Wily Mo Pena Exercises '09 Option

Hi, welcome to the front office of the Nationals. We sign contracts that allow you to stay if you want to, regardless of what we think. Even if we don't particularly want you, you're welcome. What? We declined your option? Oh well, we'll take you back anyway.

WMP will get traded by mid-season to a contender when he finds his stroke back.

I highly doubt he woulda got 2 million on the free market from anybody so that's why he took it.

I think the Mets showed interested in Kearns. They might get him for cheap if there's no better OF option.

I think WMP will break out very soon and hit 40+ wit a DUnn type.

Would Kearns for Jose Guillen make sense? Isn't Kearns a pretty good defender? Guillen is a statue, and the Royals are sick of his attitude. Kearns stinks, but has a chance to improve and Dayton is looking to improve the defense.

I believe that Pena's contract with the team and player options was not negotiated by the Nats, it was part of the deal they got when they traded for him in mid '07.

"I believe that Pena's contract with the team and player options was not negotiated by the Nats, it was part of the deal they got when they traded for him in mid '07."

That is correct. The Nats front office is not responsible for Pena's contract. He was offered that contract by the Cincinnati Reds, who traded him to the Boston Red Sox during spring training in 2006 for Bronson Arroyo, who traded him to the Nats in 2007 in a three team deal that brought the Sox Chris Carter.

As far as his value, the guy is completely worthless. For all the talk of his "power stroke" and an injury slowing him down, he's got a long road. His power stroke is his solitary tool. If you throw him an 85 MPH meatball down the center of the plate, he will send it a good 400+ feet. Unfortunately, that's about where his talent ends. He cannot hit the breaking ball, he strikes out A LOT and almost never walks(He averages four strike outs for every walk he draws), he is an abysmal fielder in every conceivable way (He's slow, takes poor routes and has terrible glove work and a bad arm) and he has no real speed or skill on the basepaths (He's been caught stealing in eight out of twelve career attempts (Prince Fielder and David Ortiz actually have better baserunning numbers than Pena does).

He's simply a guy who does not belong in the MLB. He can't field worth his life, but as a guy who can't hit the breaking ball, his chances at DH aren't good either. He's not even suitable as a utility guy, because he simply cannot hit off the bench cause he hits even worse when he's not getting regular at bats, (He's a meager .194/.250/.333 as a pinch hitter) can't be a defensive replacement and can't pinch run (When he played for us, I would rather have seen Doug Mirabelli pinch running than Pena).

Exercising his option was the smart thing to do because this chump is going to be making league minimum the second he's off contract, if he's lucky enough to even keep a job in the majors.