From Joe in Sacramento:
I am a misplaced fan 3,000 miles away in Sacramento, CA. I am on board with "the plan" put forth by the Lerners and Kasten and am wondering if there are any early rumors or rumblings as to which free agents the team may field. The Nats remind me somewhat of Detroit a few years back when they got a new stadium, lost a ton, built a farm system and then signed Pudge Rodriguez and people laughed. Might the Nats go this type of direction with a free agent signing?
Mark Zuckerman:
Joe, you're not the first to bring up the comparison to the 2003 Tigers (who went 43-119, signed Pudge the next winter and went to the World Series in 2006). And you're not the first to bring up the possibility of the Nats going after a big-name free agent this winter. I believe they will pursue a handful of big-name guys, particularly a center fielder. The question, though, is whether they can land an Andruw Jones or a Torii Hunter, and how high they're willing to go. Jones is going to get more than $100 million, bank on that. Is Stan Kasten willing to go that high, and then, is Jones going to pick Washington over all the other clubs that surely will be throwing money his way, too (coughYankeescough)? We shall see.


From GoNats in Fairfax:
Last September, Kearns and Johnson are both running down a fly ball. They collide and, 8 months later, we still haven't seen Johnson back on the field. Do you think this incident had any bearing on the Kearns-Logan blunder of Monday night? Was one or both of them perhaps a little less agressive, knowing he was running towards the other? As Logan said himself, "Kearns is a big guy". Did Logan maybe pull up a little at the end, not wanting to spend the rest of the season in rehab?
Mark Zuckerman:
Funny, because I thought the same thing at the time. The question was posed to both players afterward, which is when Nook referred to Kearns' largesse, perhaps wondering whether he might have been broken in half had he run into his teammate. Both guys, though, said thoughts of the Nick Johnson play didn't enter their minds AS they were chasing down the fly ball. In the heat of the moment, there's only so many things you can think about. AFTER the fact, though, both said it did occur to them. And, did anyone notice how a nearly similar incident took place in the first inning last night? Fortunately, this time Kearns caught the ball, though both players went after it and never heard the other call them off.


From Montreal Expos of Wa in Godalming, Surrey, E:
Hi Mark, With the Nats' rotation decimated at the moment, with two relievers filling in, will/should Bowden take a flyer on the just released Mark Redman? Have you seen him pitch this year and is there a MLB future for him? Thanks!
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, is that Surrey, England? We've gone Transatlantic! Regarding Mark Redman: I saw him pitch this spring and wasn't all that impressed, which may explain why his tenure in Atlanta didn't last too long. I know the Nats had some interest before he signed with the Braves but the two sides couldn't agree on terms. Here's the thing about the current situation, though: I don't get the sense the Nats are going to try to find temporary solutions outside the organization. Three of the key rotation members currently out (Patterson, Hill, Bergmann) are all expected back with a few weeks or a month at the latest, so there's no real sense signing a veteran fill-in guy to hold their place until they come back. Also, remember that minor-leaguers Joel Hanrahan and Emiliano Fruto aren't far from returning from their own injuries and could be called up to take the rotation spots currently being held by converted relievers.


From Jonathan in College Park:
Great coverage as usual, it's appreciated. It seems that the Nats pitching is coming around and once everyone is back dare we say there might be a surplus. Who amongst the starters (and the bullpen) might be candidates for trades later in the summer? Also, any draft or minor league buzz? Thanks.
Mark Zuckerman:
Thanks, Jonathan -- I appreciate the kind words. Let's not jump too far ahead with this "surplus of pitching talk," but yes, the Nats could find themselves with a couple of extra bodies, particularly in the bullpen. This is where it could get interesting. I think Jim Bowden will get plenty of calls about Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch and Jesus Colome (team MVP, anyone?) and could get some calls about lefties Ray King and Micah Bowie if the two turn things around. Colome, I think, will surely be traded (he's this year's Hector Carrasco, who left via free agency). Cordero and/or Rauch? We'll see. Bowden will ask for a lot for both relievers. Will any other GMs match his asking price, or will Trader Jim lower his price in an attempt to move either guy?


From Jeffrey Saffelle in Alexandria:
Mark: I am puzzled by some of Manny Acta's late inning moves. With the game tied or a one run lead either way, why does he continually take out Ryan Church, Dmitri Young--players that have bats that can produce for weak hitters like Langerhans, Fick, etc. And, last night, wasting three players--Langerhans,Young and Church just to place Fick in left and Belliard at first. If the game is in the 9th inning, I understand. But, Manny has done this as soon as the 7th inning, to costly results. Twice now, leaving NO ONE ON THE BENCH. I don't understand NOT TRUSTING YOUR STARTERS with the game still in flux?
Mark Zuckerman:
Those moves raised some eyebrows in the press box as well, though I suppose everything worked out in the end. That said, Manny has shown a definite tendency to pull Church and Young late in games in favor of Langerhans and Fick. I think the Young/Fick move is worth it -- Dmitri has been pretty much brutal at first base, and while Fick is no Gold Glover, he's at least reliable enough to catch most routine throws. The Langerhans/Church one, though, kind of stumps me. It's not like Church is a stiff out there. Quite the contrary, he played a standout center field while Nook Logan was out, and he's at worst an average left fielder, maybe above average. As far as last night's situation goes, there is one thing to point out: When Acta pulled Young in favor of Church as a pinch-runner, it was the seventh inning of a tie game. He was hoping the faster Church could score the lead run, in which case it made sense. The problem came an inning later, when he was forced to put Ronnie Belliard at first and Fick in left because he needed pinch-hitters. That was not the best-case scenario.


From Brian in Alexandria:
Mark, what are the Nationals looking for at #6 in this year's draft? A pitcher or a hitter? College or high school? Given Stan Kasten's well-known disdain for agents, will players represented by historically tougher agents like Scott Boras be ignored?
Mark Zuckerman:
Publicly, they'll tell you they're going to draft the best available player, regardless of position. Privately, I get the sense they're zeroing in on position players for that No. 6 overall pick. Pitchers are just too big a risk, as we've seen in the past. The Nats know when you've got the sixth pick in the country, you've got get as close to a slam-dunk player as possible. There's only one pitcher (Vanderbilt's David Price) who falls into that category, and he's expected to be long gone by the time Washington's turn comes up. Like last year (when they took outfielder Chris Marrero with their top pick and then pitcher Colton Willems with their next), I expect the Nats to go for a big bopper in the first round and then use several of their other high picks (5 of the top 70) on pitchers.


From B Prophet in Reston:
Mark: In last night's ninth inning Jesus Colome ... a relief pitcher ... fouled off four pitches before striking out. Any chance Manny can use him as a pinch hitter instead of Robert Fick?
Mark Zuckerman:
Aw, come on now, let's not be so hard on Fick, a professional hitter who is batting ... yikes, .192 for the season. As a pinch-hitter, he's ... 0-for-8! Wow, that's not good. Of course, Nats pinch-hitters as a whole are a putrid 8-for-76 this season, which is beyond stunning. So it's not like Manny has a ton of better options than the Fickster (and no, Colome doesn't count). That said, once some more players return from the DL, might Fick find his job in jeopardy if he doesn't start producing? It's possible.


From Kevin in Alexandria:
Have you heard anything that leads you to believe the Nats will make a serious run at Kosuke Fukodome if he decides to come to the US?
Mark Zuckerman:
Nothing specific on Fukodome, who will be the next big Japanese hitter to invade the US. But the Nats are definitely starting to make some headway in Asia. These things take time, so we may not see any tangible results for another year or two or three. But they are committed to building a presence over there, I can tell you that.


From Ron Brown in Richlands, Va.:
What happened to Frank Robinson Day?
Mark Zuckerman:
The Nats originally hoped to hold a day honoring the ex-manager on May 20 against the Orioles, which would have honored both his uniform number (20) and the team he played for (the O's). Frank, still harboring ill will toward the organization for the way his dismissal was handled, declined not so politely. However, I'm hearing rumblings that Frank might now be agreeable to something. There will still have to be significant details worked out, but stay tuned.


From Screech'sBestFriend in Sec. 320:
Mark:I have pondered this question for some time. Yet, I really don't know the proper answer. Over the two plus seasons of Nationals Baseball, many pitchers have gone down to injury. Many with elbow problems. Some more than once. Do The Nationals Pitchers go down at an alarming rate, more so, than other Major League Teams, when it comes to this type of elbow injury? Is so, are they teaching something incorrectly? Its a topic I would love to get an honest answer to. The Nationals always say its not a problem.
Mark Zuckerman:
It's certainly an interesting subject, and one I've often thought about (not just with this team). The Nats will tell you there is nothing out of the ordinary with the injuries their pitchers have suffered, and nothing that could have been done to prevent it. The Yankees, though, fired their strength and conditioning coach a few weeks ago in the wake of all their pitching injuries. My honest opinion on the matter, though, is that there's really not much training staffs can do to prevent these things. While it may look to close observers that the Nats have suffered more pitching injuries than most, I think that's only because we watch them so closely. I suspect fans/media in other cities feel the same way about their teams.


OK, that's all the time we have today. Sorry to those I didn't get to. We'll try again next week from Washington. Or, if you can't wait that long, send me a question for the weekly Nats Mailbag, which runs on Monday morning (I need them in by early Sunday). Same address: natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com. Thanks again. Enjoy tonight's game!