Connect with us

Washington

Washington Nationals news & notes: Leftover Trade Deadline talk; Lane Thomas love + more

Published

on

Washington Nationals news & notes: Leftover Trade Deadline talk; Lane Thomas love + more


LEFTOVER TRADE DEADLINE BITS:

Davey Martinez was in his second year on the bench when Washington won it all in 2019, but since then (or since 2021/2022, really), he’s overseen the reboot/rebuild in D.C., guiding the Nationals through an at-times difficult process as they traded away players on expiring deals who helped in ‘19, and some others with a few years of control remaining (Trea Turner & Juan Soto) who were part of that team.

Again this year, the club made moves which make sense in context of trying to build up the next championship-caliber club in the nation’s capital, but it hasn’t really made it any easier to watch all the talent departing, even if they’ve turned those players into a stockpile of real high-end prospects, and, in addition to what they’ve added in the draft, they have what they think is the core of the next contender.

Advertisement

Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Advertisement

“Those were really tough,” he said of the past four deadlines, but especially the first few when members of the ‘19 team were traded. “But that group of guys, we did something really special. We won a championship together. My hope is that with the guys we got in here, the core kids we got in here, and some added help, we can do something again like that.

“I really think that the direction we’re going in we’ll have a chance to win another World Series.”

The possibility of the club buying at next year’s trade deadline after all the selling, has both the manager and GM and President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo excited about what the future holds.

“Yeah it will be amazing, it really will,” the seventh-year manager said after this year’s deadline passed. “The key is if we start doing that [buying vs selling], it means at the end of the year we’re really going to play for something. I don’t really feel like right now we’re out of anything by any means, we’re close…”

“It’s more fun,” Rizzo said of eventually being buyers again. “I know that much.

Advertisement

“It’s way more fun grabbing All-Star players than it is giving away All-Star players, so in that regard it will be a lot more fun, but this is challenging, and this is a tough time for players, and we recognize that, and we think it’s a necessary time, and I think that this organization, this front office did a remarkable job and has always done a remarkable job at the trade deadline, and I think this year was no different.”

Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park

Advertisement

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Closer Kyle Finnegan was the subject of plenty of rumors going into the trade deadline, but he wasn’t dealt in the end, and he said he was happy to stay, having joined the club back in 2020 and carved out a role for himself during the reboot years.

He said he hopes he’s here for the good times too.

Advertisement

“Just like seeing this thing through. You can see it starting to come together, and the young talent that we have is exciting to watch every night,” Finnegan said.

“And to be out there pitching in front of these guys and have them behind you, it’s special.

“Just to have a jersey in this league is something that I don’t take for granted.”

ALL-AMERICAN BOY:

As he explained it, a day after he traded Lane Thomas to the Cleveland Guardians in return for a prospect package which included lefty Alex Clemmey, 19, infielder José Tena, 23, and 19-year-old infielder Rafael Ramirez Jr., Nationals’ GM (and President of Baseball Ops) Mike Rizzo told reporters he made the deal because Washington got what they thought was fair market value for the 28-year-old outfielder.

“That was the reason we pulled the trigger,” Rizzo said. “When you can headline it with the upside 19-year-old Clemme, and Tena, and Ramirez, [Jr.], I think that was — the surplus value of those guys and the impact that they could have, and the upside that they all have, I thought was a good return for a really good player in Lane Thomas.”

Advertisement

A day after the deadline, Rizzo talked with 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Sports Junkies about their decision to trade Thomas, with a year and a half of team control remaining, after helping to build him up after acquiring him at the deadline in 2021 (straight up for Jon Lester).

MLB: AUG 02 Orioles at Guardians

Advertisement

Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“Lane’s a terrific player for us,” Rizzo told the Junkies. “Last year he was All-Star quality for us, and probably should have made the team. This year, dominating lefties again, and playing good outfield. He’s got a cannon for an arm, he’s stealing bases. A leader in the clubhouse and he’s just an all-around American boy, he’s just a great kid. And did a lot of good things for the organization and we’ll miss him.”

“He’s one of my quiet leaders out there. It’s tough. We have a good relationship. Players love him,” manager Davey Martinez said after losing his right fielder.

Advertisement

“He’s really good player. Cleveland’s going to get a really good player. I wish him all the best.”

Moving on without Thomas, Martinez said, would be a little weird, especially for the young players on the club, for whom Thomas was a mentor.

“It’s going to be a little — I won’t say difficult, but weird without him, because he was that veteran guy for those guys.”

Rizzo and Co. in the Nationals’ front office saw an opportunity to deal Thomas at his peak value, addressing what they saw as organizational needs in the process.

“When you think about the trade deadline, you think about what you have at the big league level, where your deficiencies are in the minor league level, and what you need to do to become a championship-caliber club,” the GM explained.

Advertisement

Baltimore Orioles v Cleveland Guardians

Advertisement

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

“And we saw Lane probably being at his apex of his trade value,” Rizzo continued.

“More trade value this year for Lane Thomas than there was last year for some reason, even with there being more control last year.

“We had a market value in our minds for what we would do Lane for and bounced around a lot of teams and there was a lot of interest and lot of action with him with the contenders. And you package in the fact that we’ve got some outfielders that are close to the big leagues that will impact the team in the very near future we thought that it was a deal that we couldn’t pass up at this time.”

Advertisement

LAST NIGHT’S GAME HIGHLIGHTS – BREWERS 8; NATIONALS 3:





Source link

Washington

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

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Washington

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

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

“ 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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Washington

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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).

Advertisement

___

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



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending