The Washington Nationals

Washington Post staff writer Barry Svrluga was online Wednesday, June 21, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the Washington Nationals and the latest major league baseball news.

The transcript follows.

Full Coverage: Washington Nationals

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Barry Svrluga: Hello, Nationals fans. So, when last we spoke, the club was in the process of dropping four straight to the Colorado Rockies -- who then went to St. Louis and lost three straight. Then, there was the rousing series against the Yankees. Seriously, some great stuff there. All three games were compelling.

The fall-out? Well, they come here, to Fenway Park, and drop the first two in rather listless fashion. Now, they're relying on Shawn Hill to salvage the final game of the series. And in the meantime, the Florida Marlins -- remember when they were one of the worst teams in baseball? -- moved past them into third place in the NL East.

There's the update. Let's get to some questions.

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Washington, D.C.: Is it smart to keep trotting Livan out there and let him get hammered? His only real longer-term value to the Nats--or perhaps only value, period--is as trade bait to a contender who needs an inning-eater third or fourth starter. With every new spike in his ERA, his trade value drops.

Barry Svrluga: I understand where you're coming from, and you're right that his trade value isn't as high as it might have been at the beginning of the season. But worse would be not to send him out there. He's untradeable if he can't pitch, that's for sure.

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Washington D.C.: It seems to me that Jose Guillen would have some trade value, as he is clearly hitting better and contender teams (like the Yankees)that could use a power hitting batter with a good arm who makes relatively little at $4 million, would be interested. You think he's going to be moved? I know Bowden has a good relationship with him and I would hate to see Jose go since he loves DC and when healthy is a force, but I think both he and Soriano may be traded soon.

Barry Svrluga: Guillen, indeed, would have some trade value, because if he's in a lineup in which he could hit sixth or so, he could be a force. Right now, for Washington, he's not. Though he hit a monstrous homer the other night at Fenway, he is not hitting the ball well. He knows he needs to produce either to get a good contract offer here or elsewhere.

It's possible a contending team could get Guillen for one decent pitching prospect.

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Washington, D.C.: New England bias aside, you've been to both this year, as far as atmosphere, Wrigley or Fenway??

Barry Svrluga: Here we go.

(Disclaimer: My parents are both from Chicago and grew up Cubs fans, and many relatives still live there. I, however, grew up on the South Shore (or "Shoah") outside Boston, and spent much of my youth coming here for games.)

Fenway. Fenway in a landslide. For one thing, the new ownership group has done a superb job of making what few modernizations you can on this confined space. They're milking every last dollar out of it, and the Monster seats are really spectacular. Yesterday, I got to go on a tour of the whole park, including inside the Monster. (I may or may not have signed my name on one of the walls. Who knows?)

Really cool stuff. I am biased in this regard, but I take Fenway over Wrigley.

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Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.: Like Noah's Ark, there's 40 days left until the trade deadline. Who do you realistically expect the Nationals to trade? In addition to prospects, might the Nationals receive any players who could help them?

Barry Svrluga: Yes, there's absolutely a chance the Nationals could receive some major-league ready talent. But they won't be trading for anyone who's, say, 30 years old. This is about the future.

I've put out the list before, and I'll say it again: And or all of Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Vidro and Jose Guillen could be traded. Those would be the prime candidates, I'd say, though almost anyone could go in the right deal (except Ryan Zimmerman, of course).

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RFK: SECTION 308, Good afternoon: Was the Yankees series an illusion, or do you expect Nationals attendance to increase about 3,000 per game from this point forward?

Barry Svrluga: The Yankees are the Yankees, and they bump attendances everywhere. I would expect attendance to be a bit better over the course of the summer, but they won't get 44,000-plus for three straight games again this year.

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'Tune Inn', Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: What changes, both on and off the field, do you expect when the Lerners take over? Might Kasten exercise 'veto rights' over Bowden on any trades?

Barry Svrluga: Ah, the Tune Inn. Best place in the District for a grilled cheese at 3 a.m.

Not that I've ever done that.

The Lerners and Kasten have articulated their vision for the remainder of this season and the immediate future from the day they took over. They plan to rebuild the minor league system and build from within. To do that, the Nationals will almost certainly be sellers over the next month, trying to bring talent into a system that is fairly depleted.

Off the field: They're working on plans for changes at RFK, and they've promised some improvements for the first home game after the all-star break, July 21. Will they be cosmetic? Substantive? We don't know yet, but the pressure is on for the place to be improved.

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Washington, D.C.: I was a bit taken aback by two tidbits that appeared in the Post the other day. First, Frank Robinson admits that he hadn't considered the possibility of using Soriano as a DH in the Boston series. Then, he asks reporters "who's pitching tomorrow?"

To me, these two revelations, while small, point to the central problem with Robinson's management of the Nats. He simply has no plan, and his "management by gut" doesn't allow him to look much beyond the game at hand. In my view, that's really hampered this team at times. What do you think?

washingtonpost.com: All-Star Balloting Validates Soriano the Outfielder , ( Post, June 20, 2006 )

Barry Svrluga: These are good questions. Robinson's style is the subject of some debate both inside and outside the organization. I'm planning to examine some of this for a story that will run on Friday, so stay tuned.

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Reston, Va.: Productive when healthy, seems like Nick Johnson is always hurt- probably why the Yankees got tired of him yrs ago. Why isn't Johnson on your list of tradeable players?

Barry Svrluga: Well, he signed a three-year extension beyond this year for $15.5 million, so he's signed up through 2009. Plus, with his history of injuries, he's hard to move.

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Arlington, Va.: Bar,

So I noticed that more Nats games were televised recently! Could this be an indication that MLB/Comcast/Angelo$/Lerners have worked something out on the TV deal? Or do you think it's just due to the Yankees and the Red Sox being the opponents?

Barry Svrluga: Sorry, can't report that. The schedule was set before the season, and the marquee games against the Yankees and Red Sox are the reason. It'll fall off again, soon.

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Chatterville: Any word on the MRIs done on Tony Armas, Jr. and Nick Johnson? Armas looked injured the other night, and given the previous game he pitched, it shouldn't be surprising, although I hope it's nothing serious.

Barry Svrluga: Not yet. Should find out sometime this afternoon.

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Dover, Del.: Larry Bowa the other day suggested that Nick Johnson is probably a 15 to 20 homer guy who will hit lots of doubles - and presumably drive in runs. According to Bowa, Johnson's upside is 30 homers, if he can ever stay healthy.

Do you agree with that assessment? And if it's accurate, is Johnson worth the long-term contract that the Nats signed him to? The fact that guy can never seem to stay healthy for long periods of time is a significant cause for concern, in my view, and I'm not sure it was all that wise to lock him up for the foreseeable future.

Barry Svrluga: I think Johnson, when healthy, is a tremendous hitter, and I agree with Bowa's assessment, but I think he'd be more in the low 20s on homers. He is a classic doubles/on-base guy, very disciplined for the most part, and I think in the right lineup, he'd be a great No. 2 hitter or No. 5/6 guy.

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Arlington, Va.: Seriously, what is wrong with Hernandez? Will Church return this season, or is he trade material?

Barry Svrluga: Hernandez's velocity is way down again, after it peaked a bit when he was winning games. Even though he's an off-speed pitcher, he has to have his fastball at 87-88 mph or so so that he can set up all the breaking stuff. I'm not sure if his surgically repaired right knee is bothering him or not. He said it's not. But, as I told him, I'm not sure he'd let on even if it was.

Watching his progress, or lack thereof, will be a key development over the next month, as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.

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Craig Hill, Md.: While Armas' injury probably makes this a moot issue, was the team really going to send down O'Connor or Hill when Patterson was activated? Are they crazy, or am I just paranoid?

Barry Svrluga: There would've been an issue about whether to send them down or move one of them to the pen and send someone else (such as Saul Rivera) down to the minors. But you're right: If Armas's injury is at all serious, they'll both remain in the rotation.

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Washington, D.C.: Is it true John Patterson is dating Miss District of Columbia? Do you know if it's serious?

Barry Svrluga: Yes, it's true their dating. I have not inquired as to the seriousness, though I know John caught the first pitch she threw out a couple weeks ago and said, "I was more nervous than she was."

(They put their arms around each other on the way off the field, a real "Aw, isn't that cute" moment.)

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Columbia, Md.: How far was that home run Guillen hit the other night? I never heard any estimates.

Barry Svrluga: Glanced off the Coke bottle above the Green Monster. Would've easily landed on the parking lot across Lansdowne Street. No estimate given here at Fenway, but man, it was a blast.

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Chevy Chase, D.C.: Here's a thought Barry...

How about Johnson in the lead off spot? His on base pct. is the highest on the club and he is a smart base runner. Wouldn't those two strengths trump Soriano's speed?

Barry Svrluga: This is a very interesting theory, and I think on the right team, he could do it. The Sox, for instance, use Kevin Youkilis in the leadoff spot, and even after speedster Coco Crisp came back, they kept Youk up there because of his high OBP.

Johnson could serve the same purpose. But Soriano prefers the top spot, and in the Nationals' lineup -- which lacks, say, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- he needs to stay a bit lower to drive in runs.

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44,000: They'll get close to that for the Cubs.

Barry Svrluga: Yes. I'd agree.

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Springfield, Va.: I went to RFK last Saturday and based on the many comments on the poor service I was somewhat dreading the trip. My fears were unfounded. People at parking lot and stadium entrance told us to enjoy the game, usher cleaned my friend's seat of a ketchup stain promptly, hot dogs hot. Saw lots of employees with clip boards and 2 way radios checking every thing out.

Biggest complaint is the sound system. Couldn't hear anything and since we were almost under the scoreboard, could see that.

Now that MLB got all the $$$ from the Yankee series, will the Lerner group take over in time to prepare for the TB-Nats crowds.

Barry Svrluga: Thanks for the report. The sound system, from what I hear and what I experience, is one of the major problems at RFK. Unbelievably loud in some places, inaudible in others. (Given the choice, I'd take inaudible.)

Lerner take over: I'd say first couple weeks of July, so no, not by the start of the D-Rays series.

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Fair Lakes, Va.: Barry,

Is it just me, or do the Nats have real problems hitting anything other than fastballs? Curves and off speed pitches appear to be a big problem for them. Of course, we won't even mention how silly they looked against Wakefield's knuckleballs.

Also, Armas and Hernandez are certainly making mid-season trades/selloffs much more palatable.

Barry Svrluga: It is not just you. Frank Robinson thinks this. He's thought it for years. It's quite frustrating. Did you see Soriano whiffing on the 70-mph curveball thrown by one Kyle Snyder the other night? Yikes.

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Washington, D.C.: Barry: Given the near constant chatter about the Nats' interest in trading the likes of Soriano, Guillen, Hernandez, and Vidro, do you have any sense that all the talk has had an impact on the clubhouse?

Barry Svrluga: I wrote about this a couple weeks ago, and while some players (namely, Guillen) are distracted by it a bit, and others (such as Vidro) admit that it can get to them from time to time, they are doing their best to remain professional about the whole thing. None of it, after all, is in their control, and they realize that.

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Washington, D.C.: What a great time to be a Nationals fan! Zimmerman making a run at rookie of the year, Vidro rebounding nicely, Cordero, Patterson, some of the other young pitchers and a new park in a few years!

But of course, the big question is whether to trade Soriano. I was wondering what people involved in baseball think. Any chance you will be bringing in someone who knows the game so we can ask their opinion?

Thanks.

Barry Svrluga: I am trying not to take this as an insult.

Still trying. Not working.

Nope, not going to work. Okay. Moving on.

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East Lansing, Mich.: I've noticed that some of the relievers have their nicknames written on the underside of their ballcaps. I assumed the writing on Rauch's was the word "Lurch" but then I thought I saw the letter E in there. Any inside info? Who's the guy who does the writing? Do the other guys not get any love because they don't have cool nicknames like Chief and Tex?

Barry Svrluga: You noticed this from East Lansing? Man, good eyes.

I believe Rauch's says "Rauch." I could be wrong. I can tell you that it does not say "Lurch."

This is a trick baseball players used long ago. It's akin to your mom labeling your underwear when you went to summer camp. Let me explain it:

If, say, Gary Majewski picks up a cap and thinks it's his, but isn't sure, he can look under the brim. If it says "Majewski" or "Tex", he can think to himself, "Hey, that's my name. This must be my cap," and go about his business. If, though, it says "Cordero" or "Chief," he can think to himself, "Hmmm. I don't think I go by those names. Must be someone else's."

Does that help?

(I love being able to provide the inside scoop.)

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RE: Larry Bowa's Assessment: Don't put too much stock into it. This is the same guy, who a few weeks ago, was jawing with the Orioles Corey Patterson b/c he stole a base on the Yankees in a game with the Yankees up by like 6 runs complaining that that is something you don't do with a big lead. However Bowa seemed to forget that earlier this year his team came back from a HUGE deficit against the Rangers and in the aforementioned O's/Yanks game, the Yanks had the tying run on-deck in like the 8th inning. This is also the same guy, who gave A-Rod the steal sign, the very next day with the Yankees playing another team and up by a whole bunch of runs. Talk about hypocritical. Plus he got canned in Philly b/c he stunk as a manager. So just don't put too much stock in to what Larry Bowa has to say.

Barry Svrluga: Yeah, that was weird, wasn't it? I told Nick about it, and he was planning on riding his uncle pretty hard.

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Washington, D.C.: The Lerners and Kasten have threatened to make major adjustments to their business plan on rebuilding the team if they do not get their way on the aboveground garages by the new ballpark. Given that they did not sign on to the proposed compromise of the Mayor and remain very concerned that the stadium project is becoming mired with complexities that will create significant problems for the team, is the other shoe about to fall? In short, is the much feared firesale just around the corner?

Barry Svrluga: But the "fire sale", as you call it, could be considered part of the business plan.

Let's take a look at the Marlins. After last season, they got rid of Josh Beckett, let A.J. Burnett go, traded Juan Pierre and Paul Lo Duca, basically blew the whole team up. But they kept Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. They were widely criticized.

So what do the people of South Florida have now? Well, to start, a budding stud of a shortstop in Hanley Ramirez, another rookie of the year candidate in Dan Uggla, several good young pitchers (led by Josh Johnson), and another first-rate prospect in Jeremy Hermeida. That doesn't even touch Mike Jacobs or Ty Wiggington, etc. In short, they have a base upon which to build. Will they win nine straight all the time, like they have over the past two weeks? Of course not. But smart trades of pricey veterans for real talent can pay off in two or three years. Remember, Florida is a club that's won the World Series twice.

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Section 321 Row 9: Barry-

Great book by the way, I received it for Father's Day and it certainly was better than the tie my son gave me...

Anyways, my question is how "good" of a haul can we expect to fetch for our most likely to be traded players, namely Soriano, Livan, Vidro, Guillen, and Armas? What can we expect in return for each of these guys?

Keep up the good work

Barry Svrluga: Ah, good. Someone listened to me when I said "National Pastime" would make a good Father's Day gift. A tie? Please.

This is a good question, and one I'll be bouncing off scouts and execs over the next month. The Nationals, right now, are asking for the highest possible prices for various guys -- as they should. The pressure's not on. But as I've said before, the best position for Bowden to get in is to have one team on the phone saying, "OK, we'll give you X and Y for Soriano," and him being able to call another team and say, "Hey, if you don't give me A, B and C, then Soriano's going to another team in an hour -- and that team might beat you for the World Series."

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Washington, D.C.: Barry: We know that Livan's ERA for the first two innings this year is something like 180. We also know that his ERA for innings 3-7 is pretty low. I am almost tempted to suggest starting Chad Cordero for 2 innings, then replacing him with Livan, who can then pitch the rest of the way. What is your theory as to why Livan starts so badly?

Barry Svrluga: There is a box. You are not thinking within it. Congrats on that.

Well, last night, it would've been nice to see if your theory about innings 3-7 would've worked out. He didn't get there.

I know what the statistics say about the slow starts. I think, really, he's just pitching poorly overall.

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Rauch's cap: I think Rauch's cap says "Wookie" underneath the brim...

Barry Svrluga: Second response like this. I will try to find out today. If so, he has more of a sense of humor than I suspected.

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Orono, Maine: Why was a reported disciplinarian like Robinson willing to put up for so long with the bullpen antics that apparently got John Wetteland canned? How much say does Robinson have in the makeup of his coaching staff? And is there any word from relievers on whether the change has altered the atmosphere in the bullpen?

Barry Svrluga: He wasn't. He had several chats with Wetteland about the matters, going back to spring training. The hire was made by Bowden, and Robinson lost the right to name his coaching staff last year, when Bowden felt like some of his choices (Don Buford, Tom McCraw) didn't have the energy to be effective any more.

Robinson, though, was able to convince Bowden, in the end, that Wetteland was undermining him, and thus the move was made.

The pitchers have taken the change professionally. Randy Knorr, the new bullpen coach, seems like a good guy, and many of the players like him.

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Washington, D.C.: Just so you know Barry the Marlins don't have Ty Winggington. You were close because he is on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Barry Svrluga: Brain cramp. Josh Willingham. Third-round choice by Florida a couple years back.

Nice catch.

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Wiggington, Ty: Pretty sure he plays for the Devil Rays. Perhaps you were thinking of Josh Willingham?

Barry Svrluga: You guys are sharp today. Congrats.

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Montreal, Quebec: Looks like another 100 loss season on the way- je me souviens!

Do you see Frank Robinson staying on next season now that the Lerners are taking over?

Barry Svrluga: Ah, bonjour, Montreal.

Yes, quite possible they'll lose 100, but I'd say a few fewer than that. I had 76 wins when the season started, but that'd mean they'd have to play about .500 baseball the rest of the way. Not sure that'll happen (particularly if some of the top players are traded).

No, I don't think Robinson will be the manager next year. That's an educated guess, and I don't know it for sure. I'll be writing about this more and more over the coming months -- including later this week.

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Section 535, Row 1: Any chance the Nats will try to move Chad Cordero as part of their firesale? He's not nearly as good as his stats bear out, his trade value is probably as high as it will ever be, and both Majewski and Bray seem like fine longer-term options as closers.

Barry Svrluga: There's really no reason to move Cordero. He's not likely to earn huge money in arbitration, and he's the kind of young guy (24) around which they want to build. If they got an unbelievable offer? Sure. But I think they have more pressing needs to trade a couple other guys who they could lose to free agency anyway (Soriano, Guillen, Armas) or who make a lot now (Hernandez).

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Bullpen Antics?: Please enlighten us.

Barry Svrluga: Fireworks. Taking apart video cameras. I wrote about it when Wetteland was fired.

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washingtonpost.com: Bullpen Coach Wetteland Is Given the Boot, ( Post, June 16, 2006 )

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Bethesda, Md.: Barry,

RFK ballpark experience is getting better this past homestand. However, the PA guy still needs to be replaced. Still not getting player switches outside of a change at pitcher. A double switch is apparently beyond this PA announcer's comprehension.

Barry Svrluga: Yes, Bethesda, it is a recurring theme. Over the weekend, he said, "This late change for the Nationals ..." when Robert Fick moved from catcher to first, I believe.

Uh, the change wasn't late. The announcement was.

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Washington, D.C.: The best position player right now in the minors might be Larry Broadway, but he is blocked by Nick Johnson. How do you expect the Nats to unscramble 1st?

Barry Svrluga: This is an interesting question, and it's clear that the team can't keep both Broadway and Johnson. Though I still think Johnson will be difficult to trade because of his history of injuries, it's possible Broadway could be included in some sort of package. He's hitting .335 for Class AAA New Orleans. (Plus, he went to my alma mater, so I'm kind of rooting for him.)

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McLean, Va.: Barry - can you give us any sense of the personalities of some of the players? Are some of them clowns? philosophers? real quiet? high energy? etc.

Also, wanted to say that we really enjoy watching MASN on Cox Cable. The announcers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and generally pleasant to listen to. Hope the fans in D.C. and Md. can hear them before too long.

Barry Svrluga: Thanks for the MASN update.

OK, my vote for team clown goes to three players -- Matthew LeCroy, Damian Jackson and Robert Fick. Each has done something wacky at one time or another, though with Fick it's usually just droll one-liners that sound like they're out of the mouth of Jeff Spicolli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Philosopher? Hmmmmm. Let me think about that one. John Patterson? He can get philosophical, but this year, it's mostly been about his health. I'll get back to you.

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Youppi: Is Screech really better than me? sacre bleu!

Barry Svrluga: No, Youppi. Screech is not better than you.

Of course, neither is Wally the Green Monster. You want thrusts of a giant pelvis? Wally can provide them too. Not appealing. Really. Not appealing.

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Waiver Wire, W.Va.: Barry, wouldn't you say the waiver wire's even a better option than running Byrd and Jackson out there to CF every day? Those guys are almost playing worse than a fringe replacement would, and if Church is going to struggle at New Orleans, I can see keeping him down there I guess. But why just lie down every game in center? There has to be something this team can do, right?

Barry Svrluga: This is a major problem, to be sure, and the biggest disappointment has been Ryan Church's performance this year. He is hitting .219 at New Orleans. Jim Bowden said the other day that if Church starts tearing it up, he'll be recalled. But he has to tear it up, and he isn't.

Byrd/Jackson, therefore, will have to do for now, though they're getting nothing out of those two. CF, I think, will be something they'll try to address for the long-term either before the trade deadline or in the off season. It's not a pretty picture right now.

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Kingstowne, Va.: Someone said earlier that a lot of games are suddenly on TV. Actually, with the exception of the June 10 game against Philadelphia, EVERY game has been on TV this year. I've watched most of them when I couldn't get to RFK.

Barry Svrluga: You must have DirecTV or RCN or such. I believe they were talking about folks who have Comcast as their cable provider.

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Richmond, Va.: any truth to the rumor that the Braves could be pulling out of Richmond? If yes, don't you think the Nats should move in?

Barry Svrluga: The Nationals are unlikely to re-up with New Orleans as a Class AAA affiliate, and it's possible that Norfolk or Richmond would be good targets. I am not up to date on the status of the Braves' relationship with Richmond, although my understanding is that the Braves own the franchise.

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Barryville: Barry,

I picked up the Chad Cordero bobble head at the Phils game the other week. I'm hoping to grab one of those Jose Guillen bobble heads July 7. When is Barry Svrluga bobble head night? Is it true a Jorge Arangure bobblehead, where the head is twice the size of the body, is actual size for Jorge?

Barry Svrluga: They're planning on having Svrluga bobblehead night sometime shortly after hell freezes over. So stay tuned.

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Barry Svrluga: You know, as we get near the end here, I'll bring up something that Dave Sheinin and I were talking about last week.

As some of you may know, Chris Snow, the Sox beat writer for The Boston Globe, is leaving the paper later this summer to become the director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild.

So Sheinin and I were saying, shouldn't we call Kasten and have him consider us as a two-headed GM? I think I'll do that later on.

Stan? Stan? Are you there? What's that buzzing noise? Sounds like a dial tone.

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Maryland: Two of the Nationals' best prospects, Kory Casto and Larry Broadway, are at positions that are blocked for a few years. Have they given any thought of moving either Casto, Broadway, or both to another position, or are they trade bait too?

Barry Svrluga: Yes, they may move Casto to the outfield. Bowden said earlier this year that they want him to just stay at third and develop as a hitter, but they'll talk about it in the off season and see what makes sense for the future.

Broadway, I think, would be harder to move. I'm not sure he could play outfield.

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Alexandria, Va.: Barry: I am always hearing and reading about Soriano, Vidro, Guillen, and Livan on the trading block, but what about all those other veteran bench players. It seems to me that Anderson and Ward have real value. And the Nats should take anything they could get for Jackson, LeCroy and Fick. What do you see in this?

Barry Svrluga: They just can't get the same level of prospects for those guys. Would they trade them? Sure. But they wouldn't expect a huge haul.

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Fenway: Any idea what they get for those seats with the tables on top of the monster?

Barry Svrluga: I believe they're $100 a pop. But man, what a view. Really cool.

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Barry Svrluga: Folks, that's it. Out of time. Tons more questions. Thanks for dropping by.

Enjoy the games over the next week -- anybody going to Camden Yards over the weekend? -- and I'll chat with you again next Wednesday from Toronto.

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