Avoiding Costly Moves

So for the long term, the Nationals hope a flood of young players means a better major league product in years to come. But they know, in the immediate future, it could mean a season even worse than last year's 71-91 campaign. Some club officials have even quietly mentioned the Detroit Tigers, who lost 119 games in 2003 but used a core of the same players to win the American League pennant last season.

"We want to get from here to there," Kasten said. "I don't know what 119 losses feels like, and I hope I never find out. I know it must have been painful. But I'm sure they cannot even remember it now."

New manager Manny Acta, on hand for his first winter meetings, said he understands the reality of what his roster is likely to be. "I knew what I was getting into in the first year," he said. "But I'm going to try to win, regardless of what I have."

A trade market could develop at the meetings. The Nationals currently have three middle infielders -- shortstops Felipe Lopez and Cristian Guzman and second baseman Jose Vidro -- and would love to be able to deal Vidro's contract ($16 million over the 2007 and '08) for prospects. In fact, the only player in the entire system who is untouchable is third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, so if a team comes to Bowden's suite this week and bowls him over with a package of prospects for almost anyone else, he could pounce.

But even such trades are more likely to bring players who will have more impact on the future than they would on 2007. That leaves the likelihood that the winter meetings, for the Nationals, will be spent largely on the sidelines, and the summer could be spent explaining to fans why they should believe better times are ahead.

"Clearly we are concerned," Kasten said. "We are very mindful that people who paid their money are mostly concerned with what they're going to see that night, even the ones who appreciate that there is good stuff happening beneath the surface. That's why we spend so much time on customer experience. . . . But I don't think we're as far away as some people do. And as optimistic as I feel right now, I think everyone's going to feel a great deal more optimistic 12 months from now -- if not sooner."

Nationals Note: Cincinnati GM Wayne Krivsky said the Reds would file a grievance with MLB against the Nationals over the July trade that sent reliever Gary Majewski to the Reds. Krivsky believes the Nationals knew Majewski had shoulder problems before the deal, after which Majewski posted an 8.40 ERA and spent time on the disabled list.

"It's in the hands of our lawyers," Krivsky told the Cincinnati Post.

Bowden has said Washington provided all the medical information the Reds asked for. He did not comment Sunday.