Jeff Passan from Yahoo! Sports released his list of winners and losers from this year’s winter meetings. Not surprisingly, the Dukes situation was brought up in both columns. Tampa Bay was listed as a winner for getting rid of him, while Jim Bowden received some critiques for acquiring the troubled player.Here’s what Passan had to say:

“Jim Bowden: The most dangerous qualities a baseball player can exhibit simultaneously are ability and disappointment. Because more than anything, people around baseball love to fix things. They love to believe they can fix a flat curveball, and that they can find the hitch in that long swing, and, in Bowden’s case, that they can turn a monster into a mite. Elijah Dukes needs a coterie of good doctors, not the Washington Nationals’ GM trying to rescue him. If there’s an upside, it’s that Lastings Milledge will look like a choir boy in comparison.”

We sincerely hope that Dukes is given a zero tolerance policy and that the Nationals stick to it. It would be incredible if Dukes can turn his life around, but if he can’t, he needs to be shown the door.

Seems the Nationals picked up two players from the Rule 5 Draft. Infielder Matt Whitney and outfielder Garrett Guzman join the club. It will be interesting to see what kind of help these two can provide.

According to the press release -

Whitney, who was the 33rd overall pick (supplemental round) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft by Cleveland, led the Indians’ minor league system in 2007 with 32 home runs and 113 RBI in a combined 128 games with Low-A Lake County (South Atlantic League) and High-A Kinston (Carolina League). Whitney was named the 10th-best prospect in the Carolina League following the season by Baseball America after hitting .288 with 11 doubles, 16 homers, 49 RBI and a .549 slugging percentage in 57 games with Kinston.

Guzman was named an Eastern League post-season All-Star in 2007 after batting .312 with 23 doubles, 14 homers and 88 RBI in 125 games with Minnesota’s Double-A New Britain club. In his first full year at the Double-A level, the 24-year-old finished the year tied for fourth in the league in RBI and tied for third in batting. Guzman, a left-handed hitter, batted .333 (35-for-105) with three homers and 22 RBI against left-handed pitchers.

The Nationals have also offered contract extensions to Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Langerhans, avoiding arbitration for both. Pena got a one year deal with a mutual option year, while Langerhans agreed to terms for the 2008 season. Seems as though the outfield is set with five thanks to addition of Guzman. Guess that means we won’t be seeing Nook Logan in 2008?

Lastly the Nationals have agreed to terms with free agent infielder Aaron Boone.

Boone, 34, is a career .265 (961-for-3626) hitter with 203 doubles, 120 home runs, 527 RBI and 107 stolen bases in 1038 games spanning 10 big league seasons with Cincinnati (1997-2003), New York-AL (2003), Cleveland (2005-06) and Florida (2007). Although his season was cut short by a left-knee injury, Boone hit .286 with five home runs, 28 RBI and a career-best .388 on-base percentage in 69 games with the Marlins in 2007.

It’d be nice if we could get a catcher next to help Jesus Flores out next year.

Thomas Boswell has an excellent piece in today’s Washington Post concerning the Nationals enormous mistake in aquiring the troubled Elijah Dukes. Boswell asks (emphasis added by us):

“How much of your franchise’s soul will you sacrifice for a bite? How much clubhouse chemistry, how much fan repugnance, how many protesters outside your park, will you tolerate for a chance to steal a franchise-changing player…”

“Does Dukes grasp the difference between a second chance, of which he has had many, and a last chance, like this one? Does he understand the public relations grief the Nats and the Lerner family will, and should, absorb for going so far out on the long-shot salvation trail? Or has Dukes been forgiven, counseled, tolerated, recruited and fawned over so long that he doesn’t recognize The End of the Road when it is finally staring him in the face?”

“The Nats probably went a bridge too far in trying to save Dukes. But they’ve crossed it now. Don’t bother to wish the team luck. All they have to do to solve any problem with him is say “Goodbye.” As for Dukes, wish him luck if your heart is soft. Or better yet, stick with tough love and make him earn every single thing he gets.”

Thanks to Thom Loverro at the Washington Times for his article on the Dukes trade. The article says everything we were thinking, but were struggling to put into words. The jist - Dukes is not worth the trouble. As Nats fans we are now asked to show our loyalty by welcoming this troubled kid with open arms…not a chance.

More Trade News:

The revolving door that has been the Washington Nationals this week continues to spin with the news that Jonathan Albaladejo has been traded to the New York Yankees for right-handed starter, Tyler Clippard. Albaladejo posted a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings of work with the Nationals at the end of the season. We are certainly going to miss him, he looked great in his call up. Doug saw him pitch last season in AAA before his September call up, and was excited about him. Albaladejo came almost free from the Pirates so its nice that we get someone of value for him. The 22 year old Clippard had a 3-1 record last year with a 6.33 ERA.With the recent addition of Milledge and Dukes, the Nats outfield is getting a little crowded. A recent report suggests that Kearns and Lopez could go as a package deal in exchange for more starting pitching. Kearns was touted as a Gold Glove candidate for much of the season by the Nationals front office. Lets hope this rumor isn’t true.

It is Washington afterall. As you might have guessed, the Nationals official release on Dukes leaves a lot out:

The Washington Nationals today acquired 23 year-old outfielder Elijah Dukes from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league left-handed pitcher Glenn Gibson. Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden made the announcement.

Dukes went 35-for-184 (.190) with three doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 21 RBI in 52 games in 2007 as a true rookie with the Devil Rays. Dukes displayed advanced plate discipline as a rookie, as he averaged 3.9 pitches per plate appearance en route to earning 33 walks. Although he has pro experience at all three outfield slots, 37 of Dukes’ 38 starts with the Devil Rays came in center field.

The 6-foot-2, 220 lbs. Dukes—widely regarded as one of the best athletes in baseball—joined Kansas City slugger Alex Gordon (23) as one of just two American League true rookies to hit 10 or more home runs in 2007.

Originally Tampa Bay’s third-round selection in the 2002 First-Year Draft, Dukes was rated as high as the Devil Rays’ No. 5 prospect, according to Baseball America, entering the 2006 campaign. He entered 2007 ranked by the same publication as the top athlete in Tampa Bay’s system.

In four minor-league seasons, Dukes posted a .370 on-base percentage and averaged nearly 23 stolen bases per year. In Dukes’ Triple-A debut with Durham in 2006, in little more than half a season, he hit .293 with 30 extra-base hits, 10 home runs, 50 RBI and a .401 on-base percentage. Upon being drafted out of Hillsborough (FL) High, Dukes was named the nation’s best two-sport athlete by USA Today.

There were a few statements made regarding Dukes’ troubled past:

Stan Kasten:

“The decision to acquire Elijah Dukes was not a simple one. From a purely baseball perspective, all our evaluators agree he has the talent to be a quality major leaguer. From a franchise standpoint, we want to make sure Elijah is determined to be a quality contributor off-the-field as well.“Let me emphasize that though Elijah’s history may be very different from other players on our team, he will very definitely be held to the same high standards. We believe the Nationals clubhouse, manager, organization, and fans [get real Stan, not a chance] give Elijah Dukes his best chance to succeed and grow.”

Jim Bowden:
“Elijah has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order impact bat who is capable of playing all three outfield positions. We spent many months investigating, researching and studying all the issues on and off the field regarding this transaction [but I was stubborn and got my way.] This decision, however, is more than an educated gamble. The support of our manager, coaches, front office and active players were a major factor in this decision. Our organization is determined to help Elijah turn his life around off the field and continue his development as a player [Yea, we’re that naive and cheap].”

Manny Acta:

“I’m looking forward to working with Elijah [looking forward to it? really, Manny, cause it’s going to distract your attention from the capable gifted athletes that deserve it]. I recently saw him play in Winter Ball and am convinced he can be a solid addition to our ballclub [Good thing I missed the game where he almost beat up the umpire]. He has assured me he will come to Spring Training ready to play. I’ve already talked to some of my players and know they share my enthusiasm about welcoming him to Washington. He could be real difference-maker.”Elijah Dukes:
“I am excited about getting a fresh start with an up-and-coming franchise like the Washington Nationals. It’s an important move for my career and gives me the chance to prove myself both on and off-the-field. I appreciate this opportunity and am looking forward to meeting the fans of Washington, DC as we move into a brand new ballpark.”

Too bad the fans don’t seem to share the same thoughts.

“I think any transaction we make, we want to have good people here with high character in Washington representing our organization,” Bowden said. “That’s extremely important to us.” June, 2007

Fast forward to today….The Nationals have reportedly traded for Elijah Dukes of Tampa Bay.

More to follow, but expect no praise for this terrible decision here, Jim. It is terrible for you to interfere with the great club atmosphere Manny Acta worked hard to build. It is even more frustrating that you expect Dmitri and Manny to take time away from developing this team to teach Elijah how to be a respectable citizen. He’s had second chances (count all his children and arrests for starters).

It is cruel to subject fans to this disturbed young man. He’s no Dmitri Young. You have really dissapointed us Mr. Bowden.

We summarized our thoughts on this lost cause back in June when rumors first started.

*new* Bill Ladson’s story