Washington
Nationals

News: Teahen has signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, the Nationals' official Twitter feed reports.
Impact: Teahen offers positional flexibility but little else. He can play a poor third base or a passable corner outfield, and his bat really tanked in 2011. The 30-year-old only mustered a .582 OPS in 51 games with the White Sox and just a .547 OPS in 27 games as a Blue Jay. Even if Teahen can make the Nationals, it will be in a bench role, and he doesn't look to make much of an impact.

News: The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with Ankiel.
Impact: If added to the 40-man roster, Ankiel would have a $1.25 million, one-year contract and could make $1.5 million in performance bonuses. The performance bonuses are the same as his deal last year with the Nationals, plus an additional $250,000 for 400 plate appearances. The 32-year-old Ankiel batted .239 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs in 122 games last season with Washington. He gives the Nationals depth at center field.

News: Ankiel has signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals, Amanda Comak of the Washington Post reports.
Impact: Ankiel will have a shot to make the Nationals' Opening Day roster, and his chances probably depend on whether or not the Nationals give a roster spot to Bryce Harper.

News: An unnamed Nationals official said in the wake of the Edwin Jackson signing that the club has no plans to trade a starting pitcher before spring training, the Washington Post reports.
Impact: Given the Nats' starting pitching depth that goes at least seven deep, players like Detwiler and John Lannan would seem to be very expendable. Unless GM Mike Rizzo gets blown away by an offer though, no trade seems imminent.

News: An unnamed Nationals official said in the wake of the Edwin Jackson signing that the club has no plans to trade a starting pitcher before spring training, the Washington Post reports.
Impact: Trade rumours sprung up around Lannan as soon as the Jackson deal became public, and given the Nats' starting pitching depth that goes at least seven deep, players like Lannan and Ross Detwiler would seem to be very expendable. Unless GM Mike Rizzo gets blown away by an offer, though, no trade seems imminent.

News: Jackson agreed Thursday to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals. The team said the agreement is pending a physical. The deal is worth in the range of $9 million to $12 million.
Impact: A 28-year-old right-hander, Jackson was 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox and World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who acquired him on July 27. He walked seven in a Game 4 loss at the World Series, the most in a Series outing in 14 years.

News: The Washington Nationals have defeated Lannan in baseball's first salary arbitration decision this year. The left-hander will receive the club's offer of $5 million rather than his request for $5.7 million, a three-person panel ruled Thursday.
Impact: Arbitrators Robert Herzog, Elizabeth Neumeier and John Skonier made the decision a day after hearing arguments. Lannan was 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he made $2.75 million.

News: Jackson has agreed to a one-year deal with the Nationals, the team's PR department confirms.
Impact: Washington will open spring training with seven starters, which makes a trade very likely barring an injury or two. Jackson will get another crack at a multi-year deal next winter, while estimates of the value of his deal point to something around $10 million for 2012.

News: Jackson is nearing a deal with the Nationals, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
Impact: The deal is pending a physical, but should become finalized in the near future. With Jackson, that Nats would have six starters at their disposal, but it's believed that they're shopping lefty John Lannan for help elsewhere. Further, it's possible that they'll just wait and see if they're able to make it through the spring healthy.

News: Lannan lost his arbitration case with the Nationals on Thursday and will make $5 million on a one-year deal in 2012, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reports.
Impact: It's nearly double what he made in 2011, but Lannan was shooting for $5.7 million in the hearing. Lannan had a career year last season, boasting a 4.24 xFIP over 184.2 innings as a workhorse int he back of the Washington rotation.

News: The Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Chad Durbin for a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Wednesday's deal could bring Durbin to his fifth major league team. He has played for Kansas City, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Impact: Durbin went 2-2 with a 5.53 ERA in 56 games last year with the Indians.

News: Lannan and the Washington Nationals have argued baseball's first salary arbitration case of the year. The left-hander asked for a raise from $2.75 million to $5.7 million during a hearing Wednesday before a three-person panel. The Nationals argued he should be paid $5 million. A decision by arbitrators Robert Herzog, Elizabeth Neumeier and John Skonier is expected Thursday.
Impact: Lannan was 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA in 33 starts last season.

News: Durbin has signed a minor league deal with the Nats, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports.
Impact: Although Durbin carried a 5.53 ERA with the Indians last season, his K:BB (59:26) wasn't far from his 2010 numbers with the Phillies when he delivered a 3.80 mark. Ultimately, the difference came in the form of homers, as he surrendered 12 in 68.1 innings last season. He needs to cut that number down to remain effective and win a spot in the Nats' bullpen.