The Nationals signed pitcher Dan Cortes to a minor league deal this past offseason with the hope that the hard-throwing right-hander would be able to give them depth at the top of their minor league system. Unfortunately, Cortes was unable to pass his physical with the Nationals so the deal was voided, a source with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday. Published February 29 2012
Notes from Wednesday on Ian Desmond vs. Gio Gonzalez, the Nationals' moving their workouts inside Space Coast Stadium, Bryce Harper's twitter account and more. Published February 29 2012
Last year, Sean Burnett turned in one of the most impressive spring training stat lines you'll see. The left-hander pitched in 10 games, allowed just five hits and a walk and never gave up a run in 9 1/3 innings of work. He fielded questions about being the Nationals' closer and got three saves in the Nationals' first 10 games. Published February 29 2012
The Nationals were missing four from their workout Wednesday with Jayson Werth (back spasms), Adam LaRoche (ankle, shoulder), Chad Tracy (knee) and Yunesky Maya (pharyngitis) all excused from the day's events. None of the issues are considered serious. Published February 29 2012
Jayson Werth was not present on the field at Space Coast Stadium Wednesday morning as the Nationals began their second straight workout without him. Werth, who missed Tuesday's workout with back spasms, didn't offer much in the way of an update on his condition this morning. Asked how he was feeling he stopped long enough to say "I don't care," but then kept walking. Published February 29 2012
Henry Rodriguez arrived to camp late and, as a result, didn't throw his first bullpen session of the season until Sunday. He threw his second Tuesday morning and as pitching coach Steve McCatty was walking away from it, another Nationals coach asked him in passing how Rodriguez looked. McCatty got out just one word: "Wow." Published February 29 2012
More than two months after they felt they’d dodged a bullet, the Washington Nationals’ and left-handed prospect Sammy Solis got exactly the news they were hoping to avoid. Solis will undergo Tommy John ligament reconstruction surgery on March 6, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday. Published February 28 2012
Jayson Werth wasn't present for the Nationals' workout Tuesday morning. The outfielder was dealing with back spasms so he was excused from the day's events but Nationals manager Davey Johnson didn't seem to think the spasms were a huge cause for concern. Published February 28 2012
On the day that all of the candidates for the Nationals No. 5 starter role were throwing live batting practice, it was the field on which Chien-Ming Wang was throwing his that Nationals manager Davey Johnson, pitching coach Steve McCatty, general manager Mike Rizzo and, eventually, pitching coordinator Spin Williams all seemed to end up. Published February 27 2012
Matt Purke will be the starting pitcher Friday against Georgetown and Anthony Rendon will play third base that day. And while Davey Johnson didn't come right out and say it, you can plan on Bryce Harper making the trip to Kissimmee for his first spring training start on Saturday. Published February 27 2012
The breakdown of how Ryan Zimmerman will get the money committed to him by the Nationals on Sunday. Published February 27 2012
Jordan Zimmermann can be forgiven if this isn't his favorite time of year. When he gets behind that L screen and readies to throw live batting practice, his mind flashes back a few years. Published February 27 2012
Notes from the Nationals' Sunday workout... Published February 26 2012
Ryan Zimmerman's contract extension was the talk of the Nationals' clubhouse on Sunday as the team's leader was locked up for the foreseeable future. So here's what some of Zimmerman's teammates had to say about the deal: Published February 26 2012
In the 20 minutes or so Zimmerman spoke, he said all the right things, which should have come as no surprise. He mentioned watching Cal Ripken Jr. play his entire career in one uniform as a kid, talked of how lucky he felt to be in a position to play his entire career with one team, how D.C. has become his hometown and how humbled he was considering the magnitude of the contract he'd just signed. Published February 26 2012
The Washington Nationals’ promising future was solidified Sunday when their cornerstone, Ryan Zimmerman, agreed to a contract extension. Published February 26 2012
Nearly 13 hours after Ryan Zimmerman’s initial deadline for contract negotiations to be wrapped up, the third baseman and the Washington Nationals still had yet to come to an agreement on an extension. But both sides were confident enough in the progress they made throughout Saturday that they’d be able to flush out the details and announce a long-term deal on Sunday. Published February 25 2012
Notes from Saturday on Bryce Harper, Adam LaRoche and live batting practice, which will start Sunday. Published February 25 2012
The Washington Nationals' spring rotation is officially set with six days to go before the Grapefruit League opener on March 3 in Kissimmee vs. the Houston Astros. Published February 25 2012
The nameplate above Bryce Harper's locker stall inside the clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium looked a little different on Saturday. Greeting the Washington Nationals' gregarious outfielder was a new placard. This one reading: "Joe Namath 12." Published February 25 2012
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
