Report: Nationals “not willing” to trade Drew Storen to Twins for Denard Span

3 Comments

Earlier this week there were several reports about the Nationals pursuing Twins center fielder Denard Span and yesterday Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com wrote that they might even be willing to give up closer Drew Storen to get something done.

Not so fast, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, who quotes “a baseball source” as saying the Nationals “are not willing to trade Storen for Span.”

Which is probably good news for the Twins anyway, because trading a 27-year-old center fielder with good leadoff skills and plus range for a 70-inning pitcher–albeit a very good, young, and cheap one in Storen–isn’t the greatest idea. It’s probably a moot point anyway, as Span has been on the disabled list for two months with a concussion.

Washington is definitely in the market for a long-term solution in center field, with various rumors linking them to Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, Peter Bourjos, and others in addition to Span.

Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return

dodgers syndergaard
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
0 Comments

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”