WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — On the day position players reported to camp, the Washington Nationals finally got around to putting up a sign on the ivy-covered wall near the entrance to their spring training facility with a curly "W," a rendering of the Capitol dome and, most significantly, the proclamation "2019 WORLD CHAMPIONS.""Now we are happy to come back," slugger Juan Soto said, "and show the people we can do it again."And two of the reasons the Nationals did what they did last season -- and, more significantly, figure repeating is a realistic goal to pursue this season -- also showed up Monday: Soto and an enthusiastic cabbage race.Say what?Yes, the daily schedule posted in the clubhouse proclaimed this "National Cabbage Day," alongside a separate piece of paper listing the rosters for two teams of 20 pitchers and catchers each, one captained by Max Scherzer, the other by Stephen Strasburg. At precisely 9:30 a.m., clubhouse and equipment manager Mike Wallace strode outside carrying... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Atlanta Braves Manager: Brian Snitker (fifth season). 2019: 97-65, first place, lost to Cardinals in Division Series.Training Town: North Port, Florida.Park: CoolToday Park. First Workout: Feb. 13/18. He's Here: LF Marcell Ozuna, C Travis d'Arnaud, LHP Cole Hamels, LHP Will Smith, RHP F�lix Hern�ndez.He's Outta Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Julio Teheran, C Brian McCann, OF Matt Joyce, RHP Anthony Swarzak, RHP Josh Tomlin, LHP Jerry Blevins, OF Billy Hamilton, C Francisco Cervelli. Going campin': The Braves are coming off their second straight NL East title, led by one of baseball's brightest young stars. In his first full season in the big leagues, 22-year-old OF Ronald Acu�a Jr. hit 41 homers, led the league with 127 runs and tallied 37 stolen bases to become the second-youngest... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals acquired reliever Ryne Harper on Wednesday in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. Washington sent minor league right-handed pitcher Hunter McMahon to the Twins in the deal. Harper went 5-2 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in his first major league season in 2019. The 30-year-old right-hander pitched scoreless relief in 17 of his first 18 appearances with Minnesota.He joins a Washington bullpen featuring Sean Doolittle, Daniel Hudson and Will Harris.McMahon is a 21-year-old who was a ninth-round pick out of college last June. He went 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA in nine games with the Gulf Coast League Nationals. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Daniel Hudson thought the door was closed on returning to the Nationals when they signed fellow reliever Will Harris.But Hudson wanted to be back with Washington, and general manager Mike Rizzo shared the same sentiment. So, Hudson and the team agreed to an $11 million, two-year deal that was finalized Tuesday.Hudson gets $5 million this year and $6 million in 2021. He can earn $1 million annually in performance bonuses for games finished: $200,000 each for 30, 40, 45, 50 and 55.Not long ago, the bullpen was a major weakness. Now, the reigning World Series champions can deal from a position of strength by turning to Hudson, Harris and holdover Sean Doolittle.“Recreating what we had is going to be tough, but I feel like I want to try to be a part of that,” Hudson said on a conference call with reporters. “The window to continue winning in D.C. is definitely still open, and I'd like to be a part of that still.”Hudson is back after a successful half season and more that ended... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Daniel Hudson thought the door was closed on returning to the Nationals when they signed fellow reliever Will Harris.But Hudson wanted to be back with Washington, and general manager Mike Rizzo shared the same sentiment. So, Hudson and the team agreed to an $11 million, two-year deal that was finalized Tuesday.Not long ago, the bullpen was a major weakness. Now, the reigning World Series champions can deal from a position of strength by turning to Hudson, Harris and holdover Sean Doolittle.“Recreating what we had is going to be tough, but I feel like I want to try to be a part of that,” Hudson said on a conference call with reporters. “The window to continue winning in D.C. is definitely still open, and I'd like to be a part of that still.”Hudson is back after a successful half season and more that ended with him striking out Houston's Michael Brantley for the final out of the Nationals' Game 7 World Series win. The right-hander went 4 for 4 in save opportunities during... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals finalized an $11 million, two-year deal with reliever Daniel Hudson on Tuesday that figures to shore up the reigning World Series champions' bullpen.Hudson will be back with Washington after a successful half season and more that ended with him striking out Houston's Michael Brantley for the final out of the Nationals' Game 7 World Series win. The right-hander went 4 for 4 in save opportunities during the postseason and allowed no runs in seven of his nine postseason appearances.The Nationals acquired Hudson, 32, from Toronto at the July 31 trade deadline. He went 3-0 with six saves and a 1.44 ERA in 24 games the rest of the regular season.Hudson's return coupled with the signing of Will Harris makes the Nationals' bullpen appear to be a strength after it was a major weakness early in 2019. Hudson, Harris and holdover lefty Sean Doolittle make up the back end of the bullpen and give manager Dave Martinez more options in the late innings.Harris, who came from the Houston Astros, agreed to a $24 million, three-year deal. The Nationals this offseason also signed infielder Starlin Castro and first baseman Eric Thames and inked World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg to a long-term contract.———More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Infielder Starlin Castro finalized a two-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, one of a flurry of recent moves by the World Series champions.Castro's deal gives the club someone who can start at second base and maybe also play some at third, where Anthony Rendon left as a free agent. Castro gets $5 million next season and $7 million in 2021 plus the chance to earn award bonuses.Last season with the Miami Marlins, Castro batted .270 with career highs of 22 homers and 86 RBIs. He appeared in all 162 games, making 115 starts at second and 42 at third, along with two at shortstop.Castro will turn 30 in March and is entering his 11th season in the majors. In addition to the Marlins, he has played for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees and been an All-Star four times.For his career, Castro has hit .280, with a .319 on-base percentage, .414 slugging percentage, 133 homers and 636 RBIs.Other agreements for Washington in recent days included free agents Will Harris — a reliever whose three-year deal will pay him $8 million each season — and Eric Thames, a first baseman, as well as returning reliever Daniel Hudson.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Infielder Starlin Castro finalized a two-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, one of a flurry of recent moves by the World Series champions.Castro's deal gives the club someone who can start at second base and maybe also play some at third, where Anthony Rendon left as a free agent.Last season with the Miami Marlins, Castro batted .270 with career highs of 22 homers and 86 RBIs. He appeared in all 162 games, making 115 starts at second and 42 at third, along with two at shortstop.Castro will turn 30 in March and is entering his 11th season in the majors. In addition to the Marlins, he has played for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees and been an All-Star four times.For his career, Castro has hit .280, with a .319 on-base percentage, .414 slugging percentage, 133 homers and 636 RBIs.Other agreements for Washington in recent days included free agents Will Harris — a reliever whose three-year deal will pay him $8 million each season — and Eric Thames, a first baseman, as well as returning reliever Daniel Hudson.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Infielder Starlin Castro finalized a two-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, one of a flurry of recent moves by the World Series champions.Castro's deal gives the club someone who can start at second base and maybe also play some at third, where Anthony Rendon left as a free agent.Last season with the Miami Marlins, Castro batted .270 with career highs of 22 homers and 86 RBIs. He appeared in all 162 games, making 115 starts at second and 42 at third, along with two at shortstop.Castro will turn 30 in March and is entering his 11th season in the majors. In addition to the Marlins, he has played for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees and been an All-Star four times.For his career, Castro has hit .280, with a .319 on-base percentage, .414 slugging percentage, 133 homers and 636 RBIs.Other agreements for Washington in recent days included free agents Will Harris — a reliever whose three-year deal will pay him $8 million each season — and Eric Thames, a first baseman, as well as returning reliever Daniel Hudson.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reliever Daniel Hudson agreed to terms on an $11 million, two-year contract to return to the Washington Nationals, and the World Series champions also added first baseman Eric Thames.Each deal was confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday by people who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither agreement had been announced.Thames, who gets a one-year contract guaranteeing $4 million, moves into the lefty-hitting first baseman role filled by Matt Adams last season. The 33-year-old Thames hit .247 with 25 homers, 61 RBIs and 140 strikeouts for the Milwaukee Brewers last year.Since returning to the majors after playing in South Korea from 2014-16, Thames averaged 24 homers per season in three years with the Brewers. Signed by Milwaukee to a $16 million, three-year contract, he became a free agent after the Brewers declined a $7.5 million option, triggering a $1 million buyout.Hudson was acquired in a trade-deadline swap with the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31 and eventually... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reliever Daniel Hudson agreed to terms on an $11 million, two-year contract to return to the Washington Nationals, and the World Series champions also added first baseman Eric Thames.Each deal was confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday by people who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither agreement had been announced.Thames, who gets a one-year contract guaranteeing $4 million, moves into the lefty-hitting first baseman role filled by Matt Adams last season. The 33-year-old Thames hit .247 with 25 homers, 61 RBIs and 140 strikeouts for the Milwaukee Brewers last year.Since returning to the majors after playing in South Korea from 2014-16, Thames averaged 24 homers per season in three years with the Brewers. Signed by Milwaukee to a $16 million, three-year contract, he became a free agent after the Brewers declined a $7.5 million option, triggering a $1 million buyout.Hudson was acquired in a trade-deadline swap with the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31 and eventually... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — He could have been Mad Max on a night his best was missing. Instead, he fenced and fought, shuffled and juggled.And so did the Washington Nationals bullpen.As the Houston Astros kept clawing within one big hit of a comeback, Scherzer and the Nationals just held on.Scherzer got through five innings of Max-imum effort for a 5-4 victory in Tuesday night's opener, becoming the first pitcher to win a World Series game for a Washington team since Earl Whitehill against the New York Giants in 1933.Unable to overwhelm, Scherzer threw a bit of the ol' razzle dazzle that included 112 pitches, nine full counts and six stranded runners."They grinded me apart. Pitch count was out of control, and that's a credit to what they were able to do and constantly put pressure on me," said Scherzer, who threw just 42 pitches out of his windup. "I was just not going to give in. I had to continue to bounce sliders and changeups in the dirt because I just did not want to give up another run."Nationals... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — He could have been Mad Max on a night his best was missing. Instead, he fenced and fought, shuffled and juggled.And so did the Washington Nationals bullpen.As the Houston Astros kept clawing within one big hit of a comeback, Scherzer and the Nationals just held on.Scherzer got through five innings of Max-imum effort for a 5-4 victory in Tuesday night's opener, becoming the first pitcher to win a World Series game for a Washington team since Earl Whitehill against the New York Giants in 1933.Unable to overwhelm, Scherzer threw a bit of the ol' razzle dazzle that included 112 pitches, nine full counts and six stranded runners.Nationals manager Dave Martinez followed the once-unconventional and now by-the-postseason-book method of tapping starters for big-moment relief, bringing in Patrick Corbin for the sixth, the first of four heartburn-inducing relievers.A three-time Cy Young Award winner and seven-time All-Star, Scherzer is seeking his first Series ring at age 35. His only... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):10:54 p.m.Juan Soto homered onto the train tracks high above the left field wall and hit a two-run double as the Washington Nationals tagged Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros 5-4 Tuesday night in the World Series opener.Not even a history-making home run by postseason star George Springer and another drive that nearly tied it in the eighth inning could deter Washington.Ryan Zimmerman, still full of sock at 35, also homered to back a resourceful Max Scherzer and boost the wild-card Nationals in their first World Series game.Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth for the save, only the second 1-2-3 inning on a night that Washington relievers were given a three-run lead and just held on.___10:40 p.m.The Houston Astros are closer, but still have some work to do in the ninth inning to avoid losing Game 1 of the World Series at home.Washington held on to a 5-4 lead after eight innings in its first-ever World Series game, after getting... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):10:15 p.m.George Springer greeted Tanner Rainey with a home run leading off the seventh inning, cutting the Houston Astros' deficit to 5-3 against the Washington Nationals in the World Series opener.Springer set a record by homering in his fifth straight World Series game, breaking a record he had shared with Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson.Houston loaded the bases when Rainey walked Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman with one out, and Carlos Correa reached on a two-out single to shortstop off Daniel Hudson.Hudson then struck out rookie Yordan Álvarez with the bases loaded.___9:42 p.m.Asdrúbal Cabrera singled to start the sixth but was erased when Ryan Zimmerman grounded into a double play. Gerrit Cole then retired Kurt Suzuki for the third out to wrap up a clean inning after giving up four runs combined in the previous two.Patrick Corbin took over for Max Scherzer in the bottom of the sixth and promptly struck out Carlos Correa... [More]

A position-by-position look at the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros going into the World Series, starting Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park:___First Base:Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman. The longtime face of the franchise, Zimmerman was Washington's first draft pick in 2005 after the team moved to the nation's capital from Montreal. The fan favorite has been through all of the Nationals' ups and downs, from a string of painful early playoff exits to the feel-good story of his first trip to the World Series this season. A converted third baseman, he's been hampered by injuries much of the past six years — including shoulder problems that affect his throwing. But at age 35, he's become an everyday player again during a solid postseason.Astros: Yuli Gurriel. From a family of baseball royalty in Cuba, the highly touted Gurriel got a $47.5 million contract and has established himself as a productive RBI man during three full years in the majors. He took off in late June and put together a big... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven World Series between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Tuesday, at Houston, 8:08 p.m.; Game 2, Wednesday, at Houston, 8:07 p.m.; Game 3, Friday, at Washington, 8:07 p.m.; Game 4, Saturday, at Washington, 8:07 p.m.; x-Game 5, Sunday, Oct. 27, at Washington, 8:07 p.m.; x-Game 6, Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Houston, 8:07 p.m.; x-Game 7, Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Houston, 8:08 p.m. (All games on FOX).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Did not play.___Projected Lineups:Nationals: SS Trea Turner (.298, 19 HRs, 57 RBIs, 37 2Bs, 35 SBs, 96 runs), RF Adam Eaton (.279, 15, 49, 15 SBs, 103 runs), 3B Anthony Rendon (.319, 34, 126, 44 2Bs, 117 runs, 1.010 OPS), LF Juan Soto (.282, 34, 110, 110 runs, .949 OPS), 2B Howie Kendrick (.344, 17, 62), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.257, 6, 27 in 52 games), DH Asdr�bal Cabrera (.260, 18, 91 in 131 games with Texas and Washington) or Matt Adams (.226, 20, 56, 115 Ks, 310 ABs in 111 games), C Kurt Suzuki (.264,... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daniel Hudson and his wife, Sara, tried to plan the birth of their third child around Washington's postseason schedule.When it didn't work out, he knew exactly what he needed to do.Hudson stayed with his wife for Millie's arrival Friday, and then rejoined the Nationals in time to close out their 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday.The 32-year-old right-hander, a key member of Washington's bullpen, said he knew all along he had to be there — a decision the organization supported."To be able to have that experience with my family and be there for the whole thing was everything I could have imagined," he said. "Obviously, it is my third kid. And top three things in my life, 1A, 1B and 1C, are, was being there for the birth of all three of my daughters."Hudson was reinstated from the postseason paternity list Saturday, and Wander Suero was removed from the Nationals' NLCS roster.While Hudson was away, Aníbal Sánchez and... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daniel Hudson and his wife, Sara, tried to plan the birth of their third child around Washington's postseason schedule.When it didn't work out, he knew exactly what he needed to do.Hudson stayed with his wife for Millie's arrival, and then rejoined the Nationals before Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.The 32-year-old right-hander, a key member of Washington's bullpen, said he knew all along he had to be there — a decision the organization supported."To be able to have that experience with my family and be there for the whole thing was everything I could have imagined," he said. "Obviously, it is my third kid. And top three things in my life, 1A, 1B and 1C, are, was being there for the birth of all three of my daughters."Hudson was reinstated from the postseason paternity list, and Wander Suero was removed from the Nationals' NLCS roster.While Hudson was away, Aníbal Sánchez and Sean Doolittle combined for a one-hitter in Washington's... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington reliever Daniel Hudson has been reinstated from the postseason paternity list, rejoining the Nationals before Game 2 of the NL Championship Series.Hudson and his wife welcomed a baby girl Friday. Sean Doolittle then closed out Washington's 2-0 victory over St. Louis in the NLCS opener, retiring his only four batters.Hudson's return means Wander Suero has been removed from the Nationals' active roster against the Cardinals. Game 2 is Saturday in St. Louis.Hudson is 1-0 with two saves in the playoffs, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.Washington's bullpen had the worst ERA in the National League this year at 5.66, but Hudson provided a boost after he was acquired from Toronto at the July 31 trade deadline. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA and six saves in 24 regular-season appearances with the Nationals.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports