Good Tuesday Morning, Washington Nationals fans. Here are the latest headlines, analysis, and more for Tuesday Morning, February 4, 2025.

We are only eight days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring Training. But who's counting?

It is currently 46 degrees and partly cloudy outside the Nats Report Newsroom and 71 degrees down in West Palm Beach, FL.

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Yesterday, we launched our live blog covering all the headlines, analysis and more around Washington Nationals 2025 Spring Training. Check back frequently throughout spring training for the latest updates. We'll be constantly refreshing the page with the most up-to-date information.

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📰 Driving the Day at the Nats Report
Here are some top stories we're tracking in the Nats Report Newsroom

A Sleepy off-season. It's been a very slow and un-eventful offseason for the Nationals. Many fans hoped the team would splash in free agency and at least contend for a Wild Card Spot. However, the "re-tool" will continue, and the team will pin its hopes on developing its young players. One has to wonder, with a handful of veteran free agents still on the market with only a couple of more weeks to go to the opening of Spring Training down in West Palm Beach, why the Nationals aren't being aggressive and or being linked to at least some of these players who are still looking for a home to play in 2025. Is it the front office? Ownership? The lack of money? Or do players don't want to come to D.C. to play baseball? A serious look needs to be taken at the current state of the Nationals as they approach their 20th anniversary here in the District.

Let's hope the team is on its way up, as the team now has the number one draft pick in this year's draft and significant money off the books to sign some free agents. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

Related article: Navigating New Frontiers: The Nationals' Pursuit of International Talent 

🛑 YOU'RE FIRED. Major League Baseball announced yesterday that following an appeal process by its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. has upheld an earlier decision by MLB to terminate Major League Umpire Pat Hoberg’s employment.

Hoberg's disciplinary action stems from two key violations: sharing sports betting accounts with a friend (a professional poker player) who wagered on baseball, a fact Hoberg should have been aware of, and intentionally deleting messages crucial to MLB's investigation. While Hoberg consistently denied betting on baseball, directly or through his friend, and sportsbook data confirms no baseball bets from his devices, MLB's investigation found no evidence of game manipulation or discernible betting patterns suggesting an integrity risk. Hoberg can apply for reinstatement before the start of 2026 Spring Training under Major League Rule 2(c).

⏳ SPEED READS
What we think the Washington Nationals front office is reading

📌 'Nationals What If': Exploring a World Where They Signed Alex Bregman (The Nats Report)

📌 Lineup projection for the 2025 Nats (Talk Nats)

📌 Why Jamie Arnold Is a Match Made in Heaven For the Nationals at 1:1 (Just Baseball)

📌 A look back on the Victor Robles era with the Nationals (District on Deck)

📌 MLB offseason grades: Grading every team's winter, from an A+ for the Dodgers to Fs for the Mariners and Padres (Yahoo Sports)

📌Dodgers ace trio could accomplish something never done before in MLB history (Sporting News)

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