Kuzul

The Washington Nationals‘ hopes for a World Series title in 2013 remain unaffected despite Gio Gonzalez being linked with performance-enhancing drugs.

Tim Elfrink of the Miami New Times reported that Gonzalez’s name, among many other athletes’, was on a list from the anti-aging clinic Biogenesis. Elfrink writes:

The records are clear in describing the firm’s real business: selling performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone to anabolic steroids.

Gonzalez went to Twitter to deny any PED use:

Other than bad PR, it’s hard to see how this could affect Gonzalez and the Nationals in 2013.

Until more information is known, Major League Baseball can’t exactly suspend him for 50 games. He hasn’t failed a drug test, and there isn’t any real tangible proof that he has used PEDs.

If the league tries to overstep its bounds, you can bet the players’ union will be there to see it doesn’t happen.

Should Gonzalez be suspended for the 50 games, it’s not going to hurt him like it would any other position player. Gonzalez would miss about 10 starts. The impact of those 10 lost starts would only be negligible for the Nationals.

Washington has one of the best pitching staffs in MLB. Dan Haren is penciled in right now as the No. 5 starter. Few teams would be better prepared than the Nationals to replace somebody like Gonzalez; there would be a slight drop-off, but nothing too serious.

Bartolo Colon was suspended toward the end of last season after testing positive for PEDs. He only made 24 starts, but they were enough to get the Oakland A’s in the American League playoff hunt.

The overall quality of the A’s starting rotation was enough to overcome the loss of Colon.

In the likely event that Gonzalez gets off without much of a punishment, it’s not going to hamper his performance on the field. A player can only be jeered about steroids so much before it all starts to sound the same and loses any effect.

The fan backlash behind suspected PED use didn’t stop Bonds in his pursuit of Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. And it didn’t stop Ryan Braun from putting up numbers almost similar to 2011, when he won National League MVP.

It’s quite a coincidence that this news comes a season after the Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg. Many baseball purists criticized the move, saying the baseball gods love hubris.

Somehow, the game’s deities would strike back at the Nationals for sitting their best pitcher in the most critical part of the season.

Perhaps this is the baseball gods’ revenge. If it is, they’ll want to try a little harder to derail Washington’s chances for winning it all in 2013.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In October of 2012, the Washington Nationals melted down in the Division Series, blowing a ninth inning lead in the fifth game. Drew Storen pitched in four of the five games and could not hold onto the 7-5 Game 5 lead and the Nationals lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 9-7.

If the Nationals find themselves in a similar situation in October of 2013, they will be handing the ball to former New York Yankees closer Rafael Soriano. The Nationals signed the Scott Boras client to a relatively low risk two year, $28 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter.)

The deal has an option for a third season if Soriano finishes 120 games over the 2013 and 2014 season. 

Soriano had little interest in the open market this offseason. According to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times, Boras tried to get the Detroit Tigers to bring him aboard and in theory he seemed like a natural fit for the defending American League Champions.

Soriano opted out of a $14 million agreement with the New York Yankees for a chance to close games, something he probably would do with the return of Mariano Rivera. After Jose Valverde’s postseason meltdown, the Tigers had a spot for him in the rotation. But perhaps the cost of a draft pick soured his chances to come to the Motor City.

Now he will land in Washington and pitch alongside Storen, Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen and Ryan Mattheus.

Relievers can be hard to predict and Soriano is no exception.

He was very effective in 2009 with the Atlanta Braves and an All Star and Cy Young contender in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays. But in 2011, his first year with the New York Yankees, he was riddled with injuries and inconsistencies, before bouncing back for a terrific year while replacing the injured Rivera in the Bronx.

The Nationals are banking on 2009, 2010 and 2012 Soriano and not the 2011 model.

If they do, the city of Washington may actually see a postseason series victory for the first time since 1924.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Washington Nationals have bolstered their bullpen by signing former all-star relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, 33, to a two-year, $28 million contract that includes a vesting option for a third season.

By signing Soriano, the Nationals lose their first-round pick in the forthcoming first-year player draft.

Soriano pitched in the closer role for the New York Yankees in the 2012 season, taking over the position after Mariano Rivera, the career leader in saves, suffered a torn ACL. He recorded 42 saves (third in the American League) and posted a 2.26 ERA.

For his career, the 6’1”, 230-pound right-handed pitcher has recorded 132 saves with a 2.78 ERA.

Soriano will provide the Nationals with another option for closing out games and help to replenish a bullpen that lost key contributors Sean Burnett, Tom Gorzelanny and Mike Gonzalez in free agency.

Last season the Nationals used a combination of Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard in the closer role. Storen, 25, missed a significant portion of the 2012 season and made only four saves after recording 43 in 2011. Clippard made 32 saves, but struggled to close out games late in the season.

The Nationals posted an MLB best record of 98-64 in 2012, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games in the divisional round. By signing Soriano to a $14 million per year contract—the highest for a closer in baseball—and losing a first round draft pick, GM Mike Rizzo has shown that the Nationals—after posting their first winning season since moving to D.C.—are no longer focused on the future, but rather are aiming to win in the present.

In addition to getting Soriano, the Nationals signed starting pitcher Dan Haren to a one-year, $13 Million contract and resigned first baseman Adam LaRoche to a two-year, $24 million deal earlier in the offseason.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Rafael Soriano‘s long ordeal on the free-agent market has come to an end.

As reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the veteran closer is signing with the Washington Nationals:

Source: Rafael Soriano agrees to two-year, $28M deal with Nationals. Deal contains vesting option for third year. Story coming on Y! Sports.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 15, 2013

Passan also noted that Soriano’s option for the 2015 season will vest if he finishes 120 games in 2013 and 2014.

Score another one for the mystery team. The Nationals didn’t stand out as a target for a big-money closer when the offseason began, but GM Mike Rizzo is clearly sparing no expense to build on what his team established in 2012.

As with any deal in baseball, there are winners and losers of Soriano’s contract with the Nationals. Let’s take a gander.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Salary and contract information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. 

Begin Slideshow

The Washington Nationals and free-agent closer Rafael Soriano have agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract with a vesting option for a third year. The option vests if Soriano finishes at least 120 games over the first two seasons.

Jeff Passan had it first:

Source: Rafael Soriano agrees to two-year, $28M deal with Nationals. Deal contains vesting option for third year. Story coming on Y! Sports.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 15, 2013

The Nationals bullpen seemed to be set prior to the move—aside from lacking a left-handed specialist—with Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen both capable closers.

Owner Ted Lerner, however, felt otherwise. He was very much involved in luring Soriano to Washington and was willing to offer the money agent Scott Boras wanted.

While it seems to be overkill at first glance, this move is an absolutely stellar one for the Nationals.

For starters, they have just acquired an All-Star-level closer who can bring them one step closer to success in the postseason. It’s doubtful that this move was inspired by Storen‘s downfall in last season’s NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, but the signing shores up any qualms about that role moving forward.

With Soriano in the fold, general manager Mike Rizzo can get creative with the rest of the team.

He can choose to leave Clippard, Storen and Soriano (ClipStoSo?) together at the back end of the bullpen, forming one of the most formidable trios in the league. Teams would then have to beat guys like Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann over six innings—something that shouldn’t be too easy to accomplish.

Or, Rizzo can package either Clippard or Storen with outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse to stock up an already deep farm system. Morse is without a starting spot given the re-signing of Adam LaRoche and the acquisition of center fielder Denard Span.

There’s also one other option, and one that’s purely speculation on my part. If Rizzo really wanted to get creative, he could package Morse, Clippard/Storen, top prospect Anthony Rendon and another minor league arm to acquire yet another front-line starter.

The Tampa Bay Rays were rumored to have interest in Morse, so maybe a deal for left-hander David Price could be agreed upon.

Again, that’s purely speculation.

Regardless of what Rizzo chooses to do, the signing of Soriano was a fantastic move by the upper-management of the Nationals.

He provides the team with a stable presence in the ninth inning, as well as several options for Rizzo to consider in order to improve his team even further.

Lerner deserves a ton of credit for essentially orchestrating this deal.

Grade: A 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Heads or tails?  Heads, Adam LaRoche goes to the Boston Red Sox. Tails, he goes to the Washington Nationals.  You choose—at least that’s what it seems to have come down to this offseason.

Adam LaRoche just came off an awesome season with the NL East Champion Washington Nationals.  

In his ninth year in the big leagues, the first baseman hit .271 with 33 home runs, 100 RBI, 76 runs scored and recorded 155 hits in 571 at-bats.  He also won a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in National League MVP voting. 

The question is: Where will he go next season?

The Nationals have shown interest in bringing LaRoche back, but according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the two parties are still nowhere close to an agreement.  LaRoche is looking for a three-year deal, and the Nationals aren’t willing to offer more than two.  

The Red Sox, who have shown interest in LaRoche ever since Mike Napoli showed signs of a potential hip issue, are another possible destination.  However, according to Peter Gammons, the Red Sox don’t want to surrender a draft pick or—like the Nationals—commit to a three-year deal. 

One thing is for certain though: Both teams need to make a decision soon.

The Nationals could go with either Michael Morse or Tyler Moore at first, but Manager Davey Johnson made it known during the Winter Meetings that he would like to have LaRoche return to the lineup in 2013.

The Red Sox, who are in desperate need of a run-producing first baseman ever since trading Adrian Gonzalez to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, have to either work out an injury-contingent contract with Napoli (similar to J.D. Drew and John Lackey’s deals) or pull the trigger on LaRoche.

My guess is the Red Sox will sign LaRoche to a three-year deal—with Napoli heading to either the New York Mets or Yankees.  Is that a little too presumptuous? 

Either way, LaRoche will sign with someone in the very near future.

What do you think—where will LaRoche end up next year?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The National League contains some of the strongest pitching rotations all of Major League Baseball,  and the Washington Nationals rank right there amongst the game’s best.

Last year, the Nationals’ staff finished first in the National League with a WAR of 18.1 (via FanGraphs). That was without a full season of Stephen Strasburg and also without a single starter reaching 200 innings pitched.

Throw Dan Haren into the mix this season (in place of Edwin Jackson), and you’ve got yourself a ridiculous starting rotation.

They’ll face competition from some other staffs for the title of “best in the National League,” though.

As it’s clear that the Nationals are at worst a top-five rotation, there’s no need to rank teams any lower than that. This slideshow will focus on the creme de la creme—the best five rotations in the National League.

Begin Slideshow

The 2012 Washington Nationals finished atop the NL East, winning the team’s first division title since they moved to Washington in 2005. 

But things can change in a hurry during the offseason. 

The Nationals’ negotiations with recent Gold Glove winner Adam LaRoche are going slowly, and he is the free agent target of at least one other team.  And Washington is probably done with last season’s fourth starter in the rotation, Edwin Jackson. But the Nats will welcome back catcher Wilson Ramos from injury. These and other changes could affect the on-field product for the Washington Nationals. 

Of course, the other teams in the division will change as well.  The second place and Wild Card-winning Atlanta Braves expect to lose their leadoff hitter and center fielder Michael Bourn, with his replacement as of yet unknown.  The third place Philadelphia Phillies shed significant salaries at the trade deadline, but plan to retool instead of rebuild, and the ever-confident Jimmy Rollins even told CSNPhilly.com that the NL East “still goes through Philly.”  The fourth place New York Mets are rebuilding, but should improve with another year under the guidance of Terry Collins.  And last but not least, the Miami Marlins may hold last place in the NL East for some time as a result of their blockbuster trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

So, will all of these changes—not to mention any unforeseen moves—prevent the Nationals from repeating as division champs? 

Here are 10 reasons why the Washington Nationals will stay atop the NL East next season.

Begin Slideshow

Who do you want the Nationals to go after this winter?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have declined Dan Haren‘s $15.5 million option for the 2013 season, making him a free agent.

Haren, who wants to remain with the Angels, will now be in search of a home if general manager Jerry Dipoto chooses to take an alternative route.

The right-hander is coming off arguably his worst season as a full-time starter. He produced a 4.33 ERA and a 12-13 record in 30 starts for the Angels.

It was also the first season he failed to pitch 200 innings (176.2) since 2004 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Because of his down year, there’s a strong chance that Haren could look to re-establish his value in 2013 on a one-year deal. If that’s the case, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo should jump at the chance to sign him.

Haren has consistently been one of the better pitchers in the league since 2005, and one down season doesn’t necessarily mean that he is on the decline. His decline may be on its way (he’s 32 years old), but it might not be here just yet.

Rizzo could offer Haren a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $8 million. This should appeal to Haren for two reasons. One, it gives him the opportunity to play for a winner. Secondly, the National League East is essentially an average offensive division.

He won’t have to face an offense like the Texas Rangers several times during the season like he had to with the Angels. This should offer him a great opportunity to right the ship.

The Nationals also have the money to extend Haren if he gets back to his dominant ways before the 2013 season ends.

If that becomes the case, the Nationals rotation would arguably have the best four-deep rotation—Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Haren—in the majors.

Haren is sure to have several suitors this offseason. Rizzo and the Nationals represent a very good fit for the 32-year-old righty, and will likely be in the race until the very end.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com