Transaction Update
The shuffling of the decks between MLB and AAA continues, plus a major IFA gets sent to the DSL…
OPTIONED
● OF Christian Franklin
● RHP Orlando Ribalta
RECALLED, PLACED ON 60-DAY I.L.
● RHP Josiah Gray
RECALLED, ADDED TO 40-MAN
● LHP Cionel Pérez
PLACED ON 15-DAY I.L.
● RHP Paxton Schultz (retroactive to 3/22)
RELEASED
● 3B Warming Bernabel
● 2B Orelvis Martinez
● RHP Drew Smith
ASSIGNED TO DSL
● OF Samil Serrano
H/T to Natteringnabob for calling the move to four OFs on the 26-man roster to explain the Vivas trade (pronounced BEE-BAS), as the Nats sent down Christian “Hey It’s” Franklin” and Orlando “You Can Trust Me, I’m Still Under 30” Ribalta and called up RHP Josiah Gray and LHP Cionel Pérez.
Alas, the Gray move was procedural as the 28-y.o. will not be available to pitch in the Bigs until nearly Memorial Day, and will/may hopefully/possibly/most likely make the Rehab Tour™ from the FCL. Taking his spot is Pérez, an expected move given he was one of the few MLB free agents signed by Washington in the offseason.
Finally, the Nats most expesive top IFA signed this year was officially assigned to the DSL.
UPDATE
After all is said and done, a lot more gets said than done. To wit, Griff McGarry has been returned to the Phillies. In an unrelated move (maybe), the Nats have acquired journeyman infielder Zack Short from the Yankees for cash considerations.
reading all the angst on the Vivas trade, I’m guessing it’s just a matter of we like this guy more than that guy.
Linan for all his relative prospect love could very well be Chris Manno 2.0.
Fred MD and the bleacher bums at all levels with the tall boys in hand .
We should choose a musical standard for the musical chairs with AAA/ AA rosters
Most watchlist category is the outfield depth chart and utility types
Rogers , Jordan and Pineda could sink to City Isle Sens . Perhaps
Another watchlist is the TJ healing MASH unit especially the starters . Let’s see who leaves the warmth of WPB to an active rehabbing affiliate assignment
Tall boys ! Coors banquet label , plz !
Well we traded $$$ to get infielder Zack Short, who is going to AAA.
I guess the Yankees needed the cash 🙂
@John C and Luke – I’m certainly willing apologize for my tone yesterday. I didn’t mean to attack John personally whatsoever and I can see how my comment ran the risk of escalation and hurt feelings. That’s not how I meant it, and it’s 100% on me to speak clearly and preserve the respectful tone that this community adheres too. I’m sorry for coming up short yesterday.
But I do think it’s worth exploring the substantive disagreement about how much deference teams deserve and how amateur analysts should understand team decisions in the light of our imperfect knowledge of both the underlying facts underpinning any evaluation and various considerations that are balanced in the team’s overall strategy.
My, hopefully generative, question for John is this: under what circumstances, if any, would you permit yourself to criticize a decision by the front office as bad strategy?
(Strategic criticisms only. I know from your other writings that there are several moral and ethical transgressions that would prompt criticism. And, to be clear, I believe we’re pretty aligned on what those lines are. But “that action is morally wrong” is a very different judgement, and one subject to very different epistemological rules, than “that action was a part of a suboptimal strategy”, and it’s the latter that I’m curious about here.)
FWIW I didn’t take any offense at your response yesterday. One of the great graces of baseball, IMNSHO, is that it gives us a chance to care deeply and passionately about something that ultimately doesn’t matter very much. It sucks when the Nats lose, but it’s not a tragedy.
Perhaps that philosophy is what gives me a certain amount of distance from organizational and managerial decisions. Even when it comes to players I try to avoid mind reading and presenting my projections as facts (this player choked, that player doesn’t care, etc.). Baseball is really hard, and everyone in MLB is one of the best in the world at baseball. With a nod to Teddy Roosevelt, I am keenly aware that I am not “the man in the arena.”
What’s interesting is that I agree with a lot of that. Sports are enjoyable in large part specifically because there are never, or almost never, any serious consequences. And that’s why I felt my tone was a little off in my original reply – it was unfair to “accuse” you of bringing that Dr Pangloss perspective to more serious subjects. There is a moral imperative to exercise good judgement when there are real things at stake; but in sports, that’s not the case and you are free to enjoy your fandom exactly as you wish.
But I don’t think it’s any less valid for a fan to enjoy parsing those decisions and trying to make sense of the implied strategy, and even trying to infer the proprietary information that would justify the things that don’t make sense. I enjoy that part of fandom quite a bit, and probably because of, rather than in spite of, all the cloudiness that makes you consider the exercise a waste of time.
I guess where I get stuck is that there is a difference between presenting a projection as a fact and making a projection in the first place. I’m all for avoiding the former, but your comments often read like you’re opposed to the latter. Which, again, is more than fair enough, if that’s how you enjoy the game. But it’s not how I enjoy the game.
I think it is ok for Will (or other posters) to say “I don’t get it” regarding an organizational decision. I feel that phrase is meant to invite further discussion by other posters that could shed some light on the subject. This is a site where the discourse is very respectful.
After all, at least on the MLB level in 2026, I think we will all fall into the category of “fellow sufferers”.