The Washington Nationals' pursuit of free-agent pitcher Mark Buehrle has seemingly ended in defeat at the hands of a division rival. Buehrle has elected to sign a four-year, $58 million deal with the Miami Marlins instead, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The Nationals were in heavy pursuit of Buehrle, with general manager Mike Rizzo confirming that they gave Buehrle what Rizzo believed was a fair market offer. It remains unclear exactly what that offer was. The Nationals did offer Buehrle a contract that was for at least three years, according to CSN Washington's Mark Zuckerman. It remains unclear if they went for a fourth year.
It also remains to be seen if the Nationals elect to chase another free-agent pitcher. They had previously denied interest in Texas Rangers' lefty C.J .Wilson.
We'll be covering the Winter Meetings and all of the Nationals potential dealings this week in this StoryStream. For more on the Nationals, check out Federal Baseball.