Jose

Vidro

That’s right, Potomac, as in Northern Virginia. Following the trend of major league teams wanting to have an affiliate close to their home base, this could be a clue that the Expos next year will play in...

At that point, Vidro will be shut down to prepare for his Sept. 8 knee surgery.

Vidro is expected to be in good shape for spring training.

At least this would get him out of the commissioner’s office. Maybe the next player handing out suspensions will be just as interested in what happens in a Devil Rays-Royals contest as opposed to only focusing on the game of the week.

Toolsy outfielders of the world rejoice! Of course, those of you hoping to see Washington emerge as a force in the NL shouldn’t be so optimistic. We do appreciate Bowden’s penchant for taking risks, but he probably ranks in the bottom half of major league GMs.

The sides have agreed on the dollars but are still negotiating language. It seems that Vidro is settling cheap here, which is great news for the Expos franchise. If they can get a similar deal done with Orlando Cabrera, the future would look quite a bit brighter.

The compromise plan for a 41,000-seat ballpark allows private financing and splitting the liability for cost overruns and missed construction deadlines evenly between the city and major league baseball. We’ll see if that’s an arrangement MLB will approve.

Vidro, who is rehabbing following knee surgery, was examined in early January and no problems were discovered. Whether he’ll stay healthy is always in question, but the knee shouldn’t be much of a concern on draft day.

Vidro has been working out in Florida since Feb. 1 and is making steady progress. He’ll probably take it easy at the start of the exhibition season, but if he can avoid any setbacks, he’ll be ready on Opening Day.

Vidro missed today’s game with a strained groin.