tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post3347413464445658884..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: The Dog Days of WinterHarperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-66179340811702953432012-12-14T05:28:17.888-08:002012-12-14T05:28:17.888-08:00Espy is due for his breakout season like desmond h...Espy is due for his breakout season like desmond had this year so he will not be traded next offseason if he does have a desmond season. He also is pretty much a gold glover at second<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-79201109511823670972012-12-13T11:59:00.046-08:002012-12-13T11:59:00.046-08:00@Donald: Personally I think it was probably better...@Donald: Personally I think it was probably better for him personally to be in Texas rather than LA, but hey, that's the life move he wants to make. Might have to lock him indoors for his own good in a city like LA, though.<br /><br />As for losing LaRoche, yeah, that'd be a bummer, but at least this move will force some action one way or another rather than sitting on our hands. I'd PREFER to keep him, but on the two year deal that Rizzo wants rather than a three year. He might be afraid for a year rental then a flip in the next year. Two year with a mutual option and a partial to full no-trade clause?BlueLoneWolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-45873114217265416742012-12-13T11:48:43.165-08:002012-12-13T11:48:43.165-08:00@BLW -- that might not bode well for the Nats reta...@BLW -- that might not bode well for the Nats retaining ALR. Zuckerman has an article saying that if Texas doesn't keep Hamilton, then they may turn to Adam.Donaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295227567170577873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-70937721500991439852012-12-13T11:40:06.862-08:002012-12-13T11:40:06.862-08:00Breaking: Don't have to worry about Hamilton i...Breaking: Don't have to worry about Hamilton in the NL, let alone with the Phils in the NL East. He just went to the AngelsBlueLoneWolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-67715340283990110782012-12-13T10:38:36.397-08:002012-12-13T10:38:36.397-08:00I wouldn't say Morse played above average D. ...I wouldn't say Morse played above average D. And btw, does anyone think Rizzo is already going through possibilities for how much it'll take to extend Stras and (to a lesser degree since he's further from free agency) Harper? It would suck to see them leave one day dominating for some other team...Dr Trea (formerly #werthquake) https://www.blogger.com/profile/07450504942328972974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-44585967736189614632012-12-12T11:15:53.765-08:002012-12-12T11:15:53.765-08:00I think the Dodgers are the ones to worry about. ...I think the Dodgers are the ones to worry about. They're scary. I think it's ok if LaRoche leaves. Morse can hit and played an above average first base two years ago. Plus without a great September LaRoche wouldn't had a very good year. He's very streaky. Also, IF Rendon stays healthy (and that is a big if) he plays second - not first or third. He doesn't have enough power for a corner spot.<br /><br />My two cents. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-73524900983912786682012-12-12T10:42:37.107-08:002012-12-12T10:42:37.107-08:00The biggest worry is going to be whether they are ...The biggest worry is going to be whether they are able/how much it will cost to lock up their young players. They would need to set a record to keep Strasburg, just like they did in the draft. blovy8https://www.blogger.com/profile/06888192019412533415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-81378464172059852992012-12-12T09:11:49.880-08:002012-12-12T09:11:49.880-08:00Tempered enthusiasm all around. I just think that ...Tempered enthusiasm all around. I just think that trading away Morse wouldn't be a good idea because while Beast wasn't full on Beast mode last year, we don't really have that many ~.300 hitters with as good a pop as he's got, and maybe without all the hand injuries he returns to 2011 Morse. Of course, that means losing LaRoche because of positional locations. Unless you're trading Morse away for someone or something that replicates his bat somewhere else, I think it's a bad proposition. I also don't think it's a great idea to give a 3 year deal to LaRoche when Rendon might get stuck at first because, face it, Zimmerman's at 3rd until he doesn't want to be there. Right now the best move might be to cut bait on LaRoche, which is kinda sad, but such is the way business goes. Unless you can flip Morse for something that would give us better production than what we've got elsewhere (which I doubt you could, no one would trade him for an upgrade at 2B or 1B (If he or LaRoche or both leave in one way or another), it's probably better to keep him.<br /><br />But that's just my opinion. When this is the kind of thing you're worrying about, and not like 'Who's going to start opening day' or 'What's the status of 1-5 on our rotation' or 'How come our total payroll's at like $800,000? Should we expect to win even 40 games this year?', then you can't really complain.BlueLoneWolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-45713744803498850632012-12-12T08:18:40.579-08:002012-12-12T08:18:40.579-08:00Yeah, but what possible fifth fifth starter would ...Yeah, but what possible fifth fifth starter would develop, other than maybe Garcia? Even if LaRoche resigns, Rendon also might develop enough to force a decision on Espy next offseason, as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-65245986723249405892012-12-12T08:17:48.075-08:002012-12-12T08:17:48.075-08:00Harper - nice article. That said, if we're goi...Harper - nice article. That said, if we're going to adjust our expectations for LaRoche's based on his recent performance, I also don't think you can ignore his 2011 (as you did). Yeah, it was due to injury, but it still makes me a little more cautious about him going forward.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-24988105571022948792012-12-12T08:11:17.252-08:002012-12-12T08:11:17.252-08:00This isn't just a different offseason in compa...This isn't just a different offseason in comparison to the Nats ones of the past is pretty rare in general. They had their couple important but not critical moves this year and could really have NOTHING to do next season. That's odd even for good teams. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-41370219091151910872012-12-12T08:10:26.334-08:002012-12-12T08:10:26.334-08:00And I, for one, embrace this change!And I, for one, embrace this change!DezoPenguinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-58370129500341273192012-12-12T07:41:09.569-08:002012-12-12T07:41:09.569-08:00It's amazing how different this offseason is f...It's amazing how different this offseason is from previous offseasons. All the fun used to be in hoping that things could be different, wondering if the Nats could make some moves or if prospects could develop in the AFL. Now, the Nats are one of the best teams in baseball and largely all under contract for a couple more years. All the fun is in the regular season. <br /><br />Assembling the team is no longer the important part. The team is here. The important part is how the team actually plays on the field. How many wins they get. How they do in the post season.<br /><br />It's striking just how different this feels. It used to be that the regular season wasn't really important. We knew the Nats wouldn't make the playoffs on Opening Day and the games, by and large, didn't really matter. All that mattered during the regular season was how players developed. The L's and W's were meaningless. Now they are everything.cassnoreply@blogger.com