The Nationals came to an agreement with outfielder Alex Escobar yesterday. They’ll pay him $530,000 and in the process, they’ll avoid arbitration with the outfielder. Escobar has an outside chance of getting a starting job although it’s probably more likely that he’ll start the season as the fourth outfielder with all of the talk of Nook Logan taking over in centerfield. I’d much rather have Escobar out there then the no hit Logan but at this point, it’s unclear whether Escobar can handle the rigors of a full season so playing it safe is probably good. Escobar was very good when he was in the lineup but missed almost the entire season with hamstring and shoulder problems.