Nats plan to remain patient this offseason

Byline: Ben Goessling, THE WASHINGTON TIMES The Washington Nationals' brain trust convenes Monday in Indianapolis for Baseball's winter meetings with the same patient confidence they've had the entire offseason, something that seems out of place onbaseball's worst team but could be wholly justified given the progress they've already made reshaping a ramshackle leadership structure. General manager Mike Rizzo has, by his count, hired more than a dozen Baseball people to burnish a front office that was undermanned and sometimes wayward during former GM Jim Bowden's tenure. Among the additions are former Atlanta Braves scouting director Roy Clark (the Nationals' new vice president of player personnel), ex-Pittsburgh Pirates operations director Bryan Minniti (the new assistant GM) and former Cleveland Indians scout Doug Harris (who will be director of player personnel in Washington). Rizzo boosted the front office with so many well-respected officials that manager Jim Riggleman is excited forthe week just to watch the group work together. I've been looking forward to these meetings, to get with Mike and his new staff members and really kind of put my opinion in there, Riggleman said. But I'll do mostly a lot of listening. We've got some new sets of eyes. When you get all of your Baseball people in the same room, good Baseball conversation takes place. And then there's this: While the Nationals expect to improve from a 103-loss season - and will look to add a veteran pitcher or two to help them do it - no one in the upper reaches of management envisionsthe kind of drastic turnaround that would make them contenders in 2010. So the Nationals enter the winter meetings with a tidy shopping list, the expectation that a tepid economic outlook will again delay most activity until after the first of the year and the goal of simply laying groundwork for what they need to accomplish by the time pitchers and catchers report Feb. 19, not by the time the meetings end Thursday. A lot of what will happen there will be kind of setting the tone for something that may actually take place on paper after the new year, Riggleman said. You're formulating a lot of good ideas, exchanging names with other clubs. You might tweak it around a little bit. Maybethere's a deal that can be made, conversations with an agent that can be had. The groundwork will be done in Indianapolis. The Nationals' wish list for the offseason doesn't indicate a lot of adjustments to come for the worst team in Baseball two years running. They would like to acquire a veteran starter or two and an experienced catcher who can start if Jesus Flores isn't back from shoulder surgery by the team the season starts. They would like a long reliever, but Riggleman said he feels comfortable enough with the progress Tyler Clippard and Jason Bergmann made that he isn't pining for a new bullpen. And they're hopeful that Cristian Guzman can be the answer at second base. Or perhaps they're resigned to the likelihood that the 31-year-old shortstop, who is being moved because of declining defensive range, will be with them all year because his $8 million salary makes him an unattractive trade candidate. Whatever the reasons, the Nationals likely will make only a few tweaks to the roster before spring training. If they do make moves thisweek, it's more likely they would strike a deal than sign a free agent, especially because economic reservations could produce a larger-than-usual list of players not tendered a contract for 2010 and the chance for some bargains once that list is finalized next weekend. In keeping with the theme of the offseason, though, nobody in the Nationals' front office is in any hurry. When you get that many Baseball people in the same building, you hear a lot of good hot stove topics, some rumors go around that are pretty interesting, Riggleman said. Things are said that you hadn't thought about, and it moves something along in your mind. You just get alot of information. When you get that many Baseball people around, things are happening. Sometimes your club is the one involved. +++++ THE Nationals' SHOPPING LIST: A CLOSER LOOK As the winter meetings begin Monday, the Nationals have identifiedseveral areas where they'll be looking to improve their roster. Hereis a closer look at each of them: STARTING PITCHING This is the biggest area of need for the Nationals . They would like to add one arm or possibly two at the right price who could eat innings and take some stress off their young starters. There are a few semiattractive candidates, including Jon Garland and Rich Harden, a pair of starters who wouldn't cost the Nationals a draft pick because they weren't offered arbitration. Garland is only 30 and Harden is just 28, and both could be in the Nationals' price range. But nothing likely will be decided with any pitchers until the top starter - the Angels' John Lackey - is off the market. CATCHER The list of free agent catchers is thin - the best names on it probably would be 31-year-old Miguel Olivo, 31-year-old Yorvit Torrealbaand 36-year-old Jason Kendall. None of those three were offered arbitration, and any of them could start a large chunk of games should Jesus Flores not be ready. With Flores still in the Nationals' plans and Derek Norris (or possibly Bryce Harper?) behind him in the system, don't expect anything more than a stopgap addition here. RELIEF PITCHING Remember how little attention former general manager Jim Bowden paid to the bullpen last offseason? It didn't exactly turn out well. But the Nationals feel they have enough veterans to get by in 2010, especially if they're not ready to contend, and a big addition again is unlikely in the bullpen. A long man could be a priority here, and this year's Joe Beimel veteran bargain could come in the form of Casey Fossum, Will Ohman or Beimel himself. But the back end of the bullpen,in all likelihood, will include the same principals it did at the end of 2009: Mike MacDougal, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard and Jason Bergmann, with first-rounder Drew Storen possibly entering the mix at some point. MIDDLE INFIELD Riggleman said he's comfortable going into the season with Cristian Guzman at second base and Ian Desmond at shortstop. They're both good offensive players in the middle, and you've got [Ryan] Zimmerman and [Adam] Dunn on the corners. That's a pretty good major league infield, he said. An addition here, then, likely would come in the form of a backup who can play solid defense if Desmond struggles at the plate or can't cut down on his throwing errors. The Nationals have been rumored to be interested in Mark DeRosa, and they could have another flirtation with Orlando Hudson (though he's a Type A free agent who would cost them two picks). And hey, there's always a pair of Bowden favorites coming off strong seasons - Felipe Lopez and Ronnie Belliard. It's tough to see the Nationals bringing back either of those talented, yet high-maintenance players.