Nats deal for Willingham, Olsen Miami, FL (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals acquired left
fielder Josh Willingham and left-handed pitcher Scott Olsen from the Florida
Marlins on Tuesday.
Washington is sending second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, minor league pitcher
P.J. Dean and minor league second baseman Jake Smolinski to Florida.
Willingham hit .254 with 15 homers and 51 RBI last season, while Olsen went
8-11 with a 4.20 earned run average in 33 starts in 2008.
Bonifacio had five triples and 12 RBI in 41 games with the Nationals last
season. He also played in eight game... More...
Free-agent Odalis Perez plans to wait and test the free-agent market before signing with any team, according to MLB.com.
Our View:Somehow Perez finds a job each and every year. In 2008 he was 7-12 with an ERA of 4.34. He is a prime example for why youngsters should start to throw left-handed as soon as you can.
MLB.com reports that Roger Bernadina suffered a calf strain a few weeks ago while playing for Bravos de Margarita of the Venezuelan League. He will miss the remainder of Winter Ball. Bernadina hurt the calf after slipping on home plate in the rain.
Our View:The left-handed-hitting Bernadina is considered one of the Nationals' top hitting prospects. In 2008, he hit .334 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Columbus.
The Pirates are rumored to have interest in signing free agent Odalis Perez, the Beaver County Times reports.
Our View:Just what the Pirates need... another mediocre left-handed starter. Perez went 7-12 for the Nationals last season, but he did have a respectable 4.34 ERA in 30 starts.
