Nats Close On Dmitri Young Extension

UPDATE: According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the idea is to put Dmitri in left field next year.  Should be wild.  This might put Ryan Church's future in jeopardy; the Cubs have some interest.

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the Nationals are close to inking Dmitri Young to a two-year, $10MM contract extension.  That's right around what I thought he'd ask for, and I think it's a bad idea for Washington.

While it's true that Young wouldn't fetch much in trade or draft picks, locking him up for his age 34-35 seasons just isn't wise for this team.  He's having a career year, but can you really count on him for even an .800 OPS?  Even if he can provide league average 1B production, why lock yourself into that?

Furthermore, Nick Johnson is already tied up at $5.5MM annually through 2009.  He should be healthy next year; what then?  Do you really want one of these guys lumbering around left field?  Or a $5MM bench player?   

The justification for this deal is going to be the intangibles Young brings, and I can't speak to that.  But from where I'm sitting it does not make sense.

Comments

[buehrlebro]

Maybe to make on of them tradeable? IDK, seems like Washington's giving themselves a problem they don't need to have.

[JerseyMetFan]

I think Young was semi-attractive bc he was a FA to be. Now that a team has to commit to him for 2 years, his value drops. I doubt he gets moved now.

Bowden must really love him and Belliard...

[EndyChavezActionHero]

I guess they somehow feel that having the fattest right side of the infield in the history of the game may somehow interest fans into attending games.

[A Washington Tragedy]

Ugh, this is such a disaster. I liked the Belliard extension, because he's clearly here to be a bench player in the future, and even if he starts, he's well priced, and a good leader. Dmitri has brought some good intangible pop to the locker room this year, and yeah, his BA is definitely good, but he's not really hitting for power, and the fact that he'd cost $5 million a year for two years is the antithesis of "The Plan," as put forth by Stan Kasten and company, and that's 5 million dollars that could be put toward signing one relatively big name free agent, that will instead be spent on the Meat Hook.

This just strikes me as a really, really stupid move.

[BringBackTheThrill]

Uh, assaulting young women isn't the kind of "intangible" any team should be paying $10 million for.

[coolpapabell]

You know, I really see this thing as a sign and trade. Not now neccessarily, but somewhere down the line. It insulates them from having to rely too much on Nick Johnson's return. He has been away from baseball for a year, so who knows what you will get with him. If Nick comes back in his old form, then you can trade away Dimitri, and you will have the added leverage that a D-Young trade won't be a one year rental. It will add to Bodwen's already ridiculous trade demands.

Do any of you think that Bowden might have a trade lined up already, and that this thing is a sign and trade scenario? The trade deadline is a strange time to work out an extension.

[A Washington Tragedy]

He hasn't been doing that this year, has he? I don't think anyone is nominating him for Role Model of the Decade, he's got a pretty clear record as a scumbag, but after kicking a slew of addictions this past year, he seems to have cleaned up his act a good deal, and has provided some leadership for a team of nobodies.

But it'd be hard to deny that a slightly cleaned up dirtbag is still a dirtbag, and giving him 10 million dollars to be mediocre because he isn't attacking his girlfriend anymore is a dumb plan, no matter how you cut it.

[A Washington Tragedy]

I really doubt that it's a sign and trade, simply because it means that whoever picks him up isn't renting a hot player for a playoff run, instead they're picking up a mediocre DH/1B for 2 years.

Besides, Bowden definitely wants something ridiculous for him. Probably a package deal of Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand, and Cole Hamels for Dmitri Young and Chad Cordero. Because Jim Bowden is a schmuck.

[baseballfiles]

This is very confusing indeed, but then again should we expect anything less from Jim?

Young should be traded, not extended. The Bill Ladson article mentions that Young could play some OF for the Nats. He would need to do some serious off-season training to make that a possibility. And they're willing to pay him based on that outside chance?

If Nick doesn't return to form, perhaps the Nats will finally promote Larry Broadway?

[TNS]

Young can net them a prospect or 2 that'll actually help the team and not effect the payroll. They'd get something for nothing this way. Extending him is basically the dumbest thing they could possibly do given the only threat in their lineup other than Zimmerman is another 1B in Nick Johnson. They need to sell high.