THOMAS BOSWELL – Nats Get Their Man in Dukes. So Now What? – The Post
Boswell goes through all the problems that Elijah Dukes has had, then evaluates him as a baseball player and sees…Austin Kearns? That isn’t what the Nats braintrust is seeing, they are thinking a power-hitter who’ll be in the lineup for the next ten years if it all works out.
Getting things in order – The Wash. Times
With the acquisition of Dukes and Lastings Milledge this offseason and Wily Mo Pena last season, the Nats lineup looks a lot more powerful than the three previous incarnations. The new ballpark should help as well.
Clippard acquired in trade – The Wash. Times
The Tyler Clippard-Jonathan Albaladejo trade will be made official today as long as Albaladejo passes his physical.
Japanese Pitchers Attracting Interest – The Post
The Nats are looking at two Japanese pitchers, Kazuo Fukumori and Katsuhiko Maekawa. Details:
Fukumori, sources said, appears to have around eight or 10 teams interested. The 31-year-old had minor surgery on his elbow in August. He went 4-2 with 17 saves and a 4.75 ERA for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, and has a 3.68 ERA over parts of 13 seasons in the Japanese major leagues.
Maekawa might be more intriguing. Though he didn’t pitch in 2007 in Japan because of a legal problem resulting from a car accident, he is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Two people who have seen him pitch were impressed.
“I’d sign him up right now,” one said.
In D.C., there’s no place to play – The Wash. Times
The Nationals have been focused on building a baseball academy in the District at the expense of upgrading fields around the city. This was all spelled out in the ballpark lease.