Belliard Signs Extension – The Post & Belliard extends his stay in D.C. – The Wash. Times
Ronnie Belliard has signed a two-year contract extension with the Nats. My initial reaction is that this makes sense. He’ll make $3.5 million over two years which seems reasonable. This probably isn’t good news for Felipe Lopez though, but that is fine because FLop has played his way out of The Plan. We already know that Cristian Guzman is out after next season.

The other big news from yesterday was a Ken Rosenthal column (FoxSports.com) about GM im Bowden’s pursuit of Reds slugger Adam Dunn. I’m not sure what the Nats would trade for him because his contract ends at the end of the season. Does MLB allow sign & trade?

Chad Cordero has his suitors, but a trade involving him is not a sure thing (The Wash. Times). For one thing, he’s starting to get expensive (over $4 million this year) and not every team sees him as a closer. Also, the Nats have him under club control for a couple of more years. It strikes me as more likely that Jon Rauch would be traded.

The Reds, Padres, Phillies and Cubs are all said to be scouting single-A Nats affiliates.

There is a article about the two regional cable networks in today’s The Wash. Times.

The 2nd Annual Half-smoke/Cheesesteak Challenge resumes tonight in the city of brotherly love.