by Sports Xchange

--OF Austin Kearns' $10 million contract option was declined by the Nationals, who gave him a $1 million buyout. Kearns, who had surgery in early August to remove debris from the base of his right thumb, hit .195 with three homers in 80 games this year.

--INF Pete Orr and RHP Logan Kensing were removed from the Nationals' 40-man roster. Both were outrighted to Class AAA Syracuse.

--LHP Doug Slaten was claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks, giving the Nationals another left-handed option in a bullpen that was among the majors' worst in 2009. Slaten, 29, was a key contributor to Arizona's 2007 NL West title run, posting a 2.72 ERA in 61 appearances. But after undergoing knee surgery, he struggled the next two seasons and spent most of 2009 at Class AAA Reno. The Nationals figure to use Slaten as a matchup reliever, pitting him against top left-handed hitters.

--RHP Livan Hernandez filed for free agency after the World Series ended, but the Nationals may have interest in bringing him back in 2010. The veteran performed well after his late-August acquisition, producing quality starts in six of his eight outings. The Nationals need a reliable innings eater to take pressure off young starters like LHP John Lannan, RHP Craig Stammen and RHP J.D. Martin, and Hernandez (who has tossed at least 180 innings each of the past 12 seasons) fits that bill.

--OF Nyjer Morgan made a significant difference when he was in the Nationals' lineup this season, and the club knows it needs the dynamic center fielder back healthy in 2010. Before his acquisition from the Pirates in early July, Washington averaged only 4.32 runs per game. In 51 games with Morgan, the Nationals averaged 5.03 runs. That number plummeted to nearly three runs per game, though, after Morgan suffered a season-ending wrist injury Aug. 27. He's expected to be fully healed from the injury by the time spring training begins, and the Nationals hope to have him healthy for all of 2010.

--1B Chris Marrero was enjoying a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League. Marrero, Washington's top draft pick in 2006, was hitting .362 with three homers and 14 RBIs through his first 14 games with the Phoenix Desert Dogs. The 21-year-old is one of the least-experienced players in the AFL, having spent only one month at Class AA.

--Randy Knorr, who served as Washington's bullpen coach this season, has agreed to become manager at Class AA Harrisburg. Knorr, a former big-league catcher, has spent parts of two seasons on the Nationals' major league coaching staff since 2006. But the organization sees him long term as a manager, and he had success in leading Class A Potomac (Woodbridge, Va.) to the Carolina League championship in 2008. His Harrisburg club could feature many of Washington's top prospects, including RHP Stephen Strasburg, 1B Chris Marrero and SS Danny Espinosa.

BY THE NUMBERS: 18.1 -- Ryan Zimmerman's Ultimate Zone Rating (a defensive metric) in 2009, third best in the majors.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm certainly not satisfied with the won-loss record. That's a disappointment. But there's a lot of shining lights that I can put on when I think back on the season." -- GM Mike Rizzo.