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 are going to be loaded in the starting rotation in 2012. They have some up and coming youngsters mixed in with some veterans, giving the rotation a very nice balance. Here is a look at how the rotation looks right now:

#1: Stephen Strasburg: 23-year old righty Stephen Strasburg will be looking to have his first complete season in the majors in 2012. He pitched in 5 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. Strasburg has now pitched in 17 games (all starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He has only given up 71 hits in 92 innings in his major league career so far and he has whiffed 116 batters while walking only 19 of them. Those are some amazing numbers! The Nationals will watch Strasburg’s workload really closely in 2012.

#2: Gio Gonzalez: 26-year old lefty Gio Gonzalez was the Nationals’ huge addition over the winter in a deal with the A’s. Gonzalez pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the A’s last year and he was 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 95 games (89 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 38-32 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Gonzalez has had some control issues in the past, but he also has a HUGE upside as his stuff is flat out nasty.

#3: Jordan Zimmerman: 25-year old righty Jordan Zimmerman was shut down early last season as the Nationals were being careful with him. He should be able to pitch a full year in 2012. He pitched in 26 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 8-11 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Zimmerman has now pitched in 49 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Nationals and he is 12-18 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.

#4: John Lannan: 27-year old lefty John Lannan is not a power pitcher, so he fits in well on this staff full of power pitchers. Lannan pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has now pitched in 128 games (all starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 38-51 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

#5: Chien-Ming Wang: 31-year old righty Chien-Ming Wang will likely be the #5 starter for the Nationals in 2012. He pitched in 11 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Wang has now pitched in 120 games (115 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 59-29 with 1 save, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. If Wang is finally healthy in 2012, the Nationals are going to have one of the best #5 starters in all of baseball.

Ross Detwiler: 25-year old lefty Ross Detwiler will get a shot to compete for the #5 spot in the Nationals’ rotation this year. He pitched in 11 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 4-5 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Detwiler has now pitched in 39 games (29 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 6-14 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Detwiler has a nice upside.

Tom Gorzelanny: 29-year old lefty Tom Gorzelanny lost his starting job about midway through last season and he’s going to get a shot this spring to win it back. He pitched in 30 games (15 starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 4-6 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has now pitched in 148 games (110 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 40-43 with 1 save, a 4.57 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Gorzelanny will get a job in the Nationals’ bullpen if he loses out on a rotation spot.

Yuniesky Maya: 29-year old righty Yuniesky Maya is a longshot to win a job in the Nationals’ rotation in 2012. Maya pitched in 10 games (5 starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He has now pitched in 15 games (10 starts) in his first two years with the Nationals and he is 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: A

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.