Nationals put priority on pitching

11/09/2005
WASHINGTON -- Although the Nationals were in playoff contention for most of the 2005 season, there were some glaring weaknesses.
Washington had a tough time scoring runs, ranking last in almost every offensive category. And after Livan Hernandez, John Patterson and Esteban Loaiza, the team lacked clear-cut fourth and fifth starters.
General manager Jim Bowden is already busy trying to fix some of the problems this offseason. Last week, he traded third baseman Vinny Castilla to the Padres for right-hander Brian Lawrence, who is expected to serve as the fourth or fifth starter. Lawrence, who logged 195 2/3 innings in 2005, is coming off his worst season, but the Nationals believe his pitching should improve at RFK Stadium, which is larger than San Diego's PETCO Park.
"It's important that we get innings," said Bowden, who is a candidate to be the GM of the Red Sox. "We said that last [January] when we signed Loaiza. It's important to get a guy that is capable of pitching 200 innings. It's a very valuable thing.
"He doesn't throw that hard. He throws 84 to 86 [mph], but he knows how to pitch. He throws strikes, and he goes after the hitters. If he had overpowering stuff, he would be a No. 1 or a No. 2 pitcher instead of a four or a five."
The Nationals are not done looking for pitchers. They have targeted free agents A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Kevin Millwood, Matt Morris and Jarrod Washburn as possible additions to the rotation.
Even though the relief corps was one of the best in baseball, Washington would still like to tweak it a little. The Nationals have targeted free agent Scott Eyre to be the main left-hander out of the bullpen. The franchise hasn't had a left-handed reliever who could get both lefties and righties out since Scott Stewart was the closer for the Expos in 2002.
Eyre has been a quality reliever for the Giants since 2002. Last season, he appeared in 86 games, going 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA.
The club also is trying hard to re-sign two of its own free agents -- Loaiza and reliever Hector Carrasco.
Loaiza, who won 12 games in 2005, is looking for a three-year contract, but the Nationals don't want to offer such a long-term deal.
Carrasco had the best season of his career in 2005 and has expressed interest in returning to the Nationals because they were the first team to give him a chance to pitch in meaningful games. But Carrasco is expected to make more than the Major League minimum salary of around $300,000 that he earned in '05.
"We are not disrespecting the fact that we need more offense, because we do," Bowden said. "We also think health will help cure some of the offensive woes. But our priority has to be pitching. I want to get better. We won 81 games, and we want to win nine more to make the playoffs next year."
Injuries affected position players Brad Wilkerson, Brian Schneider, Nick Johnson and Jose Guillen in 2005, and all of them are expected to make full recoveries.
"I don't think people realized how hurt our players were -- especially the second half -- and they kept playing," Bowden said.
The Nationals, however, need a leadoff hitter and at least two sluggers. How Bowden meets the team's needs on offense will depend on the budget, which hasn't been given to him yet.
Red Sox leadoff hitter Johnny Damon is a free agent, but he is expected to command a contract that most likely will be too steep for the Nationals.
The Marlins, who are having financial difficulties, may be willing to deal Juan Pierre for the right price. Pierre is considered one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, hitting .276 and stealing 57 bases in 2005.
As far as the sluggers go, Brian Giles and Juan Encarnacion are available on the free agent market. Unlike many of Washington's position players, Giles has consistently displayed plate discipline. He had 119 walks and a .423 on-base percentage for the Padres this past season.
The Nationals were after Encarnacion before the trade deadline, but they opted for Preston Wilson instead. In 2005, Encarnacion hit .287 with 16 home runs and 76 RBIs for the Marlins.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/