray every winter, then flipping him for another prospect come July or August.