Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals television analyst and former MLB outfielder F.P. Santangelo has been accused of sexual misconduct, according to Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic.

Santangelo, 53, has been held out of the team's broadcasts on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network four times in the least eight days with no explanation for the absences. MLB Network also removed Santagelo from a YouTube broadcast on Thursday. MASN and MLB Network did not provide comment.

Washington released a statement on the matter following a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday:

According to Ghiroli, a 31-year-old woman alleged Santangelo made unwanted sexual advances several years ago before sexually assaulting her. The allegation was made in an Instagram post "that caught the attention of the team and the network."

Ghiroli reported MASN is aware of the allegation but that the woman who made the allegation has not been contacted by the team, network or the Baltimore Orioles—who own a majority share of MASN.

Santangelo has been broadcasting games since 2011 and declined to comment on his absence from the airwaves to Jesse Dougherty and Ben Strauss of the Washington Post but provided a statement to Ghiroli after the publication of her story in The Athletic. 

"What I have read in your recently published article from an anonymous individual about me is untrue and did not happen," Santangelo said. "This is not representative of who I am as a man or a professional. I am confident that my name and reputation will be fully cleared."

The broadcaster was back in the booth Tuesday and Wednesday before being kept off the air again later in the week.

Per Ghiroli:

The woman who detailed her experience with Santangelo is not an employee of MASN, the Orioles or the Nationals. She told The Athletic she thought about emailing MASN after it happened but did not want to have to re-live the experience and was worried her claim would not be taken seriously. She has no desire to issue a formal complaint and is not seeking any compensation. 

'If I never saw him again, I'd be perfectly happy,' said the woman, who also alleges that Santangelo sent her angry text messages and blocked her on social media after their one and only in-person interaction. 'But he's well known and it is bothersome to see someone in his private life not be respectful of people. I don't have any motives behind this other than I wanted to avoid this happening to other women.'

A seven-year veteran as a player, Santangelo played for the Montreal Expos (now the Nationals), San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1995 to 2001.

Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin is off to a rough start in the 2021 season, and his team reportedly discussed trade offers involving him during the winter.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported the news, noting Washington discussed the left-hander with other teams this offseason. Corbin is pitching in the third year of a six-year contract, so he would have been more than just a rental in any trade situation.

The southpaw pitched the first six years of his career on the Arizona Diamondbacks and made the All-Star team twice.

He was at his best in 2018 when he finished with a 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 246 strikeouts in 200.0 innings. The impressive season was ideal timing for Corbin, who then inked the contract with the Nationals prior to the 2019 campaign for $140 million.

Corbin was solid in his first year with Washington and finished with a 3.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 238 strikeouts in 202.0 innings for the World Series champions. However, he largely struggled in that postseason run with a 5.79 ERA and finished the shortened 2020 campaign with a 4.66 ERA.

He has a 10.47 ERA and 2.02 WHIP in four starts this year.

Any team looking to trade for Corbin would be in a buy-low situation given his recent struggles. He isn't that far removed from being one of the best pitchers in the league, so a change of scenery could theoretically help him rediscover his form.

For now, though, he remains a member of the Nationals as they look to compete in the National League East.

However, they are in last place in the early going at 8-11 and may look to reignite those trade discussions prior to the trade deadline if they are not in contention for the postseason.

It would be difficult to envision a much more impactful addition for the stretch run for a contender than Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer, and that possibility is reportedly on the table.

"Max is a competitor," a source close to the pitcher said, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "If he thinks he has a chance to win, I think he would be open to several scenarios."

Feinsand explained Scherzer, who is a free agent following the 2021 campaign, has full no-trade rights as a 10-and-5 player. That would limit Washington's options in a trade, but there is sentiment that the right-hander would be alright with going to a contender if the Nationals are not realistic World Series threats.

"He doesn't strike me as a guy who likes sitting out of the playoffs," an American League executive said.

"He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer off to a great start," a National League executive said. "I'm sure he'll be a popular name."

Scherzer would be a popular name for good reason.

He is a three-time Cy Young winner and seven-time All-Star who helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series. His stretch of dominance from 2013 through 2019 was one of the best in recent history, as he was an All-Star and finished in the top five of Cy Young voting all seven years.

While Scherzer is 36 years old, he has shown few signs of slowing down in four starts this year with a sparkling 1.80 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 25 innings.

The playoff-tested veteran would likely only be a rental, but he is also the type of ace who could spearhead a World Series run while cruising through a number of key October starts.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto has been added to the 10-day injured list after suffering an strained left shoulder, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post,

In a corresponding move, the team has recalled outfielder Yadiel Hernandez from its alternate site, though he's not in Tuesday's starting lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals.  

In his fourth full MLB season, Soto has emerged as one of the most promising young players in baseball. The 22-year-old is hitting .300/.410/.460 with two home runs and eight runs batted in over 61 plate appearances. 

Back spasms previously sent him to the disabled list in May 2019, but he's largely remained healthy throughout his career. This is by far the biggest injury concern for the Nationals as they settle into the season. Soto is a generational talent who is irreplaceable both in the field and at the dish.

Andrew Stevenson will likely get a more extended look in the lineup with Soto back on the mend. 

The Washington Nationals placed pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.  

The move is retroactive to April 15, two days after his last start, when he allowed seven earned runs in four innings.

Injuries are always a concern for the 32-year-old, who pitched just five innings in 2020 as a result of a nerve issue in his wrist that required surgery. Various ailments have prevented him from making at least 30 starts in all but one of his previous five seasons.

Strasburg's 2020 season also got off to an inauspicious start when a calf injury forced him to exit his second spring training start of the year.

It's cause for concern for a player who signed a $245 million contract ahead of the 2020 season.

Strasburg is still an elite pitcher and showcased his upside in 2019 when he finished in the top five of Cy Young voting. He wrapped up the year 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts in a league-high 209 innings.

In 2021, he has a 6.30 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings.

Max Scherzer can still help carry the rotation, but pitching depth could be a major question mark for Washington.

The Washington Nationals placed 10 players on the injured list Tuesday amid a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.

Pitchers Patrick Corbin, Jon Lester, Brad Hand and Will Harris, catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila, first baseman Josh Bell, infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer and outfielder Kyle Schwarber were added to the injured list Tuesday ahead of the team's season opener against the Atlanta Braves.

Washington's first four games of the 2021 season were postponed because of the outbreak.

"Position players haven't worked out in a week. And pitchers haven't thrown any competitive pitch in that same period of time. It's something that we're taking very seriously here. We're thinking of creative ways under the protocol and under the guidance to get these guys as ready as possible," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters. 

"It makes a lot of sense for baseball, player protection-wise, to have these guys go through their paces in a full workout before we take the field."

The Nationals recalled seven players to their MLB roster Tuesday to deal with the losses across the team. Four players have tested positive for the virus, while seven are quarantining because of close contact.

The team also signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a contract. Lucroy will serve as their starting catcher Tuesday. 

The Washington Nationals will have to wait a bit longer to start their 2021 season.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Washington's scheduled game against the Atlanta Braves for Monday was postponed. The Nationals announced the plan is for the two National League East teams to face each other Tuesday, which would be Washington's first game of the year as it deals with COVID-19 issues.

The Nationals' season-opening series against the New York Mets was postponed.

Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reported earlier Sunday that there were 11 unavailable players for the Nationals because of four players in isolation due to positive tests and seven players in quarantine. What's more, two staff members were in quarantine.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was unsure if the entire series against the Braves, which was scheduled to run Monday through Wednesday, would be played.

Rizzo also told reporters a "majority" of the unavailable players would have made the 26-man Opening Day roster.

MLB's health and safety protocols for the 2021 season state that "individuals who test positive will be required to isolate for a minimum of 10 days, receive appropriate care and monitoring from the Club medical staff, and be cleared by the Joint Committee and the individual’s team physician, following a mandatory cardiac evaluation and a determination that the individual no longer presents a risk of infection to others."

The Nationals are looking to bounce back from a 26-34 effort during the shortened 2020 campaign.

They failed to make the playoffs after winning the 2019 World Series.

Continued issues with COVID-19 has delayed the start of the Washington Nationals season once again.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Sunday one player and one staff member were added to the COVID protocols list. Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves has been postponed, with the series set to open on Tuesday:

The Nationals had no new positive tests Sunday but have had four people test positive for COVID-19 while seven additional players are in quarantine as a result of close contacts, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.

The team's entire first series against the New York Mets was postponed.

Rizzo said the "majority" of players quarantining would have made the Opening Day roster.

MLB dealt with multiple team-wide outbreaks of COVID-19 during last year's shortened season, notably with the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. Both cases led to the postponement of multiple series.

Washington's positive tests are already creating further scheduling issues to begin the 2021 season.

Because of COVID-19 concerns within the Washington Nationals, their season-opening series against the New York Mets has been postponed. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Major League Baseball is postponing the series to conduct more contact tracing and follow-up tests. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan added the Nationals have four people dealing with COVID-19 issues. 

The Mets and Nationals were supposed to open the season on Thursday, but MLB.com's Jessica Camerato noted a positive COVID-19 test within the Washington organization caused the game to be postponed. 

Camerato noted two additional positive tests came back on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to three. 

“We don’t want this thing to spread any further,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters on Thursday. “We want to make sure that everybody’s healthy.”

MLB health and safety protocols for this season require any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 to isolate for "a minimum of 10 days" and receive clearance from MLB's Joint Committee and team doctors, followed by a cardiac evaluation and determination that the person isn't at risk of infecting others. 

Since the Nationals are still undergoing testing and contact tracing, no timetable has been announced for them to open the season. 

The Mets don't have any coronavirus concerns at this time. They are scheduled to begin the regular season on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.