Photo by Scott Ableman.The Nationals released outfielder Elijah Dukes today, ending what was, at times, a tumultuous two seasons with the team. Mark Zuckerman notes that Nats manager Jim Riggleman will likely choose from the trio of Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell or Mike Morse to fill Dukes’ starting spot in right field this season. Dukes hit .250 last season, with 8 home runs and 58 RBIs in 107 games. While this news should already serve…

Photo by Flickr user spiggycat. It is the week of the baseball draft, and in what looks like a yearly tradition, it is time to see what the Nationals organization does with the first pick. Everyone expects them to draft pitcher Steven Strasburg. Strasburg is a talent so great that only a team as incompetent as the Nationals would fail to draft and sign him. It should be an interesting Tuesday. Strasburg is represented…

Well, that was quick: less than 24 hours after we relayed the news that Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden was on the hot seat, Bowden resigned from his post, citing that his “ability to properly represent the Washington Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press.” The Nats have not yet named a replacement or an interim GM. Bowden’s resignation comes less than a week after the team fired of his…

Yesterday, Nationals manager Manny Acta called a team meeting to remind his players that they are not “independent league players.” The point was that, despite being younger and not as talented as some other clubs, they are expected to be able to complete routine plays like hitting the cutoff man and fielding the baseball. It is clear that Manny will live with a team that is last in the National League in every offensive category,…

Jim Bowden has been a busy man this offseason. Since we last left the Nationals, they have acquired outfielder Elijah Dukes, infielder Aaron Boone, pitcher Tyler Clippard, and catcher Paul Lo Duca. They have also signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena to a one year deal. Betting that he can’t possibly have two horrible years in a row, the Nats have also signed outfielder Ryan “more strikeouts than total bases” Langerhans to a one year deal….

I have a small confession. Months ago, when I agreed to take over Nats coverage for DCist, I was anticipating a historically bad season. The kind of season that I could tell my children about, and allow me to forever hold my head above future bandwagon fans. So imagine my surprise that on my inaugural post there are a staggering seven teams with worse records than the Nats, despite seven Washington losses in their last…

News and notes surrounding Washington’s loveable cellar-dwellers: Belliard Signs Extension: Though he was widely considered the Nats most moveable commodity, he and the team agreed to a 2-year, $3.5 million extension to keep big Ron in D.C. Belliard’s versatility makes Manny Acta’s job much easier for the next few years with his ability to play multiple infield positions, his willingness to be a bench player when needed, and his veteran leadership. In the meantime, his…

Well, we may have been reluctant at first due to his, um, colorful past (as were many others). We also doubted his All Star chances. Now, though, we’re now firmly aboard the Dmitri Young Chuckwagon. In the same week he was named to the NL team for next week’s All Star Game in San Francisco, Young went 3-4 yesterday. His day was highlighted by a grand slam, cementing the Nats 6-0 win in front of…

Prompted by the opening of online balloting for the 2007 All Star Game a few weeks ago, we recently started wondering who might represent the Nats in San Francisco (since, you know, somebody has to). Dmitri Young? The guy’s hitting for a scorching .500 average over the last 21 games. But he’s mired behind popular stars like Albert Pujols and Nomar Garciaparra, as well as reigning MVP Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder’s 23-homer bat. Even…

So we’re six weeks into the Nats post-Robinson era, and no one besides Stan Kasten and Jim Bowden has any clue what’s going on in the search for a manager. Kasten is dedicated to a process that is “thorough” and he is “prepared to hire the best fit.” He recently said an announcement might be made in the next two weeks, but resists giving any insight into the process whatsoever. What’s going on down there…