The Morning Briefing: Marlins come to town; prospects assigned to Minor League teams

by Richard Wachtel

Updated April 30, 2021

Good Friday morning, Washington Nationals fans! TGIF! We hope that you had a great week! The weekend is finally here, and we can’t wait.

Game Time Weather: Very windy, mostly clear skies with a scattered shower possible early. Winds out if the northwest at 20-25 mph, damaging wind gusts possible that could be near 50mph. A wind advisory is in effect for parts of the area from 12 PM to 2 AM.

Upcoming games:

Friday, April 30, 2021: Miami Marlins v. Washington Nationals, 7:05 pm EDT
Saturday, May 1, 2021: Miami Marlins v. Washington Nationals 1:05 pm EDT
Sunday, May 2, 2021: Miami Marlins v. Washington Nationals 1:05 pm EDT
Tuesday, May 4, 2021: Atlanta Braves v. Washington Nationals 7:05 pm EDT

Today’s Morning Briefing is brought to you by Richard and edited by Brynne.

Today’s top story: Miami Marlins arrive in Washington D.C. for a weekend series

After a two-game split with the Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL, this week, the Nationals head home to face the Miami Marlins for a three-game set starting Friday evening. The Marlins, who also had Thursday off, are coming off a 2-1 series win against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
After treading water to a 9-12 record, Washington is looking to get some traction against a divisional opponent back home in DC. Their longest win streak of the season is two games, and winning another series would be huge for them as they still have many important players on the IL.

The Marlins sit in fourth in the NL East. They have only won 3 of their last 7 games and are looking to build on this season after a strong 2020. More in our GameNotes later this afternoon. Don’t forget to subscribe!

BIG SCOOP: Washington Nationals pitching prospects receive assignments

As the Minor League Baseball season draws closer, the Washington Nationals are moving some of their pitching prospects to the new affiliated teams in Fredericksburg, VA, Wilmington, DE, Harrisburg, PA, and Rochester, NY.

According to a source who told the Nats Report, the Washington Nationals are moving top pitching prospects, Jackson Rutledge, Cade Cavalli, Matt Cronin, Cole Henry, Todd Peterson, and Joan Adon (RHP, 22) to play with the Wilmington Blue Rocks for now.

Make sure to follow @TheNatsReport on Twitter for all the latest news about the Washington Nationals and their prospects throughout the season.

Where has the 2019 Patrick Corbin gone? Or was he ever there?

Could Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin’s struggles in 2021 have been predicted, and what is the next step?

From the article: “Coming off a career season in Arizona, Corbin posted a career-best 3.15 ERA in 200 innings and was named an All-Star in 2018. In his six years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Corbin had a 50.9% winning percentage (56-54) and a 3.91 ERA. He allowed 447 runs and 944 hits, and struck out 897 batters in 172 games played and 154 games started. While in Arizona, Corbin also appeared in two all-star games and finished 5th and 11th in the Cy-Young voting in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Corbin was rewarded with a six-year, $140 million guaranteed contract, including a $2.5 million signing bonus and an annual average salary of $23,333,333.”

Click here to read the full article.

MLB News: New MLB team may be worth $2.2B

During a Tuesday SporticoLive online discussion, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred relieved a very interesting tidbit about the valuation if a new team was to be created. The company that led the New York Yankees at $6.75 billion estimated the average MLB value at nearly $2.2 billion, despite recent economic issues due to COVID-19.

"If, in fact, these assets are worth an average $2.2 billion, I think that's kind of a lodestar in terms of where you would start, in terms of evaluating expansion opportunities," Manfred said during the online event. "Expansion is not purely additive, right, from the perspective of the existing owners. There are huge shared revenue streams that are diluted as a result of having 32 as opposed to 30 as your denominator, and if that was in fact the expansion number, and that has to be taken into account as well."

During the event, Manfred also addressed and defended the recent announcement of Major League Baseball moving its All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado. "We were injected into a very politicized situation. I think we did the right thing," Manfred said. "We thought our players were going to be in an extraordinarily difficult situation given how politically charged it was, and we think that the decision we made will actually be player protective."

Sportico reported that the New York Yankees topped their 2021 MLB Valuations at $6.75 billion. Bringing it locally, Sportico valued the Washington Nationals at $2.1 billion.

Click here to see the full list via Sportico.

Podcast Alert: In the Clubhouse with the Nats Report

If you are active on "Nationals Social Media," you will recognize our latest guest: @TheRallyMullet. During this episode, Richard and the Rally Mullet discuss the past, current, and future of the Washington Nationals from a super fan's perspective. Richard and the Rally Mullet talk about where to get a good deal for drinks while you are at Nats Park.

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