WASHINGTON (AP) -His surgically repaired left wrist feels good, so Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman expects to be ready for the start of spring training.
He also is ready for new contract negotiations.
“We didn’t really talk all offseason. Now is about that time to start talking again about whether we want to do another one-year thing or work something out that’s more long term,” Zimmerman said in a telephone interview Friday.
New catcher Paul Lo Duca’s status, however, is uncertain for the moment. The Nationals revealed he hurt his left knee during a workout and will travel to Washington next week to be examined by a team doctor.
Lo Duca, who signed a $5 million, one-year deal as a free agent this offseason, was injured this week and had an MRI exam Friday.
Asked if he could comment on the severity of Lo Duca’s injury, general manager Jim Bowden wrote, “We won’t know until test results are back.”
Lo Duca’s agent did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment. The catcher hit .272 with nine homers and 54 RBIs for the New York Mets last season.
Zimmerman is one of only three players on Washington’s 40-man roster without a contract for 2008.
The others are in arbitration – infielder Felipe Lopez and reliever Jon Rauch – and the Nationals said they are negotiating with the pair. Rauch’s arbitration hearing is set for Feb. 6, and Lopez’s is Feb. 13, both in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Zimmerman is on course to be eligible for arbitration after the coming season,
“We both know what we want,” Zimmerman said. “They know that I want to be here, and I know that I want to be here, so there’s no reason to mess around. If it works out, it works out. If not, we’ll do another one-year deal.”
Zimmerman described past negotiations with the team as amicable, and Bowden agreed with that characterization Friday.
Zimmerman earned $400,000 in 2007 and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season.
During spring training a year ago, Bowden said the Nationals “will continue to work with Ryan and his representatives to secure a long-term contract long before his free agency.” Asked Friday what his current stance is, Bowden wrote in an e-mail, “Same as then.”
Zimmerman has been working out in Florida and can tell he’s strengthened the muscles in his injured left wrist.
“I’ve been hitting some soft toss for a couple weeks now,” he said. “There’s really no reason to think I won’t be able to do everything” when the Nationals gather in Viera, Fla., next month to prepare for the new season.
Zimmerman’s hand bothered him off and on during 2007, when he hit .266 with 24 homers and 91 RBIs in his second full season in the majors. He felt pain after swinging a bat in the offseason and had a broken piece of bone removed from the wrist Nov. 7. Then, the next week, he had a follow-up operation to remove some blood that built up.
Notes: The Nationals agreed to one-year contracts with 12 players, including outfielder Elijah Dukes and starters Shawn Hill, Jason Bergmann and Matt Chico. Also agreeing: Catcher Jesus Flores, pitchers Saul Rivera, Joel Hanrahan, Tyler Clippard and Enrique Gonzalez, and outfielders Justin Maxwell, Roger Bernadina and Garrett Guzman. … The Nationals also announced Friday they promoted John Dever to senior director of baseball media relations and hired Mike Gazda as director of baseball media relations. Gazda previously worked for the Florida Marlins.
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