We have created green lines for cuts, and blue lines for opt-outs
This morning, the Nationals sent 17-players to the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Virginia belonging to the Class High-A affiliate FredNats. Fifteen of those players were on the original 60-player pool list plus Cade Cavalli and Taylor Gushue who were added officially yesterday and today respectively. Additionally, there have been three opt-outs. Unofficially, there are several players in self-isolation of which two are COVID-19 positive according to manager Dave Martinez That leaves 42 players on the roster for big league camp at Nats Park. We know that at least five players are in self-isolation including Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Luis Garcia, Starlin Castro, and Howie Kendrick. Also, we have been told by a source that Wander Suero had also been in self-isolation on Monday, but not confirmed by the team.
With Opening Day just two weeks from tomorrow, the Nationals will most likely at this point choose 30 players from the remaining 42 players at big league camp. Out of the mix for now are pitchers Kyle McGowin and Austen Williams who are both 40-man players.
Almost guaranteed locks for the Opening Day roster is Erick Fedde and Austin Voth. One will be the presumptive fifth starter according to Davey Martinez and one will go to the bullpen as a long-man.
If today’s lineup was written of players at the Max Scherzer sim game today it would probably look like this:
- Trea Turner – SS
- Adam Eaton – RF
- Asdrubal Cabrera – 2B
- Eric Thames – 1B
- Yan Gomes – C
- Michael Taylor – CF
- Jake Noll – DH
- Andrew Stevenson – LF
- Carter Kieboom – 3B
Max Scherzer RHP
That looks like a split-squad lineup playing in Port St. Lucie. What can you do in this COVID-19 world we are living in as our reality.
If you are looking at baseball as a whole, there have been no major trades. In the gloom and doom scenario from Jayson Stark of The Athletic last month, he theorized that teams that were financially unstable could begin to dump high salary players on the trade market. We have seen or heard of none of that as of yes.
Stark wrote, “SALARY DUMPS: Multiple executives predicted we’d see financially hurting clubs try to unload as many big contracts as they could – a process that might even begin as soon as spring training 2.0 this year, assuming there is a spring training 2.0. One exec’s take: “There’s no question you’ll see teams try to unload money. But they might have no one to unload them to” – because, theoretically, even the big-market teams will be reeling after losing hundreds of millions of dollars in 2020 revenues.”
UPDATED:
Per our earlier report confirms that Wander Suero is indeed in isolation, but also says that Joan Adon, and Roenis Elias are as well. Martinez also says that all three had clean in-take COVID exams which is narrowing down the list to who are the two initial carriers. General manager Mike Rizzo said that Soto and Robles were just in contact with a COVID infected player so they were placed into self-isolation. What word do we have on Kendrick, Castro and Garcia?
Pitchers Wander Suero, Joan Adon and Roenis Elías have not been in workouts yet, Dave Martinez just confirmed. He said that all three received negative test results during in-take screening, but are currently quarantining.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 8, 2020
ESPN graphic for Opening Day 3.0
