Washington
Future Washington Nationals Star Shining Entering Arizona Fall League Final
At some point, Robert Hassell III will get his chance with the Washington Nationals. After a third stint in the Arizona Fall League, that chance may be coming.
Hassell is part of the Salt River Rafters, which will play the Surprise Saguaros in the AFL title game on Saturday evening.
Entering the annual showcase for top prospects, Hassell was the Nats’ No. 13 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The only Washington prospect ranked higher playing in the AFL was third baseman Cayden Wallace (No. 11).
Known as a line-drive hitter with solid speed on the basepaths and an above-average defensive makeup, he’s put up fine numbers offensively for Salt River. He has a slash line of .281/.360/.517 with four homers and five steals in 19 games entering the title game.
It’s rare that a prospect plays in the AFL for three straight seasons. But the Nationals — who haven’t made the playoffs since 2019 — have good reason to be invested in Hassell’s progression.
Hassell was one of several players that Washington received in the Juan Soto trade in 2022. Some of those trade pieces have already reached the Majors. But his development has been stunted by hand and wrist injuries.
In 85 minor-league games this season he finished with a slash line of .241/.319/.328/.647 with five home runs and 28 RBI. But he played with three different affiliates — High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. With a .125 batting average at Triple-A, he’ll likely need one more year in the minors.
This was his fourth minor-league season after he was the San Diego Padres’ first-round pick in 2020.
The 23-year-old, who was selected to play in the Fall Stars Game last weekend, has played in 428 minor-league games with a slash line of .260/.350/.385/.735 with 83 doubles, nine triples, 36 home runs and 215 RBI.
The other Nationals prospects selected to participate in the AFL were left-handed pitchers Matt Cronin and Dustin Saenz, right-handed pitchers Michael Cuevas, Chase Solesky and Luke Young, along with catcher Maxwell Romero Jr.
Washington played with prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees.
Washington
HIGHLIGHT | Lawrence Dots a Pass to Washington for a 6-Yard TD
DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Brenton Strange, S Eric Murray, and S Antonio Johnson speak with the media after practice on Thursday ahead of the Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills.
0:00 – 2:28 – DE Dawuane Smoot
2:29 – 6:24 – LB Foyesade Oluokun
6:25 – 9:25 – TE Brenton Strange
9:26 – 11:32 – S Eric Murray
11:33 – 13:46 – S Antonio Johnson
Washington
Iran warns Washington it will retaliate against any attack
DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any U.S. attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional U.S. military bases as “legitimate targets”, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.
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Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by William Mallard
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Washington
Washington National Opera cuts ties with the Kennedy Center after longstanding partnership | CNN Politics
The Washington National Opera on Friday announced it is parting ways with the Kennedy Center after more than a decade with the arts institution.
“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity,” the opera said in a statement.
The decoupling marks another high-profile withdrawal since President Donald Trump and his newly installed board of trustees instituted broad thematic and cosmetic changes to the building, including renaming the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The opera said it plans to “reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues.”
A source familiar with the dynamic told CNN the decision to part ways was made by the opera’s board and its leadership, and that the decision was not mutual.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said in a statement, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”
Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, who was appointed by Trump’s hand-picked board, said on X, “Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety.”
Grenell added, “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.”
Since taking the reins at the center, Grenell has cut existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a “break-even policy” for every performance.
The opera said the new policy was a factor in its decision to leave the center.
“The Center’s new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance—a requirement incompatible with opera operations,” the opera said.
Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said she is “deeply saddened to leave The Kennedy Center.”
“In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, WNO remains committed to its mission and artistic vision,” she said.
The New York Times first reported the opera’s departure.
Founded in 1956 as the “Opera Society of Washington,” the group has performed across the district, taking permanent residency in the Kennedy Center in 2011.
The performing arts center has been hit with a string of abrupt cancellations from artists in recent weeks including the jazz group The Cookers and New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers who canceled their performances after Trump’s name was added to the center – a living memorial for assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
The American College Theater Festival voted to suspend its relationship with the Kennedy Center, calling the affiliation “no longer viable” and citing concerns over a misalignment of the group’s values.
American banjo player Béla Fleck withdrew his upcoming performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, saying that performing at the center has become “charged and political.”
The Brentano String Quartet, who canceled their February 1 performance at the Kennedy Center, said they will “regretfully forego performing there.”
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center on the additional cancellations.
The opera said, “The Board and management of the company wish the Center well in its own future endeavors.”
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
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