The Nationals have re-signed 31-year old righty swinging catcher Carlos Maldonado to a minor league deal. Maldonado played in 4 games for the Nationals last season and he was 4 of 11 (.364 avg, .879 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. He has now played in 25 games in parts of three years in the majors and he is 10 of 54 (.185 avg, .645 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He will likely start the year in AAA and get a call to the majors if the Nationals suffer any injuries to their catchers.

The Nationals have signed 26-year old righty reliever Harvey Garcia to a minor league deal. Garcia pitched in 15 games (0 starts) in AA-ball for the Dodgers last season and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 8.02 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP. His only experience in the majors came in 2007 with the Florida Marlins. He pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Marlins in 1987 and he was 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Garcia has always had a good arm so this is a nice low risk/high reward addition for the Nationals.

The Washington Nationals have designated 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Matt Chico for assignment. Chico pitched in 1 games (a start) for the Nationals last season and he was 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has now pitched in 43 games (40 starts) in his three years with the Nationals and he is 7-15 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Nationals needed Chico’s roster spot for Rick Ankiel and he certainly will not clear waivers so the Nationals should try to deal him.

UPDATE: (2/4/2011) - The Nationals have re-signed Chico to a major league contract.

The Washington Nationals have signed 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Rick Ankiel to a 1-year, $1.5 million dollar deal with another $1.25 million in possible incentives. Ankiel played in 74 games for the Braves & Royals last season and he was 49 of 211 (.232 avg, .709 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs, 3 stolen bases and a incredible 71 whiffs. Ankiel has now played in 416 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 311 of 1,255 (.248 avg, .754 OPS) with 186 runs scored, 55 homers, 181 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Ankiel will have a good chance of winning a starting job in LF for the Nationals. If he wins the job he will bring good power and defense to the spot. This was a nice low risk/high reward signing for the Nationals.

The Nationals have signed 28-year old lefty swinging 1B Michael Aubrey to a minor league deal. Aubrey played in 102 games in AAA-ball last season for the Orioles and he was 86 of 366 (.235 avg, .805 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 22 homers, 68 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Aubrey last played in the majors in 2009 with the O’s. He has now played in 46 games in his major league career and he is 35 of 135 (.259 avg, .755 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 6 homers and 17 RBIs. Aubrey has had some success in the majors so he may be able to help the Nationals at some point in 2011.