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The Morning Briefing: Washington Nationals Are Agreement with a Backup Catcher: Alex Avila

Good Friday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans.

Thank you for starting the day with us!

Nats fans should fasten their seat belts as we are less than a month away from when pitchers and catchers normally report to Spring Training, and you don't want to miss a thing! With the Hot Stove (finally) heating up, make sure to follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day with the latest rumors and so much more!

Today's Top Story: Free-agent catcher Alex Avila in agreement with Nationals on a one-year contract, pending physical.

One of the holes that the Washington Nationals needed to fill this offseason was at the catcher position. With Kurt Suzuki signing with the Los Angeles Angels, the Nats need another veteran catcher to pair with Yan Gomes. During an end of the year press conference, Manager Dave Martinez talked about this very need. Last night, the Nationals addressed this need by signing veteran 33-year-old catcher Alex Avila. [Read More about the signing here]

Over the weekend, we will be taking a closer look at the two recent signings and try to figure out Mike Rizzo's next move or wonder if he is done for the offseason.

Question: What's with all these one-year contracts?

This offseason, we have seen Mike Rizzo fill a significant amount of holes that the Washington Nationals had. Rizzo has done this by signing players for one-year contracts. These one-year contracts got us wondering what is Rizzo thinking? Could the Nationals save money for Soto and Turner's long-term deals while not going into full rebuild mode?

We will be looking at this very question in the coming days and weeks in our series: Washington Nationals at a Crossroads. ICYMI, we have already taken a closer look at the pitching position.

Grade Time: With Pitchers and Catchers Reporting soon, it's time for our Offseason Report Card.

If all goes according to plan, Pitchers and Catchers will be reporting to West Palm Beach very soon, and the "offseason" will be over, so it's report card time for Mike Rizzo and Gang. We will be issuing our report card for all the offseason moves that the GM has made over the offseason and setting the Spring Training scene! We are so excited. We will also take a look at the other NL East teams in our 2021 Season Preview. Make sure that you turn your notifications on because you will not want to miss anything. We are just getting started.

League News: Brewers announce 2021 player development staff. Promote First Woman to Minor League Coordinator.

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Brewers announced their 2021 player development staff, and within that announcement, they promoted the first women to become a minor league coordinator.

Sara Goodrum will become the organization's new coordinator making her the first woman in baseball history to serve in the role. Her official title will be Coordinator – Hitting Development Initiatives. Previously, Goodrum played Division I college softball at Oregon before getting a Master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah. She had worked in the Brewers' sports science lab for going on four years.  Read the full article here.

While you were sleeping: Rosenthal: Cardinals, Rockies in discussions on Nolan Arenado trade.

According to Ken Rosenthal from the Athletic, A trade of Nolan Arenado finally might be coming into focus. He reports that the Cardinals are in discussions with the Rockies about a deal that would bring the five-time All-Star third baseman to St. Louis, according to major-league sources. No deal appears close, and the other players who might be involved are not known. [Click here to read the full article on the Athletic (subscription required)]

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