Insight into the Nationals inability to land a starter this winter

Following Justin Duchsherer’s decision to sign with the Baltimore Orioles, Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors discussed the reoccurring problem in Washington this offseason of starting pitchers passing over the Nationals.

In the article, Nicholson-Smith lists the following pitchers as players who have decided against coming to the Nationals:

Zach Greinke

Cliff Lee

Carl Pavano

Jorge de la Rosa

Chris Young

Javier Vazquez

Brandon Webb

Jeff Francis

Justin Duchsherer.

Nations GM Mike Rizzo spoke with Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post and said that the team is not disappointed in the lack of signing, also noting that, while they did gauge interest in all of these players, the club did not intend to sign all of them.

"It shows the difficulty of trying to build something," Rizzo said. "The only thing that convinces players to come is winning. It's the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? Do you win and then the players come, or do the players come and then you win?"

It is a pretty good read which I recommend. It shows good insight into the mind of the front office, specifically the mind of GM Mike Rizzo. Rizzo also notes that they are pleased with the signings they have made, and that more deals could be on the way.