VIERA, Fla. - The Washington Nationals filled the last clear-cut need on their roster on the opening day of spring training, acquiring catcher Jose Lobaton and two prospects from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday for pitcher Nathan Karns. Lobaton gives the Nationals insurance behind fellow Venezuelan Wilson Ramos, who has never played in more than 108 games in a season because of various injuries. "Hes a capable backup," general manager Mike Rizzo said, "in case something does happen with Wilson." Lobaton, 29, started 76 games for the Rays last season and batted .249 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. He was expendable because the Rays re-signed catcher Jose Molina and traded for Ryan Hanigan. Rizzo said Lobaton has above average metrics on defence. A notable exception is a 16 per cent success rate throwing out would-be base-stealers. "We feel that he throws well enough that he should be better than 16 per cent," Rizzo said. It speaks volumes about the Nationals confidence in their talent-laden roster that a move for a backup can fill the last significant hole on the day that pitchers and catchers reported. Barring injury, Rizzo wont be shopping during spring training. "Theres not an obvious spot that we need to address," Rizzo said. "But, as we say, if an opportunity arises, well be aggressive and open-minded about it." The Nationals are giving up a top prospect in the 26-year-old right-hander Karns, who three made starts in his first taste of the major leagues last season, but theyre adding a pair of 22-year-olds from the Jays pool of talent: outfielder Drew Vettleson and left-handed pitcher Felipe Rivero. Karns would have been in a crowded race for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. The trade for a younger pitcher alleviates part of that logjam and helps the Nationals stagger their pitching prospects. To make room for the new players on the 40-man roster, Washington placed right-handed pitcher Erik Davis on the 60-day disabled list with a sprained right elbow. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . Costa injured his right thigh muscle against Barcelona last Saturday and had sought treatment in Belgrade from a doctor specializing in using fluid derived from horse placenta to repair damaged cells. Andrej Sustr Lightning Jersey . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Ondrej-Palat-Jersey/. The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign. Alex Killorn Lightning Jersey . Authorities in Medina, Minn., released the details one day after Cunningham was jailed for another alleged incident with the woman he had been living with for the previous eight months. Cunningham had already been charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly choking the woman last week. Dan Girardi Lightning Jersey .com) - Brad Stuart has yet to play a regular-season game for the Colorado Avalanche, but that didnt deter the club from signing the veteran defenseman to a two-year contract extension on Monday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Winnipeg Jets have hit their first bump in the road under head coach Paul Maurice. The playoff hopefuls look to snap their longest losing streak under Maurice as they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. Watch the Jets vs. Avalanche live on TSN Jets at 7:30pm ct/8:30pm et or listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. The Jets hit the road for a game following a winless homestand (0-2-1) that has dropped them five points back of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card berth in the Western Conference. Winnipegs three-game slide is its longest since an 0-5 stretch from Jan. 2-11, a rut that led to the firing of coach Claude Noel the following day. The Jets won their first four games under Maurice and went 9-2-0 in his first 11 contests on the bench before this current 2-3-2 stretch. Winnipeg ended its residency with a 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators, getting goals from Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom. However, Ondrej Pavelec did not make it past the second period in net, lifted after allowing five goals on 20 shots faced. Al Montoya halted all 12 shots he faced in relief. "Weve been doing everything we can to keep ourselves in games," said Byfuglien. "Theres going to be nights it goes the way it does and thats what happened tonight. We have to find a way, stick to our game plan and just move on." Pavelec should get a chance to rebound tonight and is 3-1-11 in his career versus the Avs with a 1.dddddddddddd96 goals against average. Colorado had a four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday with a 2-1 setback to the St. Louis Blues in a key Central Division showdown. The Avalanche are third in the division, three points back of the second-place Chicago Blackhawks but 11 up on the Minnesota Wild, who sit in fourth. Semyon Varlamov had 23 saves and P.A. Parenteau got the Avs on the board with a goal at the 8:57 mark of the third period. "We certainly had our chances to not only tie the game, but win it," said Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog. Matt Duchene and Ryan OReilly both had assists to extend point streaks. Duchene has three goals and eight assists over a career-high seven-game run, while OReilly has notched three goals and seven helpers over his past six games. Nathan MacKinnon, though, had the longest point streak by an 18-year-old in NHL history snapped at 13 consecutive games. Colorado also saw forward Paul Stastny exit the loss after just one shift due to a back injury. He is day-to-day. The Avalanche are likely to start Varlamov in the second contest of a four- game homestand tonight and he has gone 6-3-1 with a 2.56 GAA in 11 previous encounters with the Jets franchise. The Avs won their first two meetings with the Jets this season before a 2-1 setback in overtime at home on Dec. 29. Winnipeg has won six of its last eight trips to Colorado. Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '