Washington Nationals

In the past few days, the Washington Nationals have made several roster moves that, in and of themselves, don't make the team that much better.

What they do show, however, is that the new management team, led by de-facto general manager Mike Rizzo, believes the Nationals are going to be much better this year than any of us believed.

The biggest move came this morning as the Nationals released Shawn Hill, as talented as any pitcher on the Nationals' 40-man roster.

It's been a long time since the Washington Nationals have been shown any real respect by the media, though to be fair, they really haven't deserved any.

Halfway through the team's inaugural season in Washington, the Nationals were atop the National League East with a 50-31 record.

When the Nationals traded Emilio Bonifacio, P. J. Dean and Jake Smolinski to the Florida Marlins last winter for Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham, a couple of things seemed certain.

First, Olsen would become the Nationals No. 2 pitcher; second, Josh Willingham would become a sorely needed offensive weapon for the team, likely in left field.

Over his career, after all, the 30-year-old has been a solid hitter. Since joining the Marlins in 2004, Willingham has averaged .266-25-85 over a 162 game season.