Nats, Sosa's Agents Meet, But Fail to Strike a Deal
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Officials from the Washington Nationals met with representatives of free agent slugger Sammy Sosa on Thursday night, the latest step in the club's pursuit of the former all-star who is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career.
Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden and Andy Dunn, the team's farm director, met with Sosa's agents, Tom Reich and Adam Katz, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
"There was an exchange about each party's position," Bowden said yesterday. "Dialogue continues, but there's really nothing more to report."
The Nationals could be willing to bring Sosa to spring training, giving him an opportunity to make the team, but to this point won't guarantee the 37-year-old any money. That, it appears, could be a sticking point, and Sosa could wait until very close to spring training to see if interest develops from other clubs. There also remains a possibility that Nationals officials could try to meet face-to-face with Sosa in the coming weeks.
Sosa is coming off a miserable year with the Baltimore Orioles, when he earned $18 million but hit .221 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 102 games. He was hampered by two foot injuries, and his tenure was turbulent enough that the Orioles asked him not to remain with the club late in the season while he went through rehabilitation.
Sosa is fifth on the all-time home run list with 588, two ahead of Nationals Manager Frank Robinson. He also has 2,194 career strikeouts, second all-time behind only Reggie Jackson.
In other news, the Nationals continue to pursue candidates for their lone vacancy on the coaching staff, a bullpen coach. Jeff Brantley, the former major league reliever, had been a top candidate, but apparently will choose to remain as an analyst with ESPN. The team also is planning to announce a caravan for next weekend in which several players will make appearances throughout the Washington region in an effort to drum up fan enthusiasm. Details will be unveiled early next week.
-- Barry Svrluga
