Washington
Nationals

The team recently announced it hired former major league and U.S. Olympic manager Davey Johnson as a senior adviser, bringing the number of front-office hires Rizzo has made since the end of the season to 17 -- and, by Rizzo's estimation, completing the front-office overhaul. More important, it positions the team to make advances in an area it has long emphasized in public but where it has generated surprisingly meager results.

Of the Nationals' eight regular starters this year, only Ryan Zimmerman was drafted by the organization. And while Washington has emphasized pitching, John Lannan ranks as the only homegrown starter to log two full big-league seasons in the team's five years in D.C.

The team dropped from 10th in Baseball America's 2008 farm system rankings to 21st this season, and Rizzo fired farm director Bobby Williams late in the season.

But Rizzo's offseason work has landed veteran executives like former Braves farm director Roy Clark and former Rockies assistant GM Kasey McKeon. And asked why they left their former organizations, almost all the new executives had the same answer in a recent roundtable session with reporters.

"Mike Rizzo," said Doug Harris, a veteran scout who left the Indians' major league scouting operation to be the Nationals' director of player development. "I think I can speak for all the new guys in here. It's a great opportunity to grow with a guy we all have a great deal of respect for. It's got a chance to be something special going forward."

--C Jesus Flores is on schedule to return from right shoulder surgery by spring training, general manager Mike Rizzo said recently. Rizzo said Flores had arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone chip in his right elbow, but "that shouldn't set back his progress," he said.

--CF Nyjer Morgan, who energized the Nationals' offense when he arrived from Pittsburgh in a late June trade until he broke his right wrist in August, should be 100 percent for spring training. General manager Mike Rizzo recently said Morgan has begun swinging a bat and added that Morgan's wrist is completely healed.

--LHP Scott Olsen, who had surgery to repair a torn left labrum in July, is throwing off a mound but isn't completely ready to pitch with 100 percent effort. General manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals will have a tough decision to make by the Dec. 12 non-tender deadline; Olsen, who is in his second year of arbitration, is due to make at least $2.24 million. "Coming of the labrum tear, it's certainly something we have to put into our (thought) process and think about what we're going to do," Rizzo said.

--LHPs Aaron Thompson and Atahualpa Severino and RHP Juan Jaime were added to the Nationals' 40-man roster. Severino and Thompson spent time with Class AA Harrisburg this season, while Jaime played at the short-season and low Class A levels.

BY THE NUMBERS: 17 -- Front-office hires, by his own estimation, that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has made this offseason. While several of the hires are part-time scouts, Rizzo has added veteran baseball people like former Braves scouting director Roy Clark and veteran manager Davey Johnson.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The first time I saw him, I was still working for the Giants. And I said, 'Well, he's an all right pick. They got a little lucky.' Now that I'm on this side and I've gotten to see him, this kid is special. They don't come along too often. Probably in the 42 years I've been doing this, I've only seen a couple of arms like this kid has. He still has a ways to go. He's got to learn how to pitch, learn how to do some things. And a lot of our staff in the minor leagues will make sure he finds these things. But as far as the talent, this kid is head and shoulders above the rest of the pitchers in the league." -- New Nationals special adviser Ron Schueler, on 2009 No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg, who has excelled in the Arizona Fall League this year.

ARRIVAL: LHP Doug Slaten (claimed off waivers from Diamondbacks).

FREE AGENTS: OF Austin Kearns, 1B Dmitri Young, C Josh Bard, LHP Ron Villone, RHP Livan Hernandez.

The Nationals didn't pick up 2010 options on either Kearns or Young and will welcome the money saved by letting those two underperforming veterans walk. Hernandez is the most likely of the group to return; the Nationals were happy with the job he did during eight late-season starts. Bard could be brought back as a backup to returning starter C Jesus Flores.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: RHP Jason Bergmann, LHP Sean Burnett, C Jesus Flores, RHP Logan Kensing, RHP Mike MacDougal, C Wil Nieves, LHP Scott Olsen, INF Pete Orr, RHP Saul Rivera, OF Josh Willingham.

The Nationals have several decisions to make with their large group of arbitration-eligible players. The toughest decision might involve Olsen, who missed most of the season with a torn labrum and is required to make at least $2.24 million in 2010. Washington definitely will bring back Willingham, MacDougal, Bergmann, Burnett and Flores as key pieces for next season and beyond.

IN LIMBO: The Nationals would like to move INF Cristian Guzman, whose skills have diminished and who is due to make $8 million. But it will be tough to find another team willing to take on that contract, so the club might have to settle for moving the veteran to second base.

MEDICAL WATCH:

C Jesus Flores (right shoulder surgery in September 2009, arthroscopic right elbow surgery in October 2009) will be cutting it close to be ready for the start of the 2010 season.

LHP Scott Olsen (left shoulder surgery in July 2009) had a torn labrum repaired, and he has begun throwing off a mound. But he's not ready to go full effort, and the Nationals will face a tough decision whether to offer Olsen arbitration (he'll make at least $2.24 million) or non-tender him in December.

SS Cristian Guzman (arthroscopic right shoulder surgery in October 2009) is expected to be 100 percent well in advance of spring training.

OF Nyjer Morgan (broken left wrist) was hurt in late August, but he was healing nicely at the end of the season. He'll be 100 percent for spring training.

OF/INF Willie Harris (strained right oblique) was injured on the second-to-last day of the season and will need some time this winter to recover.

RHP Jordan Zimmermann (Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2009) won't be ready until late 2010 at the earliest.

RHP Craig Stammen (bone chips in right elbow) missed the season's final month but will be healed well in advance of spring training.

RHP Mike MacDougal (right hip surgery in October 2009) should be ready for spring training.