Good Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for Thursday, January 6, 2022. Thank you for starting your day with us.

We are giving away a 2020 World Series Victor Robles Bobblehead. CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Leading today's Morning Briefing: Fanatics Announces Purchase of Topps. Yesterday Fanatics announced the purchase of Topps Cards. In the press release, the company announced that they have completed the acquisition of Topps trading cards, the preeminent licensed trading card brand that has serviced collectors, fans, and retailers for more than 70 years. The acquisition of Topps’ sports & entertainment division includes all parts of its iconic worldwide trading cards and collectibles business – both the physical and digital divisions – which sells in more than 100 countries and has physical operations in 10 countries, including the UK, Germany, Brazil, Italy, and Japan. Read the full article here.

ICYMI: Max Scherzer Details MLBPA Wants in Latest Interview. Max Scherzer breaks down what players are seeking in the new collective bargaining agreement with MLB owners. From our article "During the interview, there was a discussion about the additional new sources of revenue that owners are receiving through media deals and gambling and how the players aren’t necessarily interested in getting a piece of the new revenue streams." Read the full article here.

ICYMI: We asked the question: Should the Nationals draft right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker? From the article: "After not being able to agree with the New York Mets, Right-Handed Pitcher Kumar Rocker could be an interesting draft choice for the Nationals in 2022. As of now, MLB.com is projecting that the Nationals will draft OF Elijah Green from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), however, with pitching now being a need for the Nationals things could change and it might be a good idea to draft another stud pitcher that could help the team in the long term, is Kumar Rocker a good fit?" Click here to read the full article. We have also written about another interesting prospect that the Nationals should take a look at shortstop: Jacob Berry.

We are a couple of weeks away from the start of when teams can start to sign International players. In early 2021 we took a look at Cristian Vaquero who might be one of the players that the Nationals might sign during the signing period. Cristian Vaquero is a top-five international prospect. Get to know him here.

For Dessert - New York Mets Max Scherzer holding a World Series Trophy from his time with the Nationals. A new Topps Project70® baseball card of Max Scherzer wearing a Washington Nationals shirt and holding the 2019 World Series trophy by artist New York Nico. [Tweet Link]

Does Josh Bell Look Like A Trade Candidate For The Second Straight Offseason? The Answer is Complicated. We take a look at the possibility of Josh Bell being traded at this year's trade deadline or even before Opening Day. From our article "Bell is entering his final year of club control and the Nationals are in a midst of a 're-tool,' and might not make the playoffs or come even close this season so could Bell be a piece that the Nationals trade at the deadline." Read the full article here.

Business of Baseball: Ken Rosenthal out at MLB Network. The league-owned network has cut ties with Ken Rosenthal, and it is believed that Rosenthal's past criticism of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in columns written for The Athletic, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Read the full article here.

So you Think You Know the Washington Nationals? Test your knowledge of the Washington Nationals by checking out our quizzes. Yesterday we published our weekly quiz. This week's quiz is on Opening Day starting pitchers for the Washington Nationals! Can you get them all right? Try your luck here. Don't forget to test your Washington Nationals knowledge by taking our

Washington Nationals Managers and 2019 Opening Day Lineup quiz. Don't forget to share the results of your test on Twitter.

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