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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-odds-braves-nationals-prediction-pick-watch-3-30-2023');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB Odds: Braves vs. Nationals prediction, pick, how to watch – 3/30/2023');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Braves-vs.-Nationals-prediction-pick-how-to-watch.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB Odds: Braves vs. Nationals prediction, pick, how to watch – 3/30/2023</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-29T07:34:14-07:00">March 29th, 7:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-29T07:34:14-07:00">March 29th, 7:34am</time><address><a>Brendan Smith</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-4-bold-predictions-for-ronald-acuna-jr-atlanta-ahead-of-opening-day" rel="noopener">Atlanta Braves</a> will begin their 2023 campaign with a trip to our nation’s capital to take on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-star-prospect-needs-tommy-john-surgery" rel="noopener">Washington Nationals</a> at Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/" rel="noopener">series</a>, which includes a Braves-Nationals prediction and pick, laid out below.</p><p>Atlanta finished the 2022 season with a 101-61 record, winning the National League East by way of a tiebreaker. The Braves were eliminated in four games by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series, but after making some key offseason moves, such as trading for star catcher Sean Murphy, the team is in a good position to compete for the NL East again in 2023.</p><p>Washington, on the other hand, posted a horrific 55-107 record last season, which was the worst in the MLB by five games. Last season signaled the beginning of what will likely be a slow, painful rebuilding process after the Nats traded star outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. The Nationals made some additions around the margins over the offseason, but will employ a young roster heading into 2023.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Braves-Nationals <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB odds</a>, </i></b><b><i>courtesy of FanDuel.</i></b><b><i> </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Braves-Nationals Odds</b></h2><p>Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-146)</p><p>Washington Nationals: +1.5 (+122)</p><p>Over: 7.5 (-118)</p><p>Under: 7.5 (-104)</p><h2><b>How To Watch Braves vs. Nationals</b></h2><p>TV: Bally Sports Southeast, MASN</p><p>Stream: MLB.tv</p><p>Time: 1:06 PM ET/ 10:06 AM PT</p><p><i><b>*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(click for a free trial)*</a></b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Atlanta’s strong offense from last season received a boost when Murphy was acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics this offseason. Murphy is one of the best all-around catchers in the league, and he finished last season with 18 home runs, 37 doubles, and a 3.5 bWAR. The Braves also have star first baseman Matt Olson, a fellow Oakland castoff, returning for the 2023 season after he slugged 34 home runs for Atlanta last season.</p><p>A full season from both Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna, Jr. would go a long way towards making this team title contenders. Albies played in just 64 games in 2022, but totaled 24 extra-base hits during his time on the field. Acuna played in 119 games, but failed to meet his lofty expectations hitting just 15 home runs while stealing 29 bases. Most of Atlanta’s lineup has owned Patrick Corbin, who will get the nod for Washington in this game, including both Albies and Acuna.</p><p>Max Fried will get the opening day start for Atlanta, entering the final year of his contract. Fried was spectacular last season, posting a 2.48 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 185.1 innings to earn himself a second-place finish in the NL Cy Young race. A loaded Braves bullpen was made even stronger over the offseason, too, thanks to the addition of Joe Jimenez from the Detroit Tigers. Jimenez is coming off a career-year in which he put up a 3.49 ERA while striking out 77 batters in 56.2 innings. The left-handed combination of Tyler Matzek and A.J. Minter will once again give opponents fits this season too.</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Washington’s lackluster offense is led by electric young prospect C.J. Abrams. Abrams stole just seven bases in his 90 games with San Diego and Washington last season, but the rule changes made this offseason should benefit him. Scouts have long been in love with Abrams’ speed, routinely grading him as an 80 runner (top end of scouting scale). Should Abrams dial in his plate discipline, he has the potential to torment opponents at the top of the Nationals lineup.</p><p>Joey Meneses was a feel good story last season, hitting .324 with 13 home runs in the first 56 games of his MLB career, which came at the ripe age of 30. Meneses should at least provide a steady power option to anchor Washington’s lineup. Jeimer Candelario is a bounceback candidate, as hit 42 doubles in 2021, and Victor Robles, who presents a similar skillset as Abrams, has owned Fried in his career, hitting .360 in 25 at-bats against him.</p><p>Corbin, who is coming off the worst season of his career, will take the ball for Washington to open their season. Corbin had an ugly 6.31 ERA in 2022 with just a 7.5 K/9 ratio, and it was the third straight year in which his ERA climbed north of 4.50. In 18 innings this spring, the veteran lefty registered a 4.50 ERA, so maybe he can put together a better outing in 2023. Kyle Finnegan is the team’s best option out of the bullpen, striking out 70 batters in 66.2 innings last season while registering a 3.51 ERA.</p><h2><b>Final Braves-Nationals Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Braves should have no problem in this one.</p><p><b>Final Braves-Nationals Prediction &amp; Pick: Atlanta -1.5 (-146), over 7.5 (-118)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB Odds: Braves vs. Nationals prediction, pick, how to watch – 3/30/2023

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-odds-2023-worst-regular-season-record-prediction-and-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB Odds: 2023 Worst Regular Season Record prediction and pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mlb-odds-2023-worst-regular-season-record-prediction-and-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB Odds: 2023 Worst Regular Season Record prediction and pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-27T10:09:48-07:00">March 27th, 10:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-27T10:10:57-07:00">March 27th, 10:10am</time><address><a>Bryan Logan</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Everyone wants to win a World Series, but someone has to be the worst team in all of baseball. We continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a special worst regular season record prediction and pick.</p><p>Last year it was the Washington Nationals that took the crown as the worst team in the MLB. The season saw six players make their MLB debut and the departure of John Bell and Juan Soto. Top pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, pitched only 4.2 innings, and the Nats lost 107 times. 2021 saw the Orioles finish with 110 losses, and 2020 had the Pirates at the bottom with a 19-41 record. Two of the worst winning percentage seasons in 1900 were found in 2019 and 2018, with 47-114 Tigers and 47-115 Orioles respectively.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Worst Regular Season Record in <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB odds</a>, </i></b><b><i>courtesy of FanDuel.</i></b><b><i> </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Worst Regular Season Record in MLB</b></h2><p>Washington Nationals: +260</p><p>Oakland Athletics: +270</p><p>Colorado Rockies: +500</p><p>Cincinnati Reds: +700</p><p>Detroit Tigers: +750</p><p>Pittsburgh Pirates: +1500</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Will Have The Worst</b><b> Record </b><b>in MLB</b></h2><p>The first, and most obvious reason, is they were just the worst team in all of baseball last year. Team batting leader Cesar Hernandez is now in Detroit, and Nelson Cruz is now a Padre. The offense was dreadful last season. Their on-base percentage (OBP), Slugging percentage, On-base plus slugging (OPS), and OPS+ (adjusted to the ballpark) were all below the league average on the season. Take out Soto and Bell, and it plummets. There was not much done to help either, with Corey Dickerson and Jeimer Candelario being the major off-season bats added.</p><p>The rotation is not much better. Patrick Corbin gets the opening day start, and while he did help them win a World Series, he has been one of the worst starters in MLB the last two years. Behind him is Josiah Gray, who has yet to put anything together as a professional, having an ERA over five in the last two years. Maybe the prize from the Juan Soto trade, Mackenzie Gore can be a stud for the rotation, but the pitching is well below standard in Washington.</p><p>Playing in potentially the hardest division in baseball, there seems to be little hope the Nationals can avoid losing 100 games and be a solid pick for the worst record in the MLB.</p><h2><b>Why The Athletics</b><b> Will Have The Worst</b><b> Record </b><b>in MLB</b></h2><p>The Oakland Athletics had the second-worst record in baseball last year losing 102 times. The A’s also did not make too many massive offseason moves, although they have some more than the Nationals. Aledmys Diaz and Jace Peterson are expected to add a little to this offense, and pitcher Shintaro Fujinami will join the rotation from Japan. They did trade off Sean Murphy, which was arguably the best player on the team last year.</p><p>One major area of concern for the Athetlics is how young they are. Tyler Soderstrom and Ken Waldichuck are expected to be bigger contributors for the A’s this season. Soderstrom made it up to triple-a last year and played well in the minors. Waldichuck pitched 34 2/3 innings last year with the big league club and did well in his showings. Zack Gelof will probably begin the year in Las Vegas but could see a call-up.</p><p>Overall, the A’s lack major players, although they have a bunch of platoon players, there is not a single standout on the offensive production side. The pitching rotation was not good, ranking bottom five in the league in most major statistics. There is not a ton of help coming either, so the A’s may be the worst regular season record in MLB pick.</p><h2><b>Why The Rockies Will Have The Worst Record in MLB</b></h2><p>The Rockies finish with the worst record in baseball if a few things happen. First, the pitching does not improve. Last year they had the second-worst ERA, while starters were 22nd in ball bases per nine innings, 29th in strikeouts per nine innings, and 26th in home runs per nine innings. Marquez was awful last year, but spring training shows he may be primed for a comeback. Freeland was the best Rockies pitcher last year and showed good stuff for Team USA. Gombar is coming off a bad year, but 2021 showed he is solid, and Urena joins the staff this year, which may help.</p><p>The other thing is injuries. The Rockies have bats with the signing of Jurickson Profar, and the return of Kris Bryant, CJ Cron, and Charlie Blackmon. Last year the bats were derailed by injuries, specifically to Bryant. If they can avoid injuries and get better starting pitching, they will not be bad, but that is a major if.</p><h2><b>Why The Tigers </b><b>Will Have The Worst Record </b><b>in MLB</b></h2><p>The 2022 Tigers were supposed to be exciting, but were anything but. The Javy Baez contract seemed to have backfired, and he has to improve if the Tigers will be better. Miguel Cabrera feels like Ryan Zimmerman of a few years ago, you may get a highlight here and there, but it just takes up a roster spot. Spencer Torkelson was supposed to be a stud but had a horrid 2022. Jonathan Schoop is a solid defender, but his bat leaves something to be desired.</p><p>The rotation looked good last year too, but Mize was derailed by injuries, and Skubal had to be shut down too. Eduardo Rodriquez looked good in spring training but was not as expected last season. Everything that could go wrong for the Tigers in 2022 did, and with little changes, a new GM, and some major holes, this lines up to be another bad year for the Tigers.</p><h2><b>Final Worst Regular Season Record in MLB Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The biggest difference between the Nationals and the other four teams is the division they play in. The Mets and Braves sit second and fifth in current World Series winners odds. The Phillies just went to the World Series, and the Marlins are not a bad ball club. With almost no one in the lineup providing a ton of power or production and with a bad rotation that is hoping for young stars to blossom, they will take the crown as the worst team in the MLB.</p><p><b>Final Worst Regular Season Record in MLB Prediction &amp; Pick: Washington Nationals go 51-111 </b></p><p><b>Final Worst Regular Season Record in MLB Prediction &amp; Pick: Washington Nationals (+260)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB Odds: 2023 Worst Regular Season Record prediction and pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-star-prospect-needs-tommy-john-surgery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals’ star prospect needs Tommy John surgery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/nationals-news-star-prospect-needs-tommy-john-surgery.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nationals’ star prospect needs Tommy John surgery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-16T07:13:22-07:00">March 16th, 7:13am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-16T07:13:22-07:00">March 16th, 7:13am</time><address><a>Colin Gallant</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-keibert-ruiz-extension-washington-history-bryce-harper-juan-soto" rel="noopener">Washington Nationals</a> received <a href="https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-statement-from-president-of-baseball-operations-and-gm-mike-rizzo-" rel="noopener">brutal injury news</a> on Thursday, as the team announced that top pitching prospect <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-brings-excitement-to-post-juan-soto-life-by-calling-up-top-prospect" rel="noopener">Cade Cavalli</a> has a Grade 3 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament and will require Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.</p><p>The right-hander will miss the entire 2023 season, general manager Mike Rizzo said on Thursday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals’ star prospect needs Tommy John surgery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-keibert-ruiz-extension-washington-history-bryce-harper-juan-soto');   ga('set', 'title', 'Keibert Ruiz’s extension makes Nationals history not even granted to Bryce Harper, Juan Soto');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Nationals-news-Keibert-Ruiz_s-extension-makes-Washington-history-not-even-granted-to-Bryce-Harper-Juan-Soto.jpg"></figure><h1>Keibert Ruiz’s extension makes Nationals history not even granted to Bryce Harper, Juan Soto</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-10T21:56:37-08:00">March 10th, 9:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-10T21:56:37-08:00">March 10th, 9:56pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and San Antonio Brahmas beat reporter for XFL News Hub.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/washington-nationals" rel="noopener">Washington Nationals</a> have made a huge move to lock up a piece of their future. Catcher Keibert Ruiz is sticking around in the nation’s capital for the long haul after Friday’s news.</p><p>Ruiz and the Nationals <a href="https://twitter.com/barrysvrluga/status/1634371059116810240" rel="noopener">have agreed to</a> an eight-year extension, as first reported The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga. The contract is said to be worth a total of $50 million and includes two club options.</p><p>Ruiz is the first Nationals player to receive an extension prior to his arbitration eligibility. Not even superstars Juan Soto and Bryce Harper signed an extension ahead of their arbitration years.</p><p>The Nationals have convinced young players to sign similar contracts before. Washington inked left-hander Gio Gonzalez to a five-year, $42 million after acquiring him from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/oakland-athletics" rel="noopener">Oakland Athletics</a> in 2011.</p><p>The team also signed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a five-year, $45 million contract in 2009. Both players were arbitration eligible at the time, however.</p><p>This contract buys the remaining five years of team control the Nationals already had. Furthermore, it buys the first three years of free agency Ruiz would have had prior to this deal.</p><p>The Nationals acquired Ruiz as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> in 2021. Washington also acquired right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray in the deal, who is another potential cornerstone.</p><p>Keibert Ruiz played 112 games in his first full season in the nation’s capital. He hit seven home runs and drove in 36 runs while maintaining a batting average of .251. Only time will tell if Ruiz can live up to his potential with the Nationals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Keibert Ruiz’s extension makes Nationals history not even granted to Bryce Harper, Juan Soto

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-4-players-who-need-bounce-back-seasons');   ga('set', 'title', '4 Nationals players who need bounce back seasons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/nationals-x-players-who-need-bounce-back-seasons.jpg"></figure><h1>4 Nationals players who need bounce back seasons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-05T06:10:10-08:00">March 5th, 6:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-05T06:10:10-08:00">March 5th, 6:10am</time><address><a>Anthony Riccobono</a>Anthony Riccobono has been a sports reporter for over a decade. He primarily covers the NFL, MLB and NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-3-bold-predictions-for-2023-mlb-season-as-spring-training-begins" rel="noopener">Washington Nationals</a> might have the lowest expectations of any team in the 2023 MLB season. Just a few years removed from winning the 2019 World Series, the Nationals entered a full rebuild last year by moving Juan Soto at the trade deadline. Much of the focus in Washington will be on the development of potential stars like shortstop <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-makes-big-move-involving-key-piece-of-juan-soto-trade" rel="noopener">CJ Abrams</a> and starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore. If the Nationals hope to stay out of the NL East basement, they’ll need a few veteran players to turn back the clock.</p><p>Let’s take a look at four Nationals players who need bounce-back seasons in 2023.</p><p>*<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/" rel="noopener">Stats via</a> Baseball Reference.</p><p><b>Victor Robles, CF </b></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-victor-robles-goes-full-clown-mode-in-hilarious-response-to-madison-bumgarner" rel="noopener">Victor Robles</a> was supposed to be part of a star-studded outfield in Washington with Soto for years to come. Soto held up his end of the bargain and was eventually traded for a haul of top prospects. Robles has failed to make the leap that the Nationals had hoped.</p><p>Robles was the No. 6 ranked prospect in all of baseball five years ago. The centerfielder showed promise by hitting .255/.326/.419 with 17 home runs as a rookie during Washington’s 2019 championship run. Robles hasn’t hit better than .224/.310/.315 in any of the last three years. Robles has just 11 home runs during that span. His OPS has decreased in each season, falling all the way to .584 in 2022.</p><p>There are reasons to believe that Robles can bounce back in 2023. Robles is only 25 years old.  He stole a career-high 28 bases as a rookie. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-league-approves-major-rule-changes-for-2023-season" rel="noopener">MLB’s new rules</a>, notably the introduction of larger bases and pick-off limits, could allow Robles to wreak havoc on the bases.</p><p>The one area in which Robles has lived up to the hype is with his glove. One of MLB’s best defensive centerfielders, Robles had 1.8 WAR in 2022. Even as a slightly below-average hitter, Robles could have a positive overall impact on the Nationals because of his defense and speed.</p><p><b>Dominic Smith, 1B</b></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-adds-lefty-bat-dominic-smith-on-one-year-deal" rel="noopener">Dominic Smith</a> is looking to resurrect a once-promising MLB career. The New York Mets non-tendered the first baseman after a disappointing two-year stretch. Smith posted career lows across the board in the 2022 season. The left-hander hit .194/.276./.284 with no home runs in 152 plate appearances.</p><p>Smith hit .282/.355/.525 over 89 games in the 2019 season. The 60-game 2020 season looked like it would be Smith’s breakout campaign. Smith finished 13th in the NL MVP race. He hit .316/.377/.616 with 10 home runs in the truncated season. In 2021, Smith’s OPS plummeted to .667.</p><p>In New York, Smith was often in and out of the lineup. The former first-round draft pick never quite settled in as a starter for the Mets. The 2021 season was the only time in which Smith got a chance to be a mainstay in the lineup over the course of 162 games. After Smith’s batting average fell to .244 and much of his power disappeared, the Mets signed multiple corner outfielders in free agency. Smith was relegated to the bench.</p><p>Smith will face much less pressure in Washington than he did under the bright lights of New York. Unlike the Mets, the Nationals aren’t expected to contend for a championship. Maybe the change of scenery will help Smith return to being the player who was dangerous at the plate only a few seasons ago.</p><p><b>Stephen Strasburg, SP</b></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-stephen-strasburgs-injury-woes-continue-with-spring-training-setback" rel="noopener">Stephen Strasburg</a> is the most obvious Nationals player who is in desperate need of a bounce-back season. The starting pitcher has to prove that he can play again in the major leagues, let alone return to being the ace of the staff. Strasburg underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in July 2021. Complications from the procedure have kept him out of action since June.</p><p>Any kind of on-field contribution that Strasburg could make in 2023 would have to be deemed a success. Since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract after the 2019 World Series, Strasburg has been limited to 31.1 total innings. If Strasburg doesn’t pitch this season, it could mean that his MLB career is finished.</p><p>It wasn’t all that long ago when Strasburg was one of the best pitchers in baseball. The right-hander had 251 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA in 209 innings for the 2019 season. Strasburg had a 1.98 ERA in 36.1 playoff innings on his way to winning the World Series MVP award. In the 2017 season, Strasburg led the NL with a 2.72 ERA and a league-low 0.7 homers allowed per nine innings.</p><p>Strasburg is only 34 years old. The three-time All-Star has a 3.24 ERA for his career. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/24/stephen-strasburg-influence-nationals/" rel="noopener">There is hope</a> among Nationals’ players that Strasburg can find a way to make a comeback.</p><p><b>Patrick Corbin, SP</b></p><p>Could any player who isn’t coming back from an injury use a bounce-back season more than <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-patrick-corbin-d-c-end-43-game-streak-of-misery-after-shattering-mlb-hall-of-infamy-record" rel="noopener">Patrick Corbin</a>? Strasburg hasn’t been able to get on the mound since the Nationals’ championship run, but Corbin has arguably been the worst starting pitcher in MLB.</p><p>Corbin gave up the most hits in the league in 2020 and posted a 4.66 ERA. One season later, Corbin’s ERA ballooned to 5.82. In the 2022 season, the left-hander went 6-19 with a 6.31 ERA and a 1.69 WHP.  </p><p>Few starters in recent memory have put together a worse two-year stretch than Corbin. The 33-year-old has gone 15-37 with a 6.05 ERA. Corbin surrendered the most runs and lost the most games in the league each year. If he didn’t have two seasons left on his six-year, $140 million contract, Corbin would likely be fighting for a roster spot on another team in spring training.</p><p>Corbin was the victim of some bad luck last season. His 4.83 FIP was much lower than his ERA. Perhaps some good fortune will come his way in 2023. If Corbin can occasionally resemble the pitcher who posted a 3.20 ERA in his first two seasons with the Nationals, Washington might be thrilled.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

4 Nationals players who need bounce back seasons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-3-bold-predictions-for-2023-mlb-season-as-spring-training-begins');   ga('set', 'title', '3 bold Nationals predictions for 2023 MLB season as Spring Training begins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/X-bold-predictions-for-2023-MLB-season-as-Spring-Training-begins-3.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 bold Nationals predictions for 2023 MLB season as Spring Training begins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-25T20:02:24-08:00">February 25th, 8:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-25T20:02:24-08:00">February 25th, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Diego Vergel de Dios</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After winning the 2019 World Series, the Washington Nationals have decided to go on a total revamp with their roster. Guys like Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were moved a couple of seasons back. Still, the rebuild was evident after they shipped generational talent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres for a haul of prospects led by CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore.</p><p>As the Nationals will have another tough 2023 campaign, baseball pundits have predicted them to have the worst record this season. With the NL East counterparts bolstering their lineup in the offseason, it lessens the chances of Washington putting up a substantial fight this year. It will be difficult to accept for their youngsters, but this will be another season of earning the necessary repetitions at the big league level.</p><p>Avoiding tanking has been a point of consideration in the MLB, so Washington can only go as high as seventh for the 2024 draft. It gives them the incentive to go all out every game. Thus, here are numerous bold predictions on the performance of Washington for 2023.</p><h2><b>Breakout season for CJ Abrams</b></h2><p>Being the biggest asset acquired from the Juan Soto mega trade, the eyeballs will be focused on the development and progression of CJ Abrams. At 22 years old, Abrams started last season in Triple-AAA, but he will likely be in the majors as the starting shortstop of Washington. His offense and power still have holes and weaknesses, but his defense is elite already.</p><p>Some plays caught the eye of Nationals’ fans, and they highlighted glimpses of his upside. CJ Abrams can be a dark horse candidate for the Gold Glove award this year, as he will likely compete with impressive guys like Dansby Swanson or Miguel Rojas. Adapting to the city of Washington instantly was admirable for Abrams, and his speed and athleticism will be the primary facets wherein he will excel for the 2023 season.</p><h2><b>Stephen Strasburg will continue to miss the 2023 season</b></h2><p>Man, what a disappointing and unfortunate career it has been for a Cy Young-caliber pitcher. Stephen Strasburg was rewarded with a seven-year, $245 million contract extension after winning his first World Series crown in 2019, but he has pitched a total of 30 innings only since that juncture. He has experienced a ton of injuries, but this latest one is a recurring of the thoracic outlet symptoms that caused rib and shoulder pain.</p><p>The injury history was already given for the talented star, so it was surprising for the front office to reward him with a massive contract. The surgeries and discomfort he has been feeling are very concerning because the procedures being done to him do not address the issue. His track record and numbers have been exceptional, but returning to the mound at 100% must be the utmost priority.</p><h2><b>Nationals will not be in MLB’s bottom 3</b></h2><p>The season has not started yet, but the Washington Nationals fans know they have a minimal chance of making some noise this season. The priority is on their youngsters and prospects to develop into All-Star caliber players in the next 3-5 years.</p><p>With the potential of guys like Abrams, Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, and Luis Garcia, Washington has a bright future. The model or formula they must emulate is the one from the Tampa Bay Rays or Cleveland Guardians as a young franchise that thrives because of their prospects, defense, and athleticism. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 bold Nationals predictions for 2023 MLB season as Spring Training begins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-stephen-strasburgs-injury-woes-continue-with-spring-training-setback');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen Strasburg’s injury woes continue with Spring Training setback');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Stephen-Strasburg-Nationals.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen Strasburg’s injury woes continue with Spring Training setback</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-15T16:50:30-08:00">February 15th, 4:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-15T17:02:13-08:00">February 15th, 5:02pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>A Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Rex claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The wait for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-stephen-strasburgs-latest-injury-update-doesnt-bode-well-for-return-in-2022" rel="noopener">Stephen Strasburg’s return</a> will have to wait at least a little longer. The Washington Nationals star reportedly <a href="https://twitter.com/dougherty_jesse/status/1625971313666916357" rel="noopener">suffered a setback</a> in his attempt to resume pitching following an upper-body <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-stephen-strasburg-gets-a-crucial-injury-update-from-nationals-manager-dave-martinez" rel="noopener">injury</a> and did not report Wednesday to spring training, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.</p><p><i>“Stephen Strasburg had a setback after a recent bullpen session and is not in spring training, according to Dave Martinez. He’s back in D.C. and there is no timetable on him getting here. Continues to be complications following TOS surgery in the summer of 2021.”</i></p><p>Stephen Strasburg, who appeared in only a single game in the entire 2022 MLB season, went under the knife last year for a thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) surgery.</p><p>During this offseason, Strasburg managed to throw for a couple of bullpen sessions. He did not have any significant issues when he had his first session but <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/stephen-strasburg-setback-in-return-from-thoracic-outlet-syndrome-surgery" rel="noopener">problems showed up</a> in the next one, via Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.</p><p><i>“The next day, he just didn’t rebound as he thought he would,” manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday following the first pitchers and catchers workout.</i></p><p>The hope remains for the Nationals that Stephen Strasburg will be healthy enough in time for the 2023 MLB regular season, which kicks off late March.</p><p>It’s been a while since Nationals fans last saw Strasburg pitch on a consistent schedule. Stephen Strasburg has appeared in only eight games since the 2020 MLB season, going 1-4 with a 6.98 ERA and 1.564 WHIP.</p><p>Strasburg has a career record of 113-62 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.096 WHIP across  247 starts.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen Strasburg’s injury woes continue with Spring Training setback

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-washingtons-tribute-to-owner-ted-lerner-after-his-passing-at-97-years-old');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals’ tribute to owner Ted Lerner after his passing at 97 years old');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Washington_s-tribute-to-owner-Ted-Lerner-after-his-passing-at-97-years-old.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nationals’ tribute to owner Ted Lerner after his passing at 97 years old</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-13T11:43:00-08:00">February 13th, 11:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-13T11:43:00-08:00">February 13th, 11:43am</time><address><a>Colin Gallant</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-could-be-up-for-sale-soon" rel="noopener">Ted Lerner</a>, the owner of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-league-announces-first-ever-draft-lottery-that-will-catch-nationals-pirates-attention" rel="noopener">Washington Nationals</a> since 2006, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35652224/washington-nationals-owner-ted-lerner-dies-97" rel="noopener">passed away due to complications from pneumonia</a> at his home in Maryland on Sunday night, the team announced. He was 97.</p><p>“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Founding Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner,” the team said in a statement. “The crowning achievement of his family business was bringing baseball back to the city he loved — and with it, bringing a championship home for the first time since 1924. He cherished the franchise and what it brought to his beloved hometown.”</p><p>The billionaire real estate developer and lifelong baseball fan purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006 for $450 million after the team was moved there from Montreal, per ESPN. He was managing principal owner of the team until ceding the role to his son Mark in 2018.</p><p>The team won the World Series in 2019, after being one of baseball’s worst team over a decade long stretch.</p><p>“It’s <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/ted-lerner-dies-at-97" rel="noopener">been a very great day</a> for the Washington Nationals,” Lerner said at the championship parade, per MLB.com. “They say good things come to those who wait. Ninety-five years is a pretty long wait. But I’ll tell you, this is worth the wait. This is for the city that’s always believed, the players that always fought and the fans who were with us every step of the way.”</p><p>The Nationals tweeted a video tribute to Lerner on Monday:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ted Lerner is the reason baseball came back to DC after 33 years.</p><p>Thank you, Ted.</p><p>Rest in peace. <a href="https://t.co/FCgEchEYmO">pic.twitter.com/FCgEchEYmO</a></p><p>— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nationals/status/1625173587119202304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I have great appreciation for Ted’s impact on his hometown and the game he loved,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Ted’s entire family, including Annette Lerner, Mark Lerner and Judy Lenkin Lerner, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum and Robert Tanenbaum, and Debra Lerner Cohen and Edward Cohen.”</p><p>Lerner is survived by his wife of 71 years, Annette Morris Lerner; his children, Mark D. Lerner, Debra Lerner Cohen and Marla Lerner Tanenbaum; nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, according to MLB.com.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals’ tribute to owner Ted Lerner after his passing at 97 years old

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-elian-soto-juan-sotos-brother-agrees-to-contract-with-washington');   ga('set', 'title', 'Juan Soto’s brother agrees to deal with Washington');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/nationals-news-juan-sotos-brother-agrees-to-deal-with-washington.jpg"></figure><h1>Juan Soto’s brother agrees to deal with Washington</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-20T06:56:20-08:00">January 20th, 6:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-20T06:56:20-08:00">January 20th, 6:56am</time><address><a href="https://muckrack.com/alex-sabri">Alex Sabri</a>Alex Sabri started as an Associate Editor for Cavs Nation and ClutchPoints in November 2022. He has over three years of collegiate and professional sports and local journalism experience.Though he covers a wide variety of sports and general assignments for ClutchPoints, he specializes in covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Central Division basketball, NFL football and Big Ten basketball and football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Outfielder Elian Soto, the brother of Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, agreed to a $225,000 signing bonus as a part of the minor league contract he signed with the Nationals this weekend, according to a Thursday report from the Associated Press.</p><p>Elian Soto verbally agreed to join the Nationals just days after he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-juan-sotos-younger-brother-elian-expected-to-spurn-mets-for-washington" rel="noopener">declared to sign</a> with the New York Mets in early January. He would not be eligible to sign until this year’s class in January.</p><p>The 17-year-old <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/05/elian-soto-juan-sotos-brother-plans-to-sign-with-mets/?utm_source=pocket_mylist" rel="noopener">earned high praise</a> from Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who earned his second All-Star selection and placed 16th in American League MVP voting at 23 years old last season.</p><p>“An industry talent evaluator offered that Elian Soto’s best tool was his power, with the other tools (hit, running, arm and defense) not ranking as high,” New York Post columnist Ken Davidoff wrote in a 2022 article. “Nevertheless, there is respect for the bloodlines and any player so young carries considerable room for growth. Blue Jays All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., boasting of some excellent bloodlines himself, told Gomez of Elian Soto, ‘He hit harder than Juan Soto when he was 15 years old.'”</p><p>The Atlanta Braves became one of the more active teams in the MLB’s international signing period after they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-signs-luis-guanipa-on-deal-in-international-free-agency" rel="noopener">signed Venezuelan outfielder Luis Guanipa</a> for $2.5 million on Sunday. Guanipa is No. 34-ranked prospect in the top 100 International Prospect Rankings by the MLB, and one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-braves-sign-21-international-players-during-sanction-free-period" rel="noopener">21 international players</a> the team signed during the sanction-free signing period.</p><p>“The Venezuelan teen is aggressive at the plate and swings with intent to do damage,” MLB.com baseball reporter Jesse Sanchez wrote in a Sunday article. “Guanipa has shown plus bat speed and the ability to drive the ball to the gaps. He should hit for average and his raw power is emerging.</p><p>“On defense, he displays plus instincts in the outfield.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Juan Soto’s brother agrees to deal with Washington

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-washington-adds-lefty-bat-dominic-smith-on-one-year-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals add lefty bat Dominic Smith on one-year deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Dominic-Smith-Nationals.jpg"></figure><h1>Nationals add lefty bat Dominic Smith on one-year deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-03T15:40:35-08:00">January 3rd, 3:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-03T15:47:56-08:00">January 3rd, 3:47pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Nationals are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/03/dominic-smith-nationals-deal/" rel="noopener">adding a lefty bat</a> to their roster in the form of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-dominic-smiths-likely-mets-fate-ahead-of-non-tender-deadline" rel="noopener">Dominic Smith</a>, who agreed on a one-year deal with the team, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.</p><p><i>At the winter meetings in early December, Dave Martinez, manager of the Washington Nationals, laid out a specific checklist for an offensive acquisition. Martinez wanted the player to bat left-handed, to play the corner outfield spots and to be capable of spelling Joey Meneses at first or serving as the designated hitter. Then the Nationals agreed to terms with Dominic Smith on Tuesday, giving them a bounce-back candidate who fits each of those requirements and their general offseason vision.</i></p><p>The 28-year-old Smith had only played for one team in the majors before agreeing to join the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-brings-excitement-to-post-juan-soto-life-by-calling-up-top-prospect" rel="noopener">Nationals</a>, having spent his first six years in the big leagues with the New York Mets, who selected him in the first round (11th overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft. His first notable campaign in the MLB was in 2019 when he posted a triple slash line of .282/.355/.525 and hit 11 home runs to go with 25 RBI in 197 plate appearances across 89 games played, while also recording a 132 OPS+ for the Mets.</p><p>Smith would follow that season up by slashing .316/.377/.616  and hitting 10 home runs along with 42 RBI in 50 games and 199 plate appearances in 2020 while finishing with a 168 OPS+.</p><p>The Nationals are expected to slot Smith in first base and in the outfield, with the hope that a new environment will spark him back to his top form. Over his last two seasons with the Mets from 2021 to 2021, Smith hit just .233 in 203 games and 645 plate appearances while having just a 78 OPS+.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals add lefty bat Dominic Smith on one-year deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-ex-red-sox-prospect-jeter-downs-lands-with-washington');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ex-Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs lands with Nationals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Jeter-Downs-Red-Sox-Nationals.jpg"></figure><h1>Ex-Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs lands with Nationals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-12-22T13:23:07-08:00">December 22nd, 1:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-12-22T13:24:33-08:00">December 22nd, 1:24pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Boston Red Sox top prospect <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/red-sox-news-mookie-betts-trade-even-more-embarrassing-with-latest-move" rel="noopener">Jeter Downs</a> is getting another opportunity in the big leagues, this time in the NL with the Washington Nationals. They claimed the infielder<a href="https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-claim-infielder-jeter-downs-from-red-sox" rel="noopener"> off outright waivers</a> on Thursday, per MASN Sports.</p><p>Downs was once one of the top prospects in baseball but when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/red-sox-news-boston-lands-japanese-star-masataka-yoshida-in-free-agency" rel="noopener">the Red Sox signed</a> Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida last week, they cut ties with the youngster. A 2017 first-round pick, this is now his fourth organization. Downs was nabbed by the Cincinnati Reds but then got traded as part of the Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig blockbuster between the Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers. After that, Downs was included in the Mookie Betts trade, too, sending him to Beantown.</p><p>Jeter Downs showed a lot of promise in the minors both in the field and at the dish, but in the big leagues, he’s struggled. In 39 at-bats last season, he hit just .154 with 21 strikeouts. A lot of young players take time to get used to MLB arms but the Red Sox clearly didn’t like what they saw.</p><p>For a Nats team in a rebuild, this is certainly a decent move. He can play all over the infield with the exception of first base, which is basically just a waste of his athleticism. Washington also got CJ Abrams from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade, who plays a tremendous shortstop. It feels likely Downs get a chance at second base and possibly even as the backup SS to Abrams in Spring Training.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs lands with Nationals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-washington-makes-tough-decision-on-nelson-cruz/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals make tough decision on Nelson Cruz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/nationals-news-washington-makes-tough-decision-on-nelson-cruz.jpg"></figure><h1>Nationals make tough decision on Nelson Cruz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-10-15T14:23:28-07:00">October 15th, 2:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-10-15T14:23:28-07:00">October 15th, 2:23pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California and spent the majority of his time growing up playing baseball and basketball. He graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to writing, Mistretta runs a sports Youtube channel and works as a seasonal play-by-play sports broadcaster.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Nationals are <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/nationals-to-decline-mutual-option-with-nelson-cruz.html" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> declining their mutual contract option on Nelson Cruz, per MLB Trade Rumors. Cruz <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-nelson-cruz-inks-deal-with-washington/" rel="noopener">signed</a> a 1-year deal with Washington prior to the 2022 campaign. The contract included a mutual option for 2023 which is what the Nationals reportedly are turning down.</p><p>The decision to move on from Nelson Cruz makes sense for a number of reasons. First off, the 42-year old DH is fresh off of a down season at the plate. He slashed just .234/.313/.337 with 10 home runs for the Nationals in 2022.</p><p>But the decision to decline Cruz’s option also stems from the fact that this is a rebuilding Nationals ball club. Keeping a veteran slugger like Cruz at the tail end of his career simply doesn’t make sense. The only logical explanation for keeping him around would be in hopes that Nelson Cruz performs well to open 2023 and builds up his trade value. But for a player who will turn 43-years old next summer, that trade value is not enough to warrant accepting the mutual option.</p><p>Nelson Cruz’s MLB future is in question. The slugger still features no shortage of power and clubbed 32 home runs in 2021. His fairly recent success may opt a team to take a chance on him assuming he does not retire. If he does call it quits this offseason, Cruz had one heck of an MLB career. He’s hit an astounding 459 home runs in his career and has a case for the Hall of Fame.</p><p>But Nelson Cruz may opt to play for another season as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals make tough decision on Nelson Cruz

Chad
Kuhl

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2023 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
22	8.59	4	1.77	1

2023 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
22	8.59	4	1.77	1

Chad Kuhl

Latest Related Team News

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• Ex-Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs lands with Nationals

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Chad
Kuhl