diff --git a/validator_client/Cargo.toml b/validator_client/Cargo.toml
index 2000f5409b..706b28f86a 100644
--- a/validator_client/Cargo.toml
+++ b/validator_client/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ slot_clock = { path = "../eth2/utils/slot_clock" }
 types = { path = "../eth2/types" }
 serde = "1.0"
 serde_derive = "1.0"
+serde_json = "^1.0"
 slog = "^2.2.3"
 slog-async = "^2.3.0"
 slog-json = "^2.3"
diff --git a/validator_client/src/block_producer/mod.rs b/validator_client/src/block_producer/mod.rs
index ca1e3a1d87..f61cde1461 100644
--- a/validator_client/src/block_producer/mod.rs
+++ b/validator_client/src/block_producer/mod.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ pub use self::beacon_node_block::{BeaconNodeError, PublishOutcome};
 pub use self::grpc::BeaconBlockGrpcClient;
 use crate::signer::Signer;
 use core::marker::PhantomData;
-use slog::{error, info, warn};
+use serde_json;
+use slog::{error, info, trace, warn};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use tree_hash::{SignedRoot, TreeHash};
 use types::{BeaconBlock, ChainSpec, Domain, EthSpec, Fork, Slot};
@@ -53,27 +54,29 @@ pub struct BlockProducer<'a, B: BeaconNodeBlock, S: Signer, E: EthSpec> {
     pub slots_per_epoch: u64,
     /// Mere vessel for E.
     pub _phantom: PhantomData<E>,
+    /// The logger, for logging
+    pub log: slog::Logger,
 }
 
 impl<'a, B: BeaconNodeBlock, S: Signer, E: EthSpec> BlockProducer<'a, B, S, E> {
     /// Handle outputs and results from block production.
-    pub fn handle_produce_block(&mut self, log: slog::Logger) {
+    pub fn handle_produce_block(&mut self) {
         match self.produce_block() {
             Ok(ValidatorEvent::BlockProduced(_slot)) => {
-                info!(log, "Block produced"; "Validator" => format!("{}", self.signer))
+                info!(self.log, "Block produced"; "Validator" => format!("{}", self.signer))
             }
-            Err(e) => error!(log, "Block production error"; "Error" => format!("{:?}", e)),
+            Err(e) => error!(self.log, "Block production error"; "Error" => format!("{:?}", e)),
             Ok(ValidatorEvent::SignerRejection(_slot)) => {
-                error!(log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Signer Could not sign the block".to_string())
+                error!(self.log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Signer Could not sign the block".to_string())
             }
             Ok(ValidatorEvent::SlashableBlockNotProduced(_slot)) => {
-                error!(log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Rejected the block as it could have been slashed".to_string())
+                error!(self.log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Rejected the block as it could have been slashed".to_string())
             }
             Ok(ValidatorEvent::BeaconNodeUnableToProduceBlock(_slot)) => {
-                error!(log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Beacon node was unable to produce a block".to_string())
+                error!(self.log, "Block production error"; "Error" => "Beacon node was unable to produce a block".to_string())
             }
             Ok(v) => {
-                warn!(log, "Unknown result for block production"; "Error" => format!("{:?}",v))
+                warn!(self.log, "Unknown result for block production"; "Error" => format!("{:?}",v))
             }
         }
     }
@@ -90,14 +93,21 @@ impl<'a, B: BeaconNodeBlock, S: Signer, E: EthSpec> BlockProducer<'a, B, S, E> {
     /// slashing.
     pub fn produce_block(&mut self) -> Result<ValidatorEvent, Error> {
         let epoch = self.slot.epoch(self.slots_per_epoch);
+        trace!(self.log, "Producing block"; "epoch" => epoch);
 
         let message = epoch.tree_hash_root();
         let randao_reveal = match self.signer.sign_message(
             &message,
             self.spec.get_domain(epoch, Domain::Randao, &self.fork),
         ) {
-            None => return Ok(ValidatorEvent::SignerRejection(self.slot)),
-            Some(signature) => signature,
+            None => {
+                warn!(self.log, "Signing rejected"; "message" => format!("{:?}", message));
+                return Ok(ValidatorEvent::SignerRejection(self.slot));
+            }
+            Some(signature) => {
+                info!(self.log, "Signed tree_hash_root for randao_reveal"; "message" => format!("{:?}", message), "signature" => serde_json::to_string(&signature).expect("We should always be able to serialize a signature as JSON."));
+                signature
+            }
         };
 
         if let Some(block) = self
diff --git a/validator_client/src/main.rs b/validator_client/src/main.rs
index 39b2e3eaee..bb791aa20b 100644
--- a/validator_client/src/main.rs
+++ b/validator_client/src/main.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ fn main() {
         )
         .arg(
             Arg::with_name("spec")
-                .short("s")
                 .long("spec")
                 .value_name("TITLE")
                 .help("Specifies the default eth2 spec type.")
@@ -132,6 +131,15 @@ fn main() {
                     .help("The number of validators."))
             )
         )
+        .subcommand(SubCommand::with_name("sign_block")
+            .about("Connects to the beacon server, requests a new block (after providing reveal),\
+            and prints the signed block to standard out")
+            .arg(Arg::with_name("validator")
+                .value_name("VALIDATOR")
+                .required(true)
+                .help("The pubkey of the validator that should sign the block.")
+            )
+        )
         .get_matches();
 
     let drain = match matches.value_of("debug-level") {
diff --git a/validator_client/src/service.rs b/validator_client/src/service.rs
index 5169f67f87..4fe744ea2d 100644
--- a/validator_client/src/service.rs
+++ b/validator_client/src/service.rs
@@ -369,8 +369,9 @@ impl<B: BeaconNodeDuties + 'static, S: Signer + 'static, E: EthSpec> Service<B,
                             signer,
                             slots_per_epoch,
                             _phantom: PhantomData::<E>,
+                            log,
                         };
-                        block_producer.handle_produce_block(log);
+                        block_producer.handle_produce_block();
                     });
                 }
                 if work_type.attestation_duty.is_some() {