New Ladson article on the Nats website:
GM Bowden not done improving Nats
Washington would like to add pitchers, left-handed hitter
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
WASHINGTON -- General manager Jim Bowden is far from done in terms of improving the Nationals, who lost 102 games this past season.
After acquiring left-hander Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham from the Marlins in November, the only major move Bowden has made is signing right-hander Daniel Cabrera to a one-year deal.
After losing out to the Yankees in the Mark Texieira sweepstakes, the Nationals are still looking for a left-handed-hitting first baseman. Free agent Adam Dunn is an option, but he's not Teixeira's equal with the glove or the bat.
Dunn, 28, and Bowden have a history together with the Reds. Bowden drafted Dunn in the second round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft. Three years later, Dunn was in the big leagues and became Cincinnati's best power hitter. In fact, Dunn has hit at least 40 home runs for five straight years. While he has a .247 career batting average, Dunn has a .381 on-base percentage and is versatile in the field.
It's true the Nationals have interest in Prince Fielder, but it's doubtful the Brewers will trade the left-handed-hitting slugger.
If the Nationals don't get Dunn or Fielder, they may have no choice but to stick with Nick Johnson, who has one year left on his contract. The organization has been frustrated with Johnson because he gets hurt every year and is out of action for long stretches. In 2008, Johnson missed most of the season because of a right wrist injury. But Johnson said he will be ready for Spring Training.
Also look for the Nationals to go after Orlando Hudson. He said recently that he has interest in the Nationals. If he were to come on board, Hudson could possibly be the leadoff hitter the Nats have been missing for years. He also is a Gold Glove Award winner at second base.
The Nationals are overloaded with outfielders. The problem is, most of them may be hard to trade because of injuries. Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris and Roger Bernadina were the only outfielders who ended the season healthy.
Harris is going nowhere because of his hard work on the field. The team does not consider Milledge a center fielder. He is more suited for left or right field, but Willingham, Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns play those positions as well. Milledge could be trade bait before the season starts.
"We are exploring a lot of possibilities," Bowden said. "I think, obviously, we would like to have a big left-handed bat in the middle of our lineup. So that's a priority. We want to continue to add starting pitching and bullpen. I would say that most of our discussions were for those three areas."
Grading on a curve: On a scale of 1 to 10, the Nationals get a 5, because they are not finished with their offseason plans. It helps that they acquired Olsen, Willingham and Cabrera, but those players are not difference makers. The offseason has been slow for Washington when it comes to fixing the Major League team because they were waiting for Teixeira to make a decision.
Arrivals: Olsen, Willingham and Cabrera
Departures: INF Aaron Boone, INF Emilio Bonifacio, RHP Jesus Colome, RHP Chad Cordero, LHP Odalis Perez, RHP Tim Redding.
The road ahead: Don't look for the Nationals to acquire a big-name starting pitcher. Expect them to rely heavily on young pitchers such as John Lannan and Collin Balester.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com.
