Now that Mayor of Washington D.C. Anthony A. Williams has signed the Ballpark Omnibus Financing and Revenue Act of 2004, we are willing to begin referring to the former Montreal Expos as the Washington Nationals.

Washington signed 1B/OF-L Brad Wilkerson, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time, to a one-year, $3.05M contract yesterday. Wilkerson has never hit a lot of groundballs, and last year he established himself as a pronounced flyball hitter. Furthermore, Puerto Rico played as the most severe pitchers' park in the majors last season, so even though RFK Stadium likely will favor pitchers at least slightly, Wilkerson's power numbers should receive a substantial boost this season. His contact rate continues to suppress his batting average, however he's maintained excellent patience at the plate. The Nationals should attempt to buyout the remainder of his arbitration seasons and a year or two or free agency with a multi-year deal before he puts up numbers that warrant a double-digit salary.