Washington Nationals

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com , the Washington Nationals are about to sign former Pirates' closer Matt Capps to a one-year deal. Capps' agent, Paul Kinsler, is denying any deal is close, but Olney says "multiple sources" are confirming the story.

Why would Capps, who was courted by a dozen teams, want to play for Washington?

Bill Ladson of Nationals.com reported Tuesday afternoon that the Washington Nationals are still interested in signing second baseman Orlando Hudson.

The team tried to sign Hudson, 31, last year but a concern over his physical made the Nationals shy away from the two-time All Star. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a solid season.

As bold and premature predictions go, this may be the ultimate. In the world of baseball prognostication, it is nearly heresy to even consider what I am about to propose.

As I cast my eyes across the National League, however, I am left with no alternative. It simply must be noted: the Washington Nationals have a very real chance of making the postseason in 2010.

Were it not for the several feet of snow that has blanketed Washington D.C., you would be able to see Nationals’ fans jumping up and down with glee at the news that their team has just agreed to terms with free agent pitcher Jason Marquis.

Maybe they can make snow angels instead.

The Washington Nationals have been working very hard to answer some of their many lingering questions this offseason.

Get rid of a closer who walked more batters than he struck out? Check.

Bring in at least one, and possibly two, relievers to take his place? Check.

Cover the team’s posterior, in case Jesus Flores is not 100 percent healthy, by signing a former all-star catcher willing to take on a reduced role? Check.

Continuing my statistical adventures that began when I looked at the 10 best relievers of 2009 (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/312131-heres-a-thought-statistically-...), here are my 10 worst starting pitchers of the past year, as stated by True ERA.

Let's take a look at one leaderboard nobody wants to be on.

Begin Slideshow

"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak."—Sun Tzu

So in baseball, the way to a World Series is to strike when your division is weak. Although gruff old managers and coaches may risk a platitude or two about playing only against oneself, general managers must think otherwise (e.g. Jack Zduriencik). A baseball team does not simply play against itself. A baseball franchise does not only compete with itself.

Teams exist in divisions. Those divisions can be won. Winning the division gives a team the opportunity to win it all.

Nationals’ team president Stan Kasten was a guest host on a local sports radio talk show a couple of days ago, and was it typical Stan: schilling tickets for the team, liking all the moves the club has recently made, and promising the moon for long suffering Nationals’ fans.

Yada yada yada.

Thank goodness the Washington Nationals are finally acting like a real Major League Baseball team. But with that status come new questions and concerns.

No longer does the team have to shop for players in baseball’s bargain basement.  If they are no longer in need of players like Paul LoDuca and Odalis Perez however, what caliber of players should they be after?

Update (12/16): As it turns out, GM Mike Rizzo attended Chapman's workout yesterday. No one knows for sure what Rizzo came away with after seeing Chapman throw, but the question needs to be asked again, should the Nationals try to sign Aroldis Chapman? I say yes.