MASN dispute resolved

Here you go. 

What's it mean? It means first we can stop talking about this thing which always drove a small wedge between me, who thought MLB were the bad guys, and Nats fans, who saw the Orioles as that. I won't relinquish my position. 

When the Expos moved to DC what SHOULD HAVE happened was MLB should have told the Orioles to stuff it, "broadcast rights areas" are made up nonsense, we're putting a team here. The O's wouldn't necessarily had a legal leg to stand on because this is all true.  Of course MLB is made up of owners and owners don't want to break that broadcast rights areas" agreement (or didn't at the time) because it was crucial to soaking cable channels for rights fees or cable providers for channel fees. So instead they gave the Orioles control of the Nats broadcast for a certain time and dollar amount. 

 What SHOULD HAVE happened next is "too bad, so sad" Nats, MLB got you a bad deal but a deal is a deal. Instead after a few years and when the Nats finally had ownership, MLB basically started working with the Nats to try to get out of the deal using questionable arbiters and rulings. The Orioles sued over it and we ended up in forever litigation bc the core components, if you push it, who can make these money decisions based off what, were very gray. 

The funny thing is just letting things go in a more black and white way would have probably put the Orioles over a barrel anyway with far less legal leverage but no one had the patience for that. 

Now it means the Nats have their broadcast rights and can be sold and perhaps it means that Ted Leonsis, who wants both the team and stuff to air on his channel, will get the team.  Or someone else. Or no one else. Or the rights are secretly promised to MLB for whatever their plans are. Really we don't know. 

However when it comes to the Nats, MLB and broadcast rights deals we can be sure there is some back alley deal that was made.Why break tradition?

Monday Quickie

Anything going on in Spring so far?

The same song and dance - we look for things that are WAY out of line to suggest injury or issues or I guess a new beginning because just generic really good stats or really bad stats should be ignored completely. Nothing proven but gives us things to keep an eye on early in the season when things matter to see how real they actually are. This is even before that - which is coming out of Spring. This is stuff to keep an eye on for next start because what else are you going to do? Just sit back and enjoy some baseball? 

No real homer busting for the Nats but Robert Hassell has hit 1 homer and three doubles (though granted in about double everyone elses ABs.  He's going down to AAA but also is a fringy player so they are pumping his ABs while they can).  As a top level prospect who had an injury that sapped his power and didn't seem to recover yet this is interesting. 

If you are a Drew Millas, Amed Rosario, or Yohandy Morales fan - very early signs aren't promising. However outside maybe Yohandy you probably aren't interested.  

Alex Call has taken 8 walks in 17 PA.  Maybe trying to re-invent himself? 

Pitching is a harder because they are really trying new things or are focused on getting something down and may not care too much about results. To keep an eye on : 

DJ Herz has been really wild. Shinnosuke looks like a AAA pitcher. Cole Henry looked real sharp. Soroka was sharp (but his stats match Adon's if you are wondering how fleeting these glances should be with those eyes)

Admittedly bored

 I don't know.  I thought the kids would interest me more.  Maybe once the season starts. I think there's general malaise at this not being THE season everything starts. 

Anyway the Nats resigned Kyle Finnegan.  Is it exciting? Nope.  Does he make the pen better? Well simple question - is he better than who would have been the worst guy in the pen? Answer - yes.  So answer to the first question - yes. 

I will take a moment to do my usual ST schtick. 

Did you know Trey Lipscomb hit .400 in Spring last year?  Joey Meneses .296.  Trevor Williams threw to a 7.20 ERA. Richard Bleier to a 1.69 ERA. 0.75 WHIP?   

Again - don't believe these stats

Monday Quickie - Paul DeJong and giving up

Over the weekend the Nats signed Paul DeJong. DeJong (pronounced de-young to rob everyone of fun El Kabong references) started his career in 2017 as a promising young IF hitting with power and average and fielding SS very well, but his inability to ID the strike zone killed the average and he became a "pop only" guy. But still if you can field and hit homers that's a nice combination. That lasted for a few years but in 2020 he got COVID, in 2021 he broke a rib, and since then he's battled back pain. The combination stomped on the corpse of what was his average and he was a liability at the plate for several seasons. He managed to get his power back for the first time since 2019 last year, but he also had his first poor season in the field even though he was playing only 3B. Did the Nats need another DH?

Actually that might be interesting in a weird way.  Josh Bell, DH apparent, is a switch hitter but unlike a lot of switch hitters he is better from the right side of the plate hitting lefties. DeJong is a RHB but hits right handed pitching better than LHP. So platoon? OK sure, but neither are 'mashers'.  Its a platoon to get half a WAR better, not any real advantage

So he might hit but he also might be a DH and he turns 32 mid year. What's the point?

I don't know. The age and recent past don't suggest a good trade candidate. Presumably the Nats signed Amed Rosario for some reason. 

All I can think of is trade. If you were going to try to move Brady House or CJ Abrams or Luis Garcia for something well then a bunch of 2B/3B/SS fill-ins would be necessary but this would be PRE-SEASON.  There isn't need for fill-ins come September. 

When a signing like this happens it matters where it fits in the process. This isn't a final piece, complementing several bigger moves. This is one move of many trying to find something that works. That's worrying. That feels like a white flag going up for 2025. 

Bregman a Red Sox

The Nats could have afforded to sign him.  Honestly they can afford to sign anyone with this payroll. 

While it seems like a huge overpay it really isn't based on the current market rates for production and what Bregman does. The gamble is that he doesn't get injured or continue his slide. The former is just something you have to live with.  The latter is more worrisome but is what makes him available. It took teams a couple of years but they realized current Bregman (does nothing wrong) isn't past Bregman (a beast) and they began challenging him, getting ahead, and getting him to chase more. The end result was production bouyed by the quirk of defensive stats.

The hope would be he does really well and opts-out or does about what he did the past couple of years but decides to stay, so you get him without committing to his down years. 

 It's a good contract. Has risks. But it doesn't bind the Red Sox for too long.

 Seems like the Nats would have had to put out something like 5/200 to get him. 

 Just spitballing bc pitchers and catchers interest no one after Day 1.  

Pitchers and Catchers Report - Let's try to be excited

Yes it's disappointing the Nats have seemingly passed on the season. But there's still reason to be excited about baseball this year in DC.  Let's think about it. 

1) This is the first full season for James Wood, who was good last year, and Dylan Crews, a consensus Top 5 prospect in baseball. The future is NOW (even if it is JUST the future) 

2) Luis Garcia took a real step forward last year and it'll be interesting to see if that's a fluke, his ceiling, or the prelude to a break-out

3) CJ Abrams had extended moments of looking like one of the most exciting players in baseball. If he can string more of those together....

4) Nathaniel Lowe is pretty good!  That'll be fun after a year of crappy 1B.  Nats fans appreciate a solid 1B

5) Trevor Williams looked like an ace every time he was on the mound last year. If that keeps up the Nats will have a steal

6) Gore and Herz and Parker are 26 and under and pitched better than their ERA suggested.  Gore has the pedigree. Herz had something of a break-out season continuing the numbers he showed in the minors despite fancy stats suggesting he might not. Arms to watch! 

That's a pretty decent list right? 

There is a youth movement here that should blossom into something better than the team is now. There is talent here and the likelihood of more fun and interesting baseball in 2025.  Will it be more WINNING baseball. Well, the team left it up to the baseball gods but while that's a shame it doesn't mean the season is 100% over or unwatchable.

AND if they do blossom and it's a fun season of near contention then we can REALLY yell if they don't put money in next off-season 

Sure got quiet out there

 We got a column a week ago from Barry that was basically "Is this it?" 

It's getting late as pitchers and catchers will start to trickle in next week and the Nats still seem like a team whose off-season is only 75% done and that's factoring in the lowered expectations. 

The Nats solved the 1B issue in their typical "savvy but let's not go crazy" way and stuffed the rotation with... well stuff... in the hopes that a strong rotation emerges from the intriguing if not inspiring raw materials.

But the bullpen seems 2-3 arms short, 3B is to be manned by hopes and dreams and the DH question was answered with a shrug. 

 The answers being so limited and the questions still remaining all point to the same thing. The Nats aren't trying to compete this year.  

That's disappointing for a team now 6 years removed from their last winning season. A lost season (say under 75 wins) this year is completely possible and it would give DC the longest stretch it has seen without hitting 80 wins. 

 Fans got their championship and it's lucky that they did bc I think they'd be turning on the management otherwise. 

But this is the lot we've been given this year. Wait and see... again. Evaluate... again. Look to next offseason... again. The first time, after 2023, was understandable. That would have been aggressive. This time, when the window should be opening with some young talent on hand, feels overly cautious if one wants to be generous. Next time will be unforgivable if it happens. 

But there's still time to try something and we don't evaluate until things are over. And it's not bleak. It just remains cloudy and dull when if could have been sunny and exciting.