The Washington Nationals are likely going to start 29-year old lefty swinging Adam Dunn at 1B in 2009. Dunn played in 158 games with the Reds & D-Backs last season and he was 122 for 517 (.236 avg, .899 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 40 homers and 100 RBIs. He also walked 122 times last season which really helps an offense. But, Dunn made 3 errors in 19 games at 1B last season so he will need to improve on defense. The Nationals likely won’t care much about his defense if Dunn continues to rip the cover off the baseball. In the last five seasons, Dunn has averaged 98.2 runs scored, 41.2 homers, 100.2 RBIs and 111.4 walks per year and I’m sure the Nationals would settle for a season like that out of Dunn.

30-year old lefty swinging Nick Johnson has really let down the Nationals the last couple of seasons due to injury. He played in 38 games for the Nationals last season and he was 24 for 109 (.220 avg, .846 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 5 homers and 20 RBIs. Johnson also didn’t make an error in 35 games at 1B last season and that’s where he really shines….on defense. Johnson does have a career batting average of .269 with a .852 OPS in 637 major league games. The Nationals are still looking to trade Johnson and the A’s might rekindle their interest in him during the spring.

35-year old switch hitting Dmitri Young is likely on his way down based on his play of 2008. He played in 50 games for the Nationals last season and he was 42 for 150 (.280 avg, .794 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 4 homers and 10 RBIs. Young made a stunning 7 errors in only 38 games for the Nationals last season and some of that could be blamed on the horrible shape he was in last season. If Young doesn’t get in better shape his career will soon be over.

28-year old righty swinging Brad Eldred is a banger. He played in 114 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 104 for 427 (.244 avg, .851 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 35 homers and 100 RBIs. But, Eldred also whiffed 144 times last season in the minors and he has had trouble making contract at the major league level.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

The Nationals hope that the group they have behind the plate in 2009 does a good job with the pitching staff like they did in 2008. 24-year old righty swinging Jesus Flores is just starting to scratch the surface of his vast potential. Flores played in 90 games for the Nationals last season and he was 77 for 301 (.256 avg, .698 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 8 homers and 59 RBIs. That’s an RBI every 5.1 at bats which is pretty darn good. Flores only threw out 11 of 58 (19%) basestealers last season but Nationals’ pitchers had a 4.51 ERA throwing to him last season and that’s impressive when you consider the quality of the pitching staff he was dealing with.

31-year old Will Nieves finally stepped up and had a decent season in the majors in 2008. He played in 68 games for the Nationals last season and he was 46 for 176 (.261 avg, .650 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 20 RBIs. Nieves threw out 9 of 48 (19%) basestealers last season and pitchers had a 4.60 ERA throwing to him. Nieves will have to fight off veteran Javier Valentin to make the team in 2009.

33-year old switch hitting Javier Valentin will battle for a backup job this season with the Nationals. He’s a very good pinch hitter so the Nationals could elect to keep three catchers but that’s highly unlikely in today’s game of baseball. Valentin played in 94 games for the Reds last season and he was 33 for 129 (.256 avg, .737 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 4 homers and 18 RBIs. Only one basestealer attempted to run on him last season and he made it safely. Reds’ pitchers had a 5.05 ERA last season with Valentin behind the plate. Valentin could be a little bit rusty defensively as he didn’t catch much for the Reds last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B-

The Nationals finally made a big splash this off-season signing 29-year old lefty swinging OF/1B Adam Dunn to a 2-year, $20 million dollar deal. Dunn will either start in left field or first base which will be determined this spring. Dunn played in 148 games for the Reds & D-Backs last season and he was 122 for 517 (.236 avg, .899 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 40 homers and 100 RBIs. He has now played in 1,131 games in his major league career to date and he is 955 for 3,871 (.247 avg, .899 OPS) with 699 runs scored, 276 homers, 672 RBIs and 59 stolen bases. This was a great move for the Nationals as Dunn has hit at least 40 homers in five straight seasons.

The Washington Nationals were so bad last season that it made sense to bring a ton of new players to spring training to compete for jobs and that’s exactly what they have done. The Nationals took advantage of the cheapness of the Marlins over the winter acquiring LF/1B Josh Willingham and lefty starting pitcher Scott Olsen for a bag of rocks. Willingham will be in the starting lineup somewhere in 2009 for the Nationals and he will provide some righty thump in the middle of the lineup. The Nationals also got a deal on veteran backup catcher Javier Valentin by waiting out the market. The Nationals also brought in cheap veteran players like outfielder Corey Patterson and infielders Freddie Bynum, Alex Cintron and Jose Castillo to battle for jobs on the bench this spring. The biggest weakness on the team last season was the starting pitching. The Nationals re-signed veteran lefty Odalis Perez and that was a smart move for them. Getting Scott Olsen in a trade and signing righty Daniel Cabrera should both be solid additions to the Nationals’ starting rotation. Lefty Gustavo Chacin and righty Josh Towers also have decent track records in the majors and will battle for spots at the back end of the starting rotation. Righties Jorge Sosa and Gary Glover have been brought in and they will be given opportunities to show what they can do this spring. The Nationals also have signed lefty Wil Ledezma to a minor league deal as they will be the latest team to unlock his potential which is vast.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE NATIONALS: C+

The Washington Nationals have re-signed 31-year old lefty starting pitcher Odalis Perez to a minor league contract. Perez started 30 games for the Nationals last season and he was 7-12 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He has now pitched in 252 games (221 starts) in his major league career in which he is 73-82 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Perez found out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. This was a good move for the Nationals.

UPDATE: The Nationals have released Odalis Perez after he didn’t show up to spring training or return the team’s phone calls. This is a dumb move for Perez as he won’t likely find another team that would give him a better shot to win a spot in the starting rotation.