Tex and the Nats...

[shoeshineboy]

Who would you bat cleanup?

Zimmerman

[houston-nat]

By whom?

He's joking.

Although a few of us have been PMing each other about your alleged "ties" with the Toronto Blue Jays.

[wpa2629]

Zimmerman

Lemme see your line up SSB ... inquiring minds want to know ...

[ronnynat]

2007 1st half OBP/OPS
RZ:  .302/.737
MT: .394/.954

2008 1st half OBP/OPS
RZ: .291/.718
MT: .373/.858

According to some here, this shows that Tex is declining.

I'll take Tex's "slow starts" any day. If we land him and he isn't batting 3rd, they are nuts.

Yeah, I've always thought that Zimmerman would be a better #5 hitter.

[spidernat]

Zimmerman

That's interesting. I guess I just never imagined Zimmerman as a cleanup hitter. But then again I don't think he's a legitimate 3rd hitter either.

Although a few of us have been PMing each other about your alleged "ties" with the Toronto Blue Jays.

How does sportsfan have blue jays ties?

He's joking.

He said members here so he may have had someone in mind. But it's hard to figure out when Chief is joking and I doubt he was completely joking.

[houston-nat]

How does sportsfan have blue jays ties?

I would say something very off-color here, but common sense tells me to kill this joke before it becomes too bizarre.

[Minty Fresh]

LMFAO. Those guys are like sheep being led to the slaughter by Angelos.

Here's a frightening thought....What if Tex DOES sign with the Orioles.  Will those laughing go to OH and apologize?

I don't think there's any less delusion here than there.  It only appears more tempered.

[houston-nat]

it's hard to figure out when Chief is joking

No it's not. The Chief is awesome like that.

[shoeshineboy]

That's interesting. I guess I just never imagined Zimmerman as a cleanup hitter. But then again I don't think he's a legitimate 3rd hitter either.

Zimmerman is just one choice. It depends on who else is in the lineup. I actually think Zimmerman is ideal 5th, but could be 4th, and has been plopped in the 3rd spot. I could also see Willingham batting 4th. A lineup  starting off with leadoff man, Dukes, Tex, Willingham, Zimmerman would be cool by me.

[spidernat]

Here's a frightening thought....What if Tex DOES sign with the Orioles.  Will those laughing go to OH and apologize?

I don't think there's any less delusion here than there.  It only appears more tempered.

I believe there is a little bit less but to address your point, it would be horrible if they signed Teixeira. We wouldn't hear the end of it for months.

No it's not. The Chief is awesome like that.

[natsfan4evr]

Can anyone believe that the D-Backs signed FLOP for 3.5 million?

[MrMadison]

Perfect, where do we sign?

that's what I'm saying!

give the man what he wants. Opt-out and no-trade clause.

make it happen.

[Air Zimmerman]

Zimmerman should remain the #3 hitter. he would benefit enormously from batting in front of Tex. I've always believed Zimmerman is on Wright's level with the bat, and he'd prove that batting in front of Tex. he'd get a lot more pitches to hit. ultimately, Tex would make EVERYONE in our lineup better- especially Zimmerman (#3) and Dukes (#5).

[houston-nat]

Zimmerman should remain the #3 hitter. he would benefit enormously from batting in front of Tex. I've always believed Zimmerman is on Wright's level with the bat, and he'd prove that batting in front of Tex. he'd get a lot more pitches to hit. ultimately, Tex would make EVERYONE in our lineup better.

The wise man hath spoken

[ronnynat]

IMO, we're still in desperate need of a legitimate leadoff hitter. A .350+ OBP guy w/ good speed would be money.

[ronnynat]

Zimmerman should remain the #3 hitter. he would benefit enormously from batting in front of Tex. I've always believed Zimmerman is on Wright's level with the bat, and he'd prove that batting in front of Tex. he'd get a lot more pitches to hit. ultimately, Tex would make EVERYONE in our lineup better- especially Zimmerman (#3) and Dukes (#5).

I didn't notice teams pitching around Zimmerman last season.

[MrMadison]

Zimmerman should remain the #3 hitter. he would benefit enormously from batting in front of Tex. I've always believed Zimmerman is on Wright's level with the bat, and he'd prove that batting in front of Tex. he'd get a lot more pitches to hit. ultimately, Tex would make EVERYONE in our lineup better- especially Zimmerman (#3) and Dukes (#5).

I.....I.....I agree....with....AZ.....I agree with AZ!

[The Chief]

But it's hard to figure out when Chief is joking and I doubt he was completely joking.

Gotta keep you guys on your toes

And I was joking, but I like to put a little bite in my jokes.  That one was pretty much making fun of everybody, myself included.  54 pages is a little ridiculous for the amount of actual info we have up to this point, but what the hell else are we going to talk about?  Like someone said earlier, this is the Nationals' version of Christmas, only you don't know if you're actually going to get a present or not.

[tomterp]

IMO, we're still in desperate need of a legitimate leadoff hitter. A .350+ OBP guy w/ good speed would be money.

I remember the glory days of Brad Wilkerson.

[ronnynat]

Am I the only one here who thinks a 3-4-5 of Dukes, Tex, and Zimmerman would be best (if we do get Tex)? Tex would obviously be the best hitter, and Dukes is a fantastic OBP guy w/ some pop, so it seems perfect to me.

[Air Zimmerman]

IMO, we're still in desperate need of a legitimate leadoff hitter. A .350+ OBP guy w/ good speed would be money.

I've always said Dukes has all of the components to be a lethal lead-off hitter. we could put Hammer at #5.

[BerkeleyNat]

Zimmerman should remain the #3 hitter. he would benefit enormously from batting in front of Tex. I've always believed Zimmerman is on Wright's level with the bat, and he'd prove that batting in front of Tex. he'd get a lot more pitches to hit. ultimately, Tex would make EVERYONE in our lineup better- especially Zimmerman (#3) and Dukes (#5).

Well....there you have it.

[CJames0569]

Am I the only one here who thinks a 3-4-5 of Dukes, Tex, and Zimmerman would be best (if we do get Tex)? Tex would obviously be the best hitter, and Dukes is a fantastic OBP guy w/ some pop, so it seems perfect to me.

I was thinking the same thing, I like Dukes #3 and Zim #5 more than I like Zim #3 and Dukes #5

[cmdterps44]

Am I the only one here who thinks a 3-4-5 of Dukes, Tex, and Zimmerman would be best (if we do get Tex)? Tex would obviously be the best hitter, and Dukes is a fantastic OBP guy w/ some pop, so it seems perfect to me.

I would think that any variation of those 3 guys in those positions would work. Zimmerman at 5th would make some sense though.

and for some reason i read poop instead of pop.

[ronnynat]

Hot Stove Glossary
from MLB Trade Rumors by Tim Dierkes

After grappling with hundreds (if not thousands) of hot stove reports during the '08 Winter Meetings, I'm attempting to define the commonplace phrases and terms.  As frustrating as this jargon can be, the hard-working baseball journalists who bring us the rumors and inside information must be applauded.

    * official - Doesn't get misused - a deal is only official if a team announces it.
    * done deal - Should be reserved for deals that are truly complete, yet someone jumps the gun with it weekly.  See also: finalized
    * set to sign/acquire - One step below the done deal.  Doesn't leave much wiggle room.  See also: on the verge, on the brink, tentative agreement
    * close to a deal - This trade or signing is likely, but I'm leaving some wiggle room.  See also: nearing a deal, closing in on
    * working to sign/acquire - Things are coming along positively, but I'm not ready to call it close.  See also: escalated, making progress, heating up, stepped up efforts
    * in discussions - They're talking, but I'm not making any promises.
    * life support - Faint chance of this deal occurring - I'm not ready to call it dead.
    * dead - Should be reserved for talks with 0% chance of being revisited, yet we frequently see dead talks "resurrected."
    * inquired - One party called another to ask about something or express interest.  The party receiving the inquiry may have zero interest.
    * internal discussions - Rarely misused.  Front office guys from one team are talking amongst themselves about something.
    * shopping - Implies a GM is aggressively calling other teams to try to find a trade partner for a player.  GMs seem to dread the word because it makes them lose leverage.  Also applies to an agent trying to find a team to sign his free agent.
    * believed to be - Meaningless phrase, yet a popular way to hedge.  Can be combined with phrases above for a double hedge.  See also: appear to be, seem to be, apparently