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Should the Washington Nationals Trade for St. Louis Cardinals Star Pitcher?

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Should the Washington Nationals Trade for St. Louis Cardinals Star Pitcher?


The Washington Nationals are on the right track when it comes to their current rebuild. 

After the Nationals won the World Series in 2019, a big contract for their MVP, Stephen Strasburg, did not work out due to a bizarre injury that ultimately ended his career. This failed contract and the questions surrounding the organization’s future ownership forced the front office to move on from their biggest star, Juan Soto. 

The organization has had some great luck with the pieces they’ve added during the rebuild and the minor league development has also excelled. After a 71-91 season, 18 games out of the playoff picture, the team is ready to take the next step. 

One way to do that would be to dive right back in to the phones, but instead of selling off players as they have for the past few seasons, they buy.

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On Monday, The St. Louis Cardinals announced that President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak would be turning over to Chain Bloom at the end of 2025. As they prepare to transition after the following season, significant changes to the roster also seem to be looming. 

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals will reduce payroll in 2025 and look to move on from some of their higher-paid players. The news comes from Mozeliak, who set the tone for the upcoming offseason for St. Louis. Some names that Nightengale included third baseman Nolan Arenado, catcher Willson Contreras, and starting pitcher Sonny Gray. 

Although not all of those veterans would make sense for the current construction of the Nationals roster, adding a top starter like Sonny Gray would make a lot of sense. 

With the team building an impressive young core, including names like Mackenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker, and DJ Herz, Gray could lead the rotation as the Nationals would look to take the next step in their rebuilding plans. Add in the likely return of Nationals eighth ranked prospect Cade Cavalli, who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, and you have a solid pitching staff to battle against the toughest division in baseball, the NL East. 

It would be a bold move by general manager Mike Rizzo and the rest of the Nationals front office if they went out and made a move for Gray, but it could have an immediate impact for the good of the club. The 34-year-old finished as the runner up in 2023 for the American League Cy Young Award with a 2.79 ERA. He also led the league with a 2.83 FIP.

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Gray signed a three year, $75 million deal this past offseason with the Cardinals but only made $10 million in 2024. If the Nationals were to acquire the right hander they would be on the hook for $25M in 2025 and $35M in 2026. They also would have the choice of a $30M team option in 2027, his age 37 season. 

Gray went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA and a 3.12 FIP, recording 203 strikeouts over 166.1 innings of work. His 11 K/9 on the year was a career high for the 12-year pro. If he is traded this offseason, he could be joining his sixth team since making his MLB debut in 2013.

Although Gray’s numbers on the year were the worst since his final season as a member of the New York Yankees in 2018, he still would have outpitched the entire Nationals starting rotation. His ERA would have been the best on the roster, with the exception of Trevor Williams (2.03) –  when healthy, of course. 

The Cardinals would be taking a major hit if they decide to move on from Gray. Since the contract they signed him to in the offseason surpassed $60 million, they were forced to forfeit their second round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft to his former team, the Minnesota Twins as compensation. 

However, if they are set on moving on from the salary concerns and looking to bolster their farm system, one that is currently ranked 19th according to MLB Pipeline, plenty of suitors should be calling for a top of the rotation type of talent. 

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Washington should definitely be one of them. 

With the in-season injury to Josiah Gray, who is likely out for the majority, if not all of 2025, adding the three time All-Star to lead the rotation would send a bold message to the rest of the National League and instantly make the Nationals a contender for at least a wild card spot next season.



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Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

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Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say


Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.

The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.

According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.

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Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.

A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.

Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.

The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.

Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.

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Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.

Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.

The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.



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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors


Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.

Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.

Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.

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“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”

RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions

House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.

Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.

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The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.

“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”

Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.

The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid


Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

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The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

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Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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