July 2015 - Washington Nationals Wiretap
The attorneys for Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman have sent letters to Al Jazeera demanding that the news agency publicly retract its report suggesting that the two players have used banned substances, according to a report.
The request could be a prerequisite for a defamation lawsuit.
The Washington Nationals have agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with Stephen Drew, according to a report.
Drew will turn 33 a few weeks before Opening Day.
He hit .201/.271/.381 in 131 games with the New York Yankees in 2015.
Ryan Howard, Ryan Zimmerman and Taylor Teagarden are among the athletes named as having allegedly received banned PEDs in a documentary from Al Jazeera television.
Al Jazeera conducted a month-long investigative report on PEDs in sports. Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos is the most prominent name mentioned in the report.
The PED claims come from conversations with former pharmacy intern Charlie Sly, who says that he previously worked at an Indiana-based anti-aging clinic called the Guyer Institute.
Howard and Zimmerman have denied the claims, while Major League Baseball intends to launch an investigation.
Former Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy has agreed to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million with the Nationals, a club source told ESPN's Jim Bowden.
Murphy set a major league record with homers in six straight postseason games and earned NLCS MVP honors.
He hit .281 with 38 doubles, 14 homers and 73 RBIs in 499 regular-season at-bats.
The Washington Nationals have spoken with representatives for Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy, according to a report.
The Nationals are known to be seeking an upgrade at second base.
They were unsuccessful in trading for Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds.
The market for Scott Kazmir is beginning to take shape, according to a report.
Kazmir, 31, has trimmed his suitors to the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros.
However, it doesn't appear as though the left-hander will sign with a club soon.
The Reds and Nationals have not made progress in their Brandon Phillips trade negotiations and it's looking unlikely that a deal will be consummated unless the Reds change their demands, a club source directly involved in the negotiations said Friday.
The Washington Nationals are moving closer to acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Cincinnati Reds, according to sources.
A trade can't be completed until Phillips waives his no-trade clause.
On Thursday night, he hinted that he had accepted that he will go to Washington, tweeting that he was going from the 513 (Cincinnati area code) to the 202 (Washington).
The Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals have agreed in principle to a trade centered around Brandon Phillips, according to sources.
Cincinnati would acquire multiple minor league players in the deal, pending Phillips waiving his no-trade clause.
Phillips has not approved the trade yet and is not expected to until the Reds work out fair compensation for him to waive his 10-and-5 rights.
Daniel Murphy is drawing interest from the Washington Nationals.
The Nationals have a potential hole at second base, which makes Murphy a fit.
The New York Mets haven't ruled out re-signing Murphy, but they would prefer a one- or two-year deal, while the market might allow for a three- or four-year contract.
