The Nationals have brought in Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada to split the catching duties in 2008. 36-year old righty swinging Paul LoDuca was signed to a 1-year, $5 million dollar contract in the off-season but he hurt his knee which required surgery. The Nationals still hope he’ll be ready when the season starts. He played in 119 games last season for the Mets and he was 121 for 445 (.272 avg, .689 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 9 homers and 54 RBIs. LoDuca has always been a tad overrated as he has only hit more than 13 homers one time in a season. His throwing was also sub par last season as he only threw out 19% of the runners trying to steal against him. Mets pitchers did like throwing to him however as he had a 4.13 ERA when he was behind the plate.

The Nationals quickly signed 32-year old, switch hitting Johnny Estrada after learning of LoDuca’s injury. Estrada played in 120 games for the Brewers last season and he was 123 for 442 (.278 avg, .699 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 10 homers and 54 RBIs. Base stealers ran wild against Estrada last season as he only threw out 8% of the runners stealing against him. Brewers pitchers had a 4.44 ERA when he was catching. He like LoDuca, is an overrated player.

23-year old righty swinging Jesus Flores will likely start the season in AAA as long as LoDuca and Estrada are ready to go when the season opens. He was a Rule 5 Draft Pick that wasn’t overmatched in the majors as a rookie and that is pretty rare. He played in 79 games for the Nationals and he was 44 for 180 (.244 avg, .671 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers and 25 RBIs. Flores also played solid defense as a rookie as he threw out 29% of the runners trying to steal against him. Nationals pitchers had a 4.01 ERA when he was catching which was outstanding considering the pitching staff.

33-year old righty swinging Chad Moeller was signed in the off season but he’s a really big long shot to make the roster. He played in 37 games last season for the Dodgers & Reds and he was 9 for 56 (.161 avg, .407 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Moeller didn’t play much defense last season either as he only threw out 1 of 12 (8%) of runners trying to steal on him and pitchers had a 6.38 ERA with him behind the plate.

29-year old righty swinging Humberto Cota missed most of last season due to injury and he will also be a long shot to make the Nationals roster. He played in 5 games last season for the Pirates and he was 4 for 14 (.286 avg, .638 OPS) with 1 run scored and 3 RBIs. He only threw out 1 of 8 runners trying to steal on him and Pirates pitchers had a 5.71 ERA throwing to him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C

The Nationals have signed 30-year old lefty starter Odalis Perez to a minor league contract. Perez pitched in 26 games (all starts) last season for the Royals and he was 8-11 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. Perez has now pitched in 222 games (191 starts) in his major league career and he is 66-70 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. This was a nice low risk/high reward signing for the Nationals who could use Perez’ veteran touch in the starting rotation.

The Nationals have signed 38-year old righty swinging 2B Bret Boone to a minor league contract. Boone last played in the majors in 2005 with the Twins and Mariners so he will be a real long shot to make the Nationals’ roster. Still, Dmitri Young won the Comeback Player of the Year after signing a contract just like the one Boone signed. Boone has played in 1,780 games in his major league career and he is 1,775 for 6,683 (.266 avg, .767 OPS) with 927 runs scored, 252 homers, 1,021 RBIs and 94 stolen bases.

The Nationals spent their money on offense this off-season and it could pay off. The Nationals signed Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada to replace Brian Schneider at catcher. Neither is a great defender but they are both solid hitters. Acquiring center fielder Lastings Milledge from the Mets was pure genius by the Nationals’ Front Office. He will an impact player from day #1. The Nationals also took a flier on the talented, but troubled Elijah Dukes. Dukes has Albert Belle-type potential both on and off the field. The Nationals did improve the bench big time with the additions of Aaron Boone, Rob Mackowiak and Willie Harris. They didn’t do much to help the pitching staff however as Tyler Clippard was the biggest addition and he might have trouble making the team.

GRADE FOR FRONT OFFICE IN THE OFF SEASON: C+

The Washington Nationals have signed 29-year old lefty Katsuhiko Maekawa to a minor league contract. Maewaka sat out last season in Japan due to injury. He has pitched in 149 games (79 starts) in his Japanese pro career and he is 31-45 with a 5.26 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The Nationals have also lost 25-year old righty Enrique Gonzalez on waivers to the Padres.

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