Now that the All Star break is over, the race for the first pick in the draft is just getting started, and it looks to be exciting. The San Diego Padres currently possess a half game lead over the Nationals, but Seattle is also close behind. In fact, all that separates the Padres from the Mariners is a game, with the Nationals sandwiched in the middle. The Nationals staunch refusal to score runs gives them an clear advantage. That, and Luis Ayala. While it is still too early to predict the “winner,” I expect that this race will keep all 9,000 fans glued to their television sets for the rest of the season.

Chad Cordero
The big news this week was GM Jim Bowden’s announcement that the team was not going to offer closer Chad Cordero a contract, thus letting him become a free agent. The Nationals Farm Authority has a good explanation of team’s thinking here. Basically, because of Chad’s injuries and the nature of arbitration, the move makes sense and keeps the team from overpaying for the Chief. It doesn’t mean that Chad is leaving — at least, it didn’t until Chad revealed how disrespectful he felt the whole process was. It is not clear how Bowden’s handling of the announcement will affect the ability of the team to resign Chad, but it is clear that the Chief is not happy. Cordero has been one of the faces of the team since it came to Washington, and Bowden’s handling of this process in not likely to win him, or the team, any fans.

Middle Infield
With 60 games left in the season, and a record of 38-64, the Nationals have already started thinking about next season. Their first move was to trade closer Jon Rauch to the Arizona Diamondbacks for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio. Bonifacio is a young, fast second baseman who the Nationals hope will become the team’s future leadoff hitter. So far this year, he hit .217, slugging .261, and had an OBP of .333. Not exactly the numbers one wants from a leadoff hitter, but Bonifacio is still young, and the Nationals didn’t have anyone in their system at second base. The team probably noticed that Felipe Lopez was still on their bench, and got a little desperate.

The team also signed All Star Christian Guzman to a two year, $16 million contract. Guzman currently leads the National League in hits, and is the only National batting above .300. Guzman wanted 3-4 years, but accepted 2 because he spent so much time injured. Many feel like this was a premature signing, and that the team overpaid for Guzman. Nats Triple Play has a good breakdown of the signing here. It comes down to the fact that the team doesn’t have any shortstops in their system who are ready to play, so the 2-year contract basically gives them time to develop their future shortstop.

Game of the Week
The game of the week is Tuesday, July 29, when Colin Balester faces off against Phillie Brett Myers at Nationals Park. This game will provide an excellent chance for Nationals fans to watch the development of one of the team’s future pitchers, and be harassed by fans from Philadelphia. Also, the first 10,000 fans get a free T-Shirt.

Briefly Noted: Johnny Estrada was released and looks “forward to playing against the Nationals.” I assume he means in MLB 2K8… Party with Teddy Roosevelt!… In an effort to fill those seats behind home plate, the team has started a promotion where buying 5 weekend game tickets gets you 1 free Diamond Club ticket.

Meaningless Statistic of the Week: Tim Redding leads the National League in number of fly balls hit by a left handed batter when thrown by a right handed pitcher who was born in the ’70s, with 90.

Photo by brianmka