Ready! Set! Go!

Let's get right into the thick of things, shall we? Here's what's going on right now in the world of the Nationals at the Winter Meetings.

On the Pitching Front:
As far as Tyler Clippard is concerned, the deal is expected to go through today, once Jonathan Albaladejo passes his physical.

We should expect to see either Rauch or Cordero go this week, but not both. As it stands, it's looking like one of them will be dealt for a SS/2B, which makes sense, that's probably where our lineup is weakest.

As for Position Players:
I wouldn't be surprised to see Felipe Lopez moved for some pitching. I've heard murmurs of Mike Pelfrey or Kevin Slowey, but why the Mets would give up one of their bigger trade chips to get Felipe Lopez, I can't figure out. Slowey might make more sense, but Slowey also isn't Pelfrey. (Edit: That's not to say that Slowey's bad, his Minor League numbers are very good, in fact, and if we can snag him for Lopez, hooray.)

Free Agency Derby!
The Nationals are basically looking to address two real needs through Free Agency, catching and pitching. Capitol Punishment has a very good breakdown of why Paul Lo Duca wouldn't be a great signing, and beyond him, the market is even uglier. If Damian Miller or Johnny Estrada are signed, it seems to me they should be backing up Flores, not the other way around, which would be fine by me. Michael Barrett is a bit better offensively, but calls a mediocre game. My prediction is still Miller.

As far as pitching goes, the Nats seem to be offering only one year deals to several veteran pitchers, which these guys are unlikely to be really enticed by. It wouldn't really bother the heck out of me if we didn't manage to snag some old veteran for a year to hold hands with the multitude of kids we trust on the mound, but I'd imagine someone who feels left out will take the bait, and then be wholly ineffective. Is Brian Lawrence still around?

More later, including my thoughts on the Dukes and Milledge acquisitions.