The date of Stephen Strasburg's major-league debut -- or, more precisely, guesses thereat -- has been a hot subject in Nats Town over the last few weeks, and Nationals manager Jim Riggleman didn't do much to cool it off on Friday:

We're going to meet tomorrow -- myself and [general manager] Mike (Rizzo) and the rest of the guys, and put some moves together that we're going to be making in the next three days. . . . [Strasburg's status] will be one of the discussions we're going to have, I'm sure.

Two Friday evening solo home runs dealt to the visiting Cardinals in Viera, which vaulted Strasburg's spring ERA all the way to 2.00, may have influenced the discussion.

But it's more likely that considerations relating to development and service time weighed most heavily in the team's decision Saturday morning to send Strasburg and reliever Drew Storen to minor-league camp.

It'd be surprising if either Strasburg or Storen were to spend as much as half the season in the minors.  While it had been thought that Strasburg might start the season opener at high-single-A Potomac on April 8, it's just been reported that both Strasburg and Storen will begin the 2010 season at double-A Harrisburg.

This Hutch estimates an early-June MLB debut for Strasburg and Storen against Cincinnati, who will be bringing much-anticipated Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman to town the weekend of June 4-6.  Great seats are still available.  (You're welcome, Stan.)

UPDATE 20-Mar-2010 6:45 pm: Wondering what Strasburg's schedule might be for the season? The Post's Adam Kilgore does the hard work so you don't have to…

      

The Nationals earned themselves a measure of respect at year's end with the acquisition of free-agent pitcher Jason Marquis to bolster the starting rotation, as well as of Matt Capps to headline the bullpen.

Even though there are also middle-infield needs to address, shouldn't the Nats be looking at the possibility of acquiring at least one more free agent to add depth to the pitching staff?

The Nats have doubtless crafted a list of pitchers with whom they would like to strike a deal.  But when deciding what offers to put on the table, they have to take into account that several of the available free agents, such as Doug Davis, are well into their 30s, while others such as Erik Bedard represent the kind of injury risk of which Washington may already feel it has its share in Scott Olsen.

Then there are guys like Jon Garland, a native of southern California's San Fernando Valley who is relatively young and eats innings but is said to have expressed a preference to do so on the West Coast.  Does that put Garland out of range for the Nats?

It's hard to imagine how, especially considering that Sporting News Today traces current rumors swirling around Garland to the Orioles and Mets, presumably among others.

In any event, geography matters more to some players than to others.  For example, during a recent internet writers' teleconference hosted by the Nationals, we asked Capps how much he factored Washington's location into his decision to sign with the team.

"It didn't play that much of a factor," Capps replied.  "Obviously it's kind of a win-win here . . . with me living on the East Coast and my family being in North Carolina and Atlanta."  But he was careful to add:  "If the right opportunity was elsewhere, I don't think geographics would have played a big part."

One would imagine other factors -- such as organizational legitimacy, which can burnish a player's reputation and enhance his ability to command a premium salary -- would play at least as big a part for many players.  And as far as money itself goes, the Nats were reportedly ready to part with a large chunk of it in their unsuccessful quest to engage the services of Aroldis Chapman.

So one hopes that the Nats are still in there bidding for Garland -- or have a good reason not to besides Washington's location on the map.

      

MASN's Phil Wood had a good article about the potential starting rotation now that Aroldis Chapman has signed with the Reds, which got me thinking, since I didn't quite agree with his projected group.

Wood went with Jason Marquis, John Lannan, Doug Davis (still a FA), Scott Olsen and J.D. Martin.  Certainly not a bad rotation, and it makes sense to pencil in another Free Agent signee into the 3rd starting spot. 

I'm with him on Marquis, Lannan, and a Free Agent as 1-2-3 (though maybe not that order, as I think the Nats want Lannan to be the #1 as the most fan recognized pitcher).  It's 4-5 that get me.  I'm not buying Olsen's full recovery yet, something we'll need evidence of in Spring Training.  He's also still relatively young, so I can see the Nats taking their time with him and starting him out in AAA.

J.D. Martin was certainly decent last year, but he's a control guy with a 4.44 ERA and a tendency for the long ball.  I'm not sure any of that adds up to the 5th starter spot when you have other options out there.

I think you can pencil in Craig Stammen for one of the starting spots, unless he regresses.  Sure his 5.11 ERA last year was worse than Martin's, but he had fewer homers given up while throwing more innings and had a lower opponents batting average.  You'd think an improved defense would help Stammen lower his numbers to a greater extent than Martin.

I also still think the 5th spot is up in the air.  If Olsen isn't ready, then a mix of Martin, Collin Balester, Garrett Mock, Stephen Strasburg, and Ross Detwiler all get a shot.  I'm not ready to write off Shairon Martis yet either.  It'll come down to who has the best camp.  I think longer shots are a rehabbing Matt Chico and the player from the Nick Johnson trade, Aaron Thompson.

Right now I'll say my rotation is Lannan, Marquis, Free Agent, Stammen, and Mock.  Olsen, Martin, Balester, Detwiler, and Strasburg make up your AAA rotation, with Olsen or Martin first up for an MLB injury call-up.  Martis, Chico, and Thompson start at AA, unless one moves to the bullpen.

All of this will set up quite a battle next year, when Jordan Zimmermann is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, and the Nats might actually sport a real major league rotation - though the projected for this season is close.

And I know many of you are ready for Strasburg to open the season, but I don't see it.  They want to bring him along slowly and make sure he's ready before tossing him to the major league wolves.  I do think it's likely he makes the bigs this season, but not right away.

What's your projected rotation?  Comment up below.

      

Rumors are flying that Cuban free-agent pitcher Aroldis Chapman has inked a $30 million deal with a National League team.

Since the only NL teams reported to have been bidding for Chapman's services were Florida and Washington, we'll be following this rumor very closely.  More as we know it…

UPDATED 1/10/10 1:30 pm: Jon Morosi at FOX Sports hears it's not the Nats…

UPDATED 1/10/10 2:15 pm:  Reports heard by Eli Greenspan at MLB Daily Dish make it sound as if Chapman's headed to Cincinnati…

UPDATED 1/10/10 3:30 pm: The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay tweets that the Reds and Chapman are still at the talking stage but that a deal "could be for as long as 10 years"…

UPDATED 1/10/10 5:35 pm: To hear SI.com and MLB.com tell it, a $25-30 million deal over five or six years is all but a fait accompli. In our experience, it ain't accompli 'til it's accompli, so we'll be checking back later…

UPDATED 1/10/10 9:25 pm: Fay elaborates on the deal; it's $25 million for 5 years with an option at the end, the payouts to be spread over 10 years.  The Reds, says Fay, "think that there’s a chance Chapman will make it to the big leagues this year."  If so, we might see him at Nats Park when Cincinnati visits the weekend of June 4-6…

      

Right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis, who logged 216 innings and a spot on the National League All-Star roster during the 2009 season as a starter with the Colorado Rockies, has finalized a contract with the Washington Nationals.  The pact, announced on Tuesday afternoon at a team press conference, will earn Marquis $15 million over two seasons.

Along with fellow New Yorker John Lannan, Marquis will be vying for the title of Nationals staff ace in 2010.  Each put up over 200 innings in 2009, and although neither is noted for high strikeout totals, both seem to possess an above-average ability to induce groundball outs by pitching to contact.

While the third through fifth spots in the rotation are up for grabs at the moment, it's possible one or more of them could be claimed by a free-agent or trade acquisition; a number of intriguing possibilities remain on the market, including Jon Garland, Aroldis Chapman and Doug Davis.  Asked during the Tuesday press conference whether the Nationals were done making additions to the pitching staff, general manager Mike Rizzo would say only that "[w]e're always in the market to improve our ballclub any way we can.… You never have enough pitching."