Nats exercise option on Span

Oct 30, 2014 - 8:16 PM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Nationals exercised their club option on the contract of outfielder Denard Span for the 2015 season on Thursday.

Span, who will be entering his third season with the Nationals, hit for a career-best .302 average with five home runs and 37 RBI and set the Nationals' record for hits in a season with 184.

"Denard was arguably our most consistent offensive player in 2014, keying so much of our offensive production, and his defense in center field is Gold Glove-caliber on a nightly basis," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We're excited to keep him in the fold for the 2015 season."

Over seven seasons with Minnesota and Washington, Span has hit .286 with 314 RBI, 32 home runs and 141 stolen bases over 889 games.

Washington declined to exercise their options on the contracts of first baseman Adam LaRoche and pitcher Rafael Soriano.