Changes ahead

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The Washington Nationals dispersed around the country yesterday, players, coaches and others heading home for the winter following a frustrating season that ended with a weekend-long tribute to now-former manager Frank Robinson.

They won't be together again until mid-February, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Viera, Fla., and the whole process begins anew.

But back at RFK Stadium, the real work began yesterday. General manager Jim Bowden, under the guidance of team president Stan Kasten, kicked off his most important part of the year: the offseason.

There's no shortage of issues for Bowden to address during the next four and a half months. His club just posted a 71-91 record, finishing last in the National League East division for the third straight year, and very little about next year has been established.

The Nationals can take some solace knowing they'll be bringing back a small but strong nucleus of key players: Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, Brian Schneider, Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, John Patterson and Chad Cordero. But almost everything else for next season remains uncertain.

Bowden and his troops will be kept plenty busy over the winter. Here, though, are the five issues that take precedence before everything else:

Hire a new manager

The club's first order of business is the most obvious one. With Robinson's departure, the Nationals must decide who will lead the team in 2007.

Neither Bowden nor Kasten will reveal specifics about their gameplan, but indications are the two will conduct a comprehensive search for the new manager and don't necessarily feel an urgency to get it done immediately.

That could change in a hurry, though, if the rest of the open managerial market fires up as it appears it might. The Florida Marlins are expected to officially fire Joe Girardi today and name Atlanta Braves third base coach Fredi Gonzalez as his replacement, which could set off a chain of events that significantly affects the Nationals.