Daniel Cabrera is a Nat!!!

[tomterp]

Hey TomTerp. Who will wear #40 next year.? Balester or Cabrera? They both wore #40 last year and I am sure Bally Loves being #40.
 We all think Bally will be the #3 starter with Lannan, Olsen as 1-2 Zimmermann #4  and Cabrera#5.
There won't be anymore signings of FA Starting Pitchers. What do you think?

I agree that I don't think there will be any more signings, unless somebody got dealt in a big deal and created an opening.

If we get Tex, you look at the team and maybe pitching is the biggest question mark.

Lannan, Olsen, and now Cabrera (due to his contract) are locks for the rotation.  Balester, Zimmermann, Martis, Hill, even Bergmann are the contenders for the remaining two slots, and Balester has the strongest inside track.  I don't worry about the number 1 through 5 thing, I don't think it means much except for fans to argue about. 

Hill is the dark horse here.  If by some good fortune he emerged healthy he's going to make the rotation, period, but him being healthy is a long shot. 

I like that we essentially have 5 guys competing for 2 slots.  Martis is almost a lock to start in AAA, and Bergmann, plus O'Connor.  I like the depth, though the skeptics will say "unproven".  Okay, whatever.

If Balester makes the team, he should keep his jersey and let the new guy Cabrera change his #.  If Balester doesn't make the opening day roster, I'd give it to Cabrera.  Seem fair?

[DPMOmaha]

I wouldn't rule out a trade for more pitching this year but I really think they'll go after a front line guy next year, especially if Tex does end up here.  With this potential list of FA pitchers on the market, surely they'll go after at least one of them:
Brandon Backe (32)
Josh Beckett (30) - $12MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Erik Bedard (31)
Chris Capuano (31)
Justin Duchscherer (32)
Adam Eaton (32) - $9MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
Rich Harden (28)
Tim Hudson (34) - $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
John Lackey (31)
Cliff Lee (31) - $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Jason Marquis (31)
Brandon Webb (31) - $8.5MM club option with a $500K+ buyout
Todd Wellemeyer (31)

I don't think they'll all make it to Free Agency but some of them certainly will and there will be real opportunity for a front line starter, potentially even an ace. 

[blue911]

Please not Brandon Backe. We could sign TomTerp if we need a pitcher that bad!

[tomterp]

Please not Brandon Backe. We could sign TomTerp if we need a pitcher that bad!

I've got Cabrera's control, with Wakefield's velocity.  A late bloomer, for sure.

[DPMOmaha]

Please not Brandon Backe. We could sign TomTerp if we need a pitcher that bad!

Sorry, didn't mean to leave him on the list.

[wpa2629]

I'll take a Brandon Webb with a side of Cliff Lee please ...

[blue911]

I've got Cabrera's control, with Wakefield's velocity.  A late bloomer, for sure.

You need a nickname. Pitchers with nicknames are bonefide beasts.

[houston-nat]

I wouldn't rule out a trade for more pitching this year but I really think they'll go after a front line guy next year,

Lackey could be a nice idea (?), but that would create a logjam if we've got Strasburg in place and *if* Zimmermann really does project as a No. 2. (Stras / Zimm / Lannan / etc) Of course, we could start trading the "depth" guys at some point if our rotation ever starts to cohere.

[DPMOmaha]

That would be a problem I'd love to have. 

[hammondsnats]

That would be a problem I'd love to have. 

yeah you can never get enough starting pitching.  it wins baseball games. 

[DPMOmaha]

It's obviously way, way, way too early to speculate about who we'd go after next year but a rotation of Lackey, Zimm, Lannan, Olson, Strasburg I could probably be satisfied with.

[PANatsFan]

Erik Bedard (31)

Let's sign him and trade for Rodrigo Lopez and we can have hammondsnats' favorite rotation.

[UMDNats]

yeah you can never get enough starting pitching.  it wins baseball games. 

i disagree. scoring more runs than your opponent wins baseball games

[hammondsnats]

Let's sign him and trade for Rodrigo Lopez and we can have hammondsnats' favorite rotation.

haha bedard is a cancer and i'd be surprised if lopez ever pitches in mlb again.

[hammondsnats]

i disagree. scoring more runs than your opponent wins baseball games

don't tell that to the rays.  pitching, pitching, pitching. 

but we wouldn't know we don't have much of either.

[UMDNats]

don't tell that to the rays.  pitching, pitching, pitching. 

but we wouldn't know we don't have much of either.

if you score 7 runs and your opponent scores 6, you win. pitching be damned!

[hammondsnats]

if you score 7 runs and your opponent scores 6, you win. pitching be damned!

if they score 7 runs and you score 6, you lose. 

[DPMOmaha]

You have to have both to win a world series.  

[Why Not?]

Let's sign him and trade for Rodrigo Lopez and we can have hammondsnats' favorite rotation.

I believe Omar Daal can be had for next to nothing.

[MrMadison]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08358/937055-63.stm?cmpid=pirates.xml

The Pirates offered a slightly higher salary than what free-agent starter Daniel Cabrera accepted from the Washington Nationals in signing his one-year, $2.6 million contract over the weekend. Cabrera, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, chose Washington because he wanted to remain in the Beltway area.

I wonder who offered him the multi-year deal....

[DCFan]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08358/937055-63.stm?cmpid=pirates.xml

I wonder who offered him the multi-year deal....

I thought the Mets were also after him??

Anyways, he passed his physical and is officially ours.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-nationals-cabrera&prov=ap&type=lgns

[hammondsnats]

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere yet (including I failed to mention), D-Cab's move to Nats Park should help him as opposed to pitching in hitter friendly Camden Yards.  Ladson points out that Cabrera's 63 double-play grounders during the past three seasons ranked eighth in the American League.  I'll take that. 

I have good faith in the Saint on this project.  As I said, D-Cab works well with pitching coaches he likes and the Saint is a very likeable, well respected coach.  Fingers crossed on this one. 

[PatsNats28]

If he makes the rotation and isn't injured the whole year, I could see him doing something like 9-8, 4.10 ERA

[Minty Fresh]

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere yet (including I failed to mention), D-Cab's move to Nats Park should help him as opposed to pitching in hitter friendly Camden Yards.  Ladson points out that Cabrera's 63 double-play grounders during the past three seasons ranked eighth in the American League. 

That, and he's moving to the more "offensively challenged" National League.  I'd expect him to be better here than he was in Baltimore.

[spidernat]

According to MLB Trade Rumors...

  D-Cab wanted to remain in the area.  

When I saw his information I was thinking I should start a brand new thread just titled, "He signed here FOR LESS!!!" But I thought better of it.

I know he was banging this chick in suburban Maryland but I've seen her and know her a little bit so I doubt she had anything to do with his decision.