The Morning Briefing: Grading the Washington Nationals Off-season Moves

Grading the Washington Nationals Off-season Moves to MLB slightly deadening ball amid HR surge here is the latest headlines and news from around Major League Baseball and the Washington Nationals

by Richard Wachtel

Updated February 09, 2021

Good Tuesday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans

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Countdown Clock:
Days 'til Pitchers and Catchers Report: 8 Days
Exhibition Games Begin: 20 Days
Opening Day: 51 Days

Today’s morning briefing is written by Richard and edited by Jonathan. Make sure to follow The Nats Report on Twitter for updates on the latest Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball during the day!

Top Story: Grading the Washington Nationals Off-season Moves

With many holes to fill during the offseason, Mike Rizzo had a huge task ahead of him. Here are our grades for all the signings that he made during the offseason! (Through January). One of our favorite signings that Mike Rizzo made was the signing of left handed pitcher Jon Lester. See our reasons why this move was so great.

Click here to read the full article

Upcoming Series: 2021 NL East Preview

Over the next few days and weeks, we will be taking a closer look at all the NL East teams, including the Washington Nationals, for the upcoming season.

The first team that we will be taking a closer look at is the Philadelphia Phillies.

Click here to read our 2021 Season Preview of the Philadelphia Phillies

Interview with Washington Nationals Shortstop Prospect Jackson Cluff

Stephen Mears of Talk Nats.com recently sat down with Washington Nationals shortstop prospect Jackson Cluff. The Nationals drafted him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft out of Brigham Young University. Cluff hopes to join BYU alums like Dale Murphy and Wally Joyner, who both starred in the league. In Baseball America's newest prospect rankings, Cluff came in 11th overall in the Washington Nationals system. "It is always cool to see your hard work pay off and get some recognition for the progress you’re making... The Nats have a lot of great players in the system so it’s humbling to be recognized up there with some of the best."

"I would say my top tools are my defensive ability," he said in the interview with TalkNats. "I can pick it at short and I have a great arm. However, I feel that my biggest asset to my game is my drive to be better and knowledge of the game. It allows me to work hard to prepare and trust that preparation when the time of performance comes."

Click here to read the full interview on Talk Nats

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While You Where Sleeping: Major League Baseball and its Players Association reportedly have a deal in place regarding health and safety protocols for the upcoming season.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Major League Baseball and the Players Association have a deal in place for health and safety protocols for the upcoming season. Additionally, the deal includes "7-inning Doubleheaders and the modified extra inning rules with runner starting on 2b. There is no universal DH that is currently part of the agreement."

League News: MLB slightly deadening ball amid HR surge

According to The Athletic's Eno Sarris and Ken Rosenthal, Major League Baseball will be changing Baseball's construction this season.
The Athletic obtained an internal memo that Major League Baseball sent to general managers, assistant general managers, and equipment managers last Friday. The memo outlined the minor changes to the baseball construction that might combine to reduce offense slightly in the 2021 season.

Click here to read our full article about how this might affect the 2021 Baseball Season Sports Illustrated asks the question: Did MLB Use Juiced Balls in 2020? Read the article here

Former Washington Nationals Closer Sean Doolittle Talks to the Cincinnati Media

Former Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle talked to the Cincinnati Reds media for the first time yesterday. In an interview with Bobby Nightengale from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Doolittle seemed excited about spending time in Cincinnati for an extended period of time: "I’ve only experienced it as a visiting player in short chunks, so I’m excited to explore,” he said. “I’m really excited to connect with the fan base, get involved with the community. It’s going to be a really fun part of this new adventure.”

Yesterday afternoon, The Washington Nationals published a 2-minute and 10-second tribute video on Twitter to thank Doolittle for his contribution to the organization. “A champion in so many ways. Your impact will last longer than your tenure as a Washington National and beyond the baseball field."

Click here to read our profile on Sean Doolitttle

Click here to read more quotes from Doolittle's interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer