Adam Dunn News

Also, national baseball writer Phil Rogers of the Tribune syndicate predicts in his Sunday column that the Nationals will sign free agent outfielder Vladimir Guerrero: "Washington has enough money to bring back the eight-time All-Star to his original franchise, making it more acceptable to trade Adam Dunn for some badly needed pitching." Hmmm.

The Nationals are expecting big things from pitcher Stephen Strasburg, whom they are paying $15.1 million after making him the No.

What did you think about the Nationals making Jim Riggleman the permanent manager? -- Charlie B., Washington It was a great move, because there is going to be discipline and accountability on the team, something that was missing before he became the interim manager.

By the end of the summer, the signing of No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg to a record contract and the installation of Mike Rizzo as general manager generated some actual excitement, even with the club headed toward its second straight 100-loss season.

Is Mike Morse being considered for any Major League role in 2010? He was as impressive as any player on the team.

Brad Thompson gone, Joe Thurston too? I hadn't heard the Adam Dunn reports, but that's always a possible target considering the price tag on Jason Bay and Matt Holliday .

In 2008, the Washington Nationals had the worst record in all of baseball because they had the worst players in all of baseball.

Takes one to know one. Nah-nah. Now, little to be known at the time, but the market completely crashed in the offseason and Dunn, despite our fears of getting between a 5Y/$75M and 6Y/$90M contract, ended up at two years and just $20 million.

Right-hander Drew Storen has been touted as a closer. If he makes the big league team, how about starting him off as a setup man, and then working him into the closer role by midseason? -- Shane B., Vancouver, Canada It's almost certain Storen will be invited to Spring Training and I could see him start the regular season as a setup man.

Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner will be the first to tell you the Lerner Group was not happy that the team finished with the worst record in baseball for the second consecutive season.

Do you see the Nationals bringing in another bat this offseason? And who might be the fit at the position? -- Justin L., Washington Yes, I think they will get another bat in the outfield.

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man" - William Shakespeare's Hamlet Teams often experience mirages and misinterpretation when they determine whether they should buy more, sell more, or do a mixture of both at the conclusion of each season.

Okay, the 2009 season is finally over. A Now what? A Although the Nationalsa TM 59-103 record was the worst in all of baseballa 'and for the second year in a row, no lessa 'the surprising number of good things that happened this year will make the off-season a time for building, and not rebuilding.

The Toronto Blue Jays have never made the playoffs under the guidance of general manager J.P. Ricciardi, left.

After a second consecutive 100-loss season that featured plenty of missteps, and not just in terms of Ws and Ls -- remember the "Natinals" jersey fiasco? remember Jim Bowden? -- the Washington Nationals are ready to put a timetable on a turnaround.

ATLANTA, Oct. 4 -- Unwatchable at the beginning, unbeatable at the end, unorthodox without interruption, the 2009 Washington Nationals finished their poorest season with their best effort. On Sunday, before the Nationals split for the winter, they set one final ambush on conventional expectations, turning a meaningless game into a compelling one and concluding their season with a 15-inning, 2-1 victory against the Atlanta Braves.

Nothing, really, hung in the balance Sunday afternoon at Turner Field, but somehow, the game became a loopy delight. A bullpen that earlier could only blow leads on this afternoon couldn't let up a run. Fielding a starting lineup composed entirely of players who'd seen time this year in Class AAA, the Nationals, who started the year with a seven-game losing streak, ended it with a seven-game winning streak.

ATLANTA, Oct. 2 -- No matter the style in which the Washington Nationals end their 2009 season, they will likely be remembered more for their first week (winless) than their final week (wonderful). All the ugly truths have long been self-evident. When the season ends, the Nationals will have more losses than any other team in baseball. For all of Washington's spring training goals, the aspiration to claim the 2010 No. 1 pick and draft Bryce Harper was never quite included in the plan.

But here in the season's final days, baseball's poorest team is finishing as among its hottest. With Friday's 6-3 defeat of the Braves at Turner Field, the Nationals have a five-game winning streak -- no team in the National League has a longer one. They are firing on all cylinders, including a few they didn't even know they had. They're getting opposite-field power from September call-ups Ian Desmond and Justin Maxwell. They're getting quality starts from Livan Hernandez, the potbellied, late-August, low-budget acquisition. They're getting doubles from Adam Dunn, who started the night in an 0-for-26 slump. No 103-loss team is having more fun.

Ian Desmond #76 of the Washington Nationals poses during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium on February 21, 2009 in Viera, Florida.

At the very moment Justin Maxwell's grand slam off All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth inning cleared the red flowers atop the left-field wall, the Washington Nationals came sprinting out of the dugout.

Justin Maxwell's grand slam off All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Nationals a 7-4 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday, Washington's first win all season when trailing after eight innings.