The Morning Briefing: No Hall of Fame Inductees for 2021

Another day closer to when Pitchers and Catchers are planning on reporting to Spring Training, and No Hall of Fame Inductees for 2021. Here are today's headlines and news

by Richard Wachtel

Updated January 27, 2021

Good Wednesday Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Thank you for starting the day and week with us. Buckle up Washington Nationals Fans, as we are in the homestretch to when Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training, and you don't want to miss a thing! Make sure to follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day with the latest rumors and so much more!

Today's top story: No Hall of Fame Inductees for 2021

Yesterday, For the ninth time in 77 years of balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, no candidate received the number of votes necessary to gain election to the game's shrine. As mentioned on various websites around the baseball world, the character and association with PED's prevented many from obtaining the threshold necessary to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Click here to read Richard's reaction.

After the announcement last night, Curt Schilling sent a letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame members asking them to remove him from consideration in next year's ballot. From the letter: "I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I'll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player. I don't think I'm a hall of famer as I've often stated but if former players think I am then I'll accept that with honor." Click here to read the full letter on Facebook.

Brad Hand is Officially Part of the Washington Nationals.

In a press conference yesterday, the Washington Nationals made the signing of Brad Hand official. From Federal Baseball: "acknowledged the drop in velocity over the past few seasons, and specifically in 2020, when he was asked about how he adjusted, and what he learned about himself as a pitcher as he tried to work with what he had in the truncated pandemic campaign. "I just think I just had to be more fine," Hand said in explaining how he adjusted. "I wasn't getting away with stuff middle of the plate, I had to really focus on the location and make sure I got it to the spot that I wanted to. "Obviously, when you've got the velocity you can get away with a little bit more of the plate and stuff like that."

Fangraphs offered the following assessment on Brad Hand: "His velocity fell for the second consecutive year (it trended up throughout the season) but Hand still struck out more than 30% of opposing hitters for the fifth straight season and had a career-best 2.05 ERA and 1.37 FIP. He's a funky, low-slot lefty who can throw his trademark curveball for strikes whenever he wants and consistently locate it just off the plate to his glove side for swings and misses."

Now that the Washington Nationals have filled some holes, what's left to do?

We are inching closer and closer to when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. There are only a couple of items left to pick up on Mike Rizzo's offseason shopping list, including a catcher, another big bat, and maybe an infielder or two.

Before we get to the holes that still need to be filled, let's do a quick review of what's been done so far this offseason. Click here to read the full article on The Nats Report.

Philadelphia Phillies keep J.T. Realmuto.

According to reports, the Philadelphia Phillies keep J.T. Realmuto with 5-year, $115.5 million deal. From ESPN: "Catcher J.T. Realmuto and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a five-year, $115.5 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan... Realmuto is the first catcher to sign a contract worth over $100 million in free agency. Realmuto, 29, continues to be one of the best all-around catchers in the majors, hitting .266 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs with the Phillies during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He did not accept an $18.9 million, one-year qualifying offer, instead seeking a longer-term deal on the free-agent market." Click here to read the full article on ESPN

Podcast Alert: "In the Clubhouse" with Matt Weyrich, NBC Sports Washington

In the latest episode of In the Clubhouse, Richard sat down with NBC Sports Washington beat reporter Matt Weyrich. During the episode, they talked about all things Washington Nationals. You can listen to the podcast on your favorite podcasting platform.