The Morning Briefing: Is Jackie Bradley Jr. a Fit for the Washington Nationals? We think so

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Could Jackie Bradley Jr be a fit for the Washington Nationals? Even though the Washington Nationals recently signed outfielder Kyle Schwarber to a one-year contract, it might be a good idea for Washington to add additional outfield depth and another veteran bat to their lineup.

Entering the 2013 season, Bradley was ranked 32nd overall on MLB.com's list of top 100 prospects and was named the opening day left fielder for the 2013 Boston Red Sox.

Free-agent Jackie Bradley Jr. could be that fit the Nationals are looking for, and here is why.

Spring Training Invite. According to Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base, Washington signed utility man Hernan Perez to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp. Perez, 29, spent the 2020 season in the Cubs organization but appeared in only three games and tallied just six plate appearances. Before his brief stint in Chicago, Perez was an oft-used utility piece with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2015-19, producing a .258/.288/.400 slash line in 1,706 plate appearances.

Sports Betting in the Commonwealth. Sports betting kicks off in Virginia this week after the state awarded its first permit to gaming giant FanDuel. Last March, the Virginia General Assembly approved sports gambling in the Commonwealth and this initiated the process for companies to receive licenses from the state.

Yesterday morning, the Virginia Lottery officially listed FanDuel as an approved sports-gambling vendor and Thursday morning, the Virginia Lottery began listing FanDuel as an approved sports-gambling vendor "in conjunction with the Washington Football Team (temporary permit)."

The announcement comes on the heels of BetMGM and the Washington Nationals announcing an exclusive multi-year partnership that will allow fans to place bets while at Nats Park.

One of the Last Remaining Sports Apparel Companies with Direct Lineage to the Negro Leagues Creates a Limited Edition Capsule to Celebrate the Centennial of The National Negro Leagues. According to a press release, Stall & Dean, which supplied equipment for the National Negro Leagues, will be working with five streetwear design companies and an augmented reality tech company to tell the story of the Negro Leagues. Different notable personalities will deliver the stories of all genres, from music to art. [Click here to read more]

The City That Never Sleeps: Flushing, New York?. It has been a very busy offseason for the New York Mets. With all the free-agent signings, the GM hiring and then subsequent firing and everything else in between, It's unlikely that new owner Steve Cohen has gotten much sleep. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the latest news to emerge from Citi Field is the hiring of former Cleveland Indians' hitting coordinator Kevin Howard as the Mets farm director. Our friends at Metsmerized.com have the details. From the article: "The New York Mets are reportedly continuing their efforts to revamp their baseball operations department... The University of Miami graduate spent 12 seasons in the minors without making an MLB appearance. After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2002 MLB draft, Howard bounced between a total of eight ball clubs, hitting .284/.347/.416 over 1,059 MiLB games."