Nationals Farm Authority

From Baseball America, the following are their Nationals transactions through January 19:

• Signed RHPs Winston Abreu, Jesus Colome, Felix Diaz, & Anastacio Martinez; LHP Luis Martinez; 1B Jorge Toca; 2Bs D’Angelo Jimenez & Joe Thurston; 3Bs Brandon Larson, Jose Macias, & Jarrett Reininger; OF Darnell McDonald
• Released RHPs Manuel Alvarez, Antonio Evangelista, Rudy Garza, Ricky Shefka, & Rhys Taylor; LHP David Maust; OF Francisco Vizcaino

Abreu, Colome, Diaz, Martinez (x2), Toca, Jimenez, Macias, & McDonald were all previously released elsewhere. Larson returns to Washington after spending the 2006 season in New Orleans, expect another AAA season for him in 2007, this time in Columbus. Reininger, like Larson, is a former Red who spent the 2006 season in A-ball Dayton. With the loss of Brandon Powell in the Rule 5 draft, Reininger could be slated as an option at 3B in Harrisburg in 2007.

One of the releases, Rhys Taylor, was acquired by the Nationals from the Boston Red Sox at the end of the 2005 season (along with Yader Peralta in exchange for Mike Stanton). Taylor spent a non-descript season pitching in relief in the Gulf Coast League. Shefka (20th) and Evangelista (22nd) were selections in the 2005 draft. Shefka split 2006 between Vermont and Savannah in 2006 with average results while Evangelista did not pitch at all. Garza, who was selected in the 30th round of the 2004 draft, bounced between GCL, Vermont, and Savannah with serviceable result in 2006. The 2001 17th round selection Maust (17th) spent most of the last four seasons as a starter in Harrisburg. Vizcaino was an undrafted free agent who made a brief appearance in the GCL in 2006.