The Nationals have signed 28-year old righty starting pitcher Edwin Jackson to a 1-year deal. Jackson pitched in 32 games (31 starts) for the Cardinals & White Sox last year and he was 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He has now pitched in 203 games (173 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 60-60 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Jackson will likely slot in the #4 spot in the Nationals’ rotation, forcing lefty John Lannan to compete for the #5 spot in the starting rotation with Chien-Ming Wang and Ross Detwiler. It will be interesting to see if the Nationals can get Edwin Jackson to pitch to his full potential as he has #1 starter type stuff, but has yet to live up to his full potential. That being said, I like this pickup for the Nationals.

The Nationals have signed 34-year old righty reliever Chad Durbin to a minor league deal. Durbin pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Indians last year and he was 2-2 with a 5.53 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He has now pitched in 364 games (75 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 38-46 with 4 saves, a 5.10 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Durbin will try to win a job in the Nationals’ bullpen this spring.

The Nationals have signed 35-year old righty reliever Brad Lidge to a 1-year deal. Lidge pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Phillies last year and he was 0-2 with 1 save, a 1.40 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 592 games (1 start) in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 26-31 with 223 saves, a 3.44 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Lidge has whiffed 789 batters while only giving up 480 hits in his first 594 innings in the majors, as he is nasty when he is throwing strikes. Lidge has also walked 276 batters, so his control is a big issue at times. That being said, he has made 2 All-Star teams in his career so far. He will make the Nationals’ bullpen very deep as he will work before Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen.

The Nationals have improved over the winter, but they still might have a big move or two left before spring training begins. They are after B.J. Upton and Prince Fielder….and if they get both of them….they are going to compete for a playoff spot in 2012. Here is a look at the players the Nationals have brought in so far this winter:

In the field: The Nationals have focused on improving the bench over the winter and they have certainly done that. Mike Cameron and Mark DeRosa are virtual locks to make the Nationals’ opening day roster if they can stay healthy. Xavier Paul, Jason Michaels and Brett Carroll will be duking it out for a backup outfield spot on the Nationals this spring. 2B/SS Andres Blanco stands a decent shot of earning a job on the Nationals’ bench this spring.

On the mound: The Nationals not only dealt for lefty starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez, but they quickly locked him up to a 5-year contract extension. He will be at the top of the Nationals’ rotation in 2012 and beyond. Righty relievers Ryan Perry, Wladis Joaquin, Jeff Fulchino and Dan Cortes will battle for bullpen jobs this spring.

Overall: The Nationals have improved the roster so far this winter, but they still have work to be done before spring training begins next month.

The Nationals have re-signed 28-year old righty reliever Jimmy Barthmaier to a minor league deal. Barthmaier pitched in 39 games (2 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 5-3 with 1 save, a 5.05 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Barthmaier’s only major league experience came back in 2008 with the Pirates. He pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Pirates in 2008 and he was 0-2 with a 10.45 ERA and a 2.32 WHIP. He will be a longshot to pitch for the Nationals in 2012 as they will likely stash him in AAA.