Who here likes Spencer Watkins and Bellinger rumors to nowhere?
Hmm, no one. I see.
As we round the corner into 2024 but the Nats FA play was always likely to be like this. Patience first, grab needs late for better prices. Since the options for the Nats are rather large they can't be shut out. They merely lose 1st or 2nd choices and have to go with 5th or 6th. It's not dumpster diving. Well Watkins was, but that's not what I see these other FAs to be. It's bargain store shopping. Antiquing.
Currently still available (that's a possible get)
1B/DH : Carlos Santana, JD Martinez, Brandon Belt, Jorge Soler, Donovan Solano, Garrett Cooper, Cutch
Others with DH potential : Mitch Garver, Justin Turner, Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall, Aaron Hicks
Starters : Stroman, Martin Perez, Giolito, Lorenzen, Clevinger, Kluber, Carrasco, Manaea, Montas, Wood
and like 20 guys who can throw to an average RP level.
What none of these really are are guys that say "Ok cornerstone for 2024-X" but they are players that would make the team better. Guys who signed late (after like mid Feb when camps open) last year include Donovan Solano, Matt Moore, Michael Wacha, and Micahel Fulmer. It's possible.
But on the flipside most of the guys that did sign late were bad. Talent will be there but the Nats need to ID it. Last year the Nats' late signings were Chad Kuhl and org depth that never made it to the majors. The year before that they were far more aggressive and nailed several RP : Carl Edwards Jr, Sean Doolittle (in theory), Erasmo Ramirez, event Steve Cishek wasn't terrible; but coming up blank on bargain SP and big time FA, Anibal Sanchez, Aaron Sanchez, Nelson Cruz.
We'll keep these above lists as running tallies. Guys are still out there. They will still be out there after the holidays. They may still be out there into February. If the Nats are going to try to be smart, we can hold it against them if they are not.
14 comments:
They need to replace 1,000 plate appearances between Candelario and Smith. I'd pencil in Senzel for 300 of those with his injury history, so I'm curious where they turn to fill out the rest of those. I can't imagine that will all be internal guys. I can also see another 500 PAs from the rest of 2023 that won't be here or getting that kind of time. But, I'll be patient and see what happens the rest of this offseason.
Shouldn't Rhys Hoskins be on your list of possible gets? Preferably DH, of course
I don't care which (if any) hitter they hire, as long as the contract is for two years or fewer.
Mike - I don't think he's reasonable. I think he'll be too costly.
To be fair (I know, I know; this is the internet), Kuhl was a minor league free agent signing who only made the team because he had a solid spring and several other options either got hurt or struggled in the early going. He got a battlefield promotion, got crushed, and was hidden on the IL so that the team could still help cover his wife's cancer treatment.
When you lay it out like this, I would overpay for Santana (assuming he'd play in DC until the trade deadline)
I wish the FA market wasn't so bad for SP this year and next, because I really do think this is the time for the Nats to sign a longer term ace/#2 type. But of the available pitchers, I'd really only want Snell or Montgomery, personally. Maybe you get a low AAV deal for Woodruff, but that's high risk and could turn into another Corbin contract. So then you're stuck waiting for next year and hoping you can be the one to land Soroka or Buehler after a bounce back year? Maybe they spend for Bieber? I dunno, the SP market just looks tough
Man, the Nats coulda had Ohtani for a mere $2 million a year for a decade, courtesy of a
deferred contract that out-Lernered the Lerners.
Ugh. To think the Nats could have had Yamamoto for a decade at reasonable money, but of course they'll never do it. I mean, why are we even bothering anymore. It's clear the Lerners don't particularly care. Their style seems to be "if we're not going to get paid what we think we deserve, we'll just sit here and do nothing."
So, we wait for this core of prospects to clock in their 6 years and leave.
I really wish I still cared. I just miss having a good baseball team, which we did for a while, and now it's just going to be a bunch of stiffs, and I am so tired of trying to think the whole thing doesn't suck.
@Kevin. IMO the Nats are handling a reboot about the right way--a decision here or there I might argue with, but the right direction with the right rationale and a decent sense of the right timing. It sucks to be in a rebuild. However, your comment seems particularly mis-placed this week in light of:
1/ the next part of the MASN dispute was resolved. You would not buy a house without a clean title; so, too, no one is going to buy the Nats (or invest big money in their future) with this unique revenue stream problem hanging out there. Given the escalation in the price of sports franchises, I would hazard a guess that the Lerner's "ask" is not far from what they will get---once MASN is resolved.
2/ reading MLBTR and other sources, it could not be clearer that Yamamoto had a choice of franchises and the Dodgers were the favorites from day one. Apparently, at the end he had two equal offers and did not even play them offer each other to sweeten the deal. He just wanted the Dodgers.
3/ worth noting that the Dodgers' deep pockets are largely driven by an incredibly lucrative broadcast rights deal...while the Nats TV rights belong to the Orioles.
You have the right to be impatient and blame it on the Lerners if you want, but your reasons neither jive with the situation the team and the owners face nor reflect what it takes to land a high-profile free agent.
I think Steven makes a good point but would add to it that the Lerners probably don't want any new, expensive, long-term contracts. Those can scare away potential buyers. Corbin coming off the books, progress on the MASN issue, and maybe a Strasburg buyout/retirement arrangement will probably help speed up the sale.
@Steven Grossman
Gee, Dad, I guess I didn't really see it from their side before.
God bless the Lerners.
@anon3:57. Thanks--a heap of sarcasm was just what my day needed. At any give moment, at least 25 teams have fanbases that hate the owner and GM. Some days (like today), it irritates me that Nats fans somehow think they have it worse than all those other unhappy fanbases. The Lerners and Rizzo aren't heroes, but by comparison with a lot of other teams, they aren't bums either.
@Steven Grossman To be fair, at any one time the 30 stupidest people in the world are the 30 major league managers, because to judge from fan sentiment literally anyone could do a better job. FWIW the next 30 on the stupid list are the General Managers.
Post a Comment