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Nationals To Sign Brad Lidge

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 26, 2012 at 10:03am CDT

The Nationals have agreed to sign free agent right-hander Brad Lidge to a one-year deal, the team announced. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets that Lidge will earn $1MM plus incentives. MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported the agreement via Twitter after Salisbury first tweeted that a deal was close. Rex Gary of Turner Gary Sports represents Lidge.

Lidge, 35, appeared in just 25 games in 2011 because of a rotator cuff injury. He posted a 1.40 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 19 1/3 regular season innings for the Phillies before pitching two scoreless frames in the Division Series. The ten-year veteran owns a career ERA of 3.44 with 12.0 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 40.7% ground ball rate.

Lidge, who earned $12MM in 2011, did not receive an offer of arbitration from Philadelphia after the season. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Phillies made him a lowball offer (Twitter link). Lidge joins a Nationals bullpen that includes Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Henry Rodriguez and Sean Burnett.

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View Comments (70)

Comments

  1. Dwight Holmes

    10 years ago

    I don’t really get this. Even if healthy, what role do they see him fitting into?

    Reply
    • UnbaisedSoxFan

      10 years ago

      7th inning guy in front of Clippard and Storen?? Great signing for them.

      Reply
    • UnbaisedSoxFan

      10 years ago

      7th inning guy in front of Clippard and Storen?? Great signing for them.

      Reply
    • blu167

      10 years ago

      Perhaps used as a “veteran, right-handed reliever to help pick up the slack in the middle innings (someone to hold down the role Todd Coffey had last season)”?

      Or so Natsinsider says 😛

      Reply
    • BrocNessMonster

      10 years ago

      Who cares what his title is. This has the potential to be the best signing of the off season.

      Reply
    • KeithLawSucksInStl

      10 years ago

      A drop in the bucket in salary for a potential very, very good 7th or 8th inning guy? What’s not to like? Great signing IMO.

      Reply
    • Ben Mayer

      10 years ago

      If healthy, he’s a steal. Potentially a Joel Zumaya type of guy to get out the powerful righties.

      Reply
  2. PhreshPhillies

    10 years ago

    We will never forget you, Lidge. Thanks for the Perfect season in 2008!

    Reply
  3. FillyPhan

    10 years ago

    Lidge can now give back the wins he should have to the Phillies. Maybe start out with a walkoff hitbatter. Hes really good at those.

    Reply
  4. jdr70

    10 years ago

    Lidge > Coffey.  1 Year deal.  Bullpen depth.  Nothing to get excited about here.  

    Reply
  5. UnbaisedSoxFan

    10 years ago

    Lidge is a great guy to have around the clubhouse. His veteran arm will certainly help the young guys in Washington. I could easily see him being a 7th inning guy before Clippard and Storen. If healthy, this could be a very productive signing for the Nationals. Regardless, I bet they didn’t pay too much for him. I like it.

    Reply
    • UnbaisedSoxFan

      10 years ago

      1 million dollars. plus incentives.. That’s ridiculously cheap, considering the potential.

      Reply
  6. Jon Stark

    10 years ago

    Would you rather have Lidge or Cordero (at this point)? (Assuming salaries are close to similar).

    Reply
    • UnbaisedSoxFan

      10 years ago

      Lidge won’t be closing. Cordero will probably want to close. I would rather have Cordero but the Nationals already have a young, productive closer in  Storen.

      Reply
    • melonis_rex

      10 years ago

      All things equal, Cordero. 

      However, I’d much rather have Lidge at 1MM than Cordero at 4MM. 

      Reply
  7. Vincent Paterno

    10 years ago

    Lidge’s perfect 2008 helped get the Nats to where they are. Remember the next-to-last game of the season, where the Phils clinched the NL East? Lidge induced Ryan Zimmerman to hit into a game-ending double play that also assured Washington of the worst record in the majors…and the first draft pick in 2009, which of course was Stephen Strasburg.

    Reply
    • CC

      10 years ago

      Nice point

      Reply
      • Amish_willy

        10 years ago

        As a Padre fan, I’d like to chime in. The Padres swept the Nats with a week to go in the season. The Nats ended the year with a 59-102 record with the Padres at 63-99.

        If things were different in that series…
        Nats sweep SD
        WAS – 62-99 / SD 60-102

        Nats take 2 out of 3
        WAS 61-100 / SD 61-101

        The second scenario would have had the Padres & Mariners ending with the same record so it might have taken a sweep to change both teams fortunes. Though swapping Tate for Ackley wouldn’t be soo bad either.

        Reply
  8. jdouble777

    10 years ago

    He was filthy when came back. His poor performance was undoubtedly related to his injury, which appears to be in the past. If he reutrn to form the Nats bullpen will be absolutely nasty. If I were Rizzo I would have added a vesting option for next year to take advantage of being the team that gave him his shot this year.

    Cordero got 4.5M, Lidge has only 1M gauranteed…that is almost 5 times the amount. I love Cordero, but given the deals I would opt for the Lidge deal given Storen is the closer.

    Reply
    • FillyPhan

      10 years ago

      Filthy as in dirty or bad, bc he was. He had no control and his now 88mph fastball isnt enough of a different over his slider to throw hitting off timing. His fastball is now also straight as an arrow. He lacks control which shows by his last year game tying walked batter and then next game gives up the win off a walkoff hitbatter. You can have him there is a reason no one took him for 1mil.

      Reply
      • Phillies_Aces35

        10 years ago

        You don’t know what you’re talking about at all.

        He didn’t blow any leads last year, so how did he “walk in the tying batter?” He had that one game against Washington in which he hit Gomes with the bases loaded. That game came AFTER Ryan Madson imploded the night before including a grand slam to Ryan Zimmerman.

        “He had no control and now his 88mph fastball isn’t enough of a different over his slider to throw hitting off his timing.”

        Other than the fact that the statement is fulled with typos and it’s kind of difficult to read, you’re once again wrong. Brad Lidge had a 10.7 k/9. While yes, he doesn’t have control, he still has a top 5 slider in the game. And yes, while his fastball is 88-92, his slider is also 78-82 which is a fine difference.

        Reply
        • nats2012

          10 years ago

          Nice post.

  9. jdouble777

    10 years ago

    He was filthy when came back. His poor performance was undoubtedly related to his injury, which appears to be in the past. If he reutrn to form the Nats bullpen will be absolutely nasty. If I were Rizzo I would have added a vesting option for next year to take advantage of being the team that gave him his shot this year.

    Cordero got 4.5M, Lidge has only 1M gauranteed…that is almost 5 times the amount. I love Cordero, but given the deals I would opt for the Lidge deal given Storen is the closer.

    Reply
    • FillyPhan

      10 years ago

      Filthy as in dirty or bad, bc he was. He had no control and his now
      88mph fastball isnt enough of a different over his slider to throw
      hitting off timing. His fastball is now also straight as an arrow. He
      lacks control which shows by his last year game tying walked batter and
      then next game gives up the win off a walk off hit batter. You can have
      him there is a reason no one took him for 1mil.

      Reply
  10. rizdak

    10 years ago

    Seems like a good low-risk deal for the Nats. Especially considering that Joe Nathan (37, Tommy John) got 2 years, $14.5 million this offseason.

    Reply
  11. Stuart

    10 years ago

    Why couldn’t the mariners of done this….instead we signed George sherrill….we could of then flipped either league or lidge at the deadline for something….

    Reply
  12. jcs921

    10 years ago

    a gamble worth taking for the price; just think if he is even close to back to his old self; it gives Davey (loved him as an Oriole player and manager – he makes the game fun – when he talks, just listen and learn) more options; Davey will take full advantage.

    Reply
  13. LUWahooNatFan

    10 years ago

    If healthy, a great signing for the Nationals

    Closer: Storen
    Set-up: Clippard
    7th inning: Lidge
    MR: H-Rod, Mattheus
    Lefty: Burnett
    LR: Gorzo

    Reply
    • FS54

      10 years ago

      it does sound exciting.

      Reply
    • WolandJR

      10 years ago

      Detweiler needs to fit in there somewhere. Probably at the expense of Mattheus.

      Reply
      • LUWahooNatFan

        10 years ago

        I think Detwiler has more potential then Lannan, I’d rather see Lannan moved and have Detwiler in the 5 spot of the rotation

        Reply
        • Natsfan89

          10 years ago

          I saw somewhere they are considering using a six man rotation or something to keep Strasburg active longer into the season.

        • WolandJR

          10 years ago

          Between Wang and Strasburg, they are going to need a 6th starter in fairly short order. Personally, I don’t think that Wang makes it past May 1 without going on the DL with some kind of boo-boo.

        • LUWahooNatFan

          10 years ago

          Wang seemed fine in the 17 starts he made last year

  14. jcs921

    10 years ago

    a gamble worth taking for the price; just think if he is even close to back to his old self; it gives Davey (loved him as an Oriole player and manager – he makes the game fun – when he talks, just listen and learn) more options; Davey will take full advantage.

    Reply
  15. KoenWerkman

    10 years ago

    For this price, great signing. Maybe if he’s on fire they can trade arround the all star break for a CF where they are looking for. (Although i like Bernadina in center so….)

    Reply
    • LUWahooNatFan

      10 years ago

      Are you serious? I like Bernadina as nothing more than platooning right field until Harper is in D.C.

      Reply
      • FacelessGeneralManager

        10 years ago

        The shark is like Morse, let him play and he will be fine.

        Reply
        • LUWahooNatFan

          10 years ago

          Not at all

        • FacelessGeneralManager

          10 years ago

          How can you say that. He has never be given a legitimate chance.

        • LUWahooNatFan

          10 years ago

          How about 2010?

          Looking at any of his statistics over his career, both minor league and major league, how can you say he would be anything more than a 4th outfielder?

  16. Zach

    10 years ago

    Dang really thought the Astros would reunite with him.. Especially at this price

    Reply
    • Ben Mayer

      10 years ago

      Lidge would give the Astros too much of a chance at winning a game or two.

      Reply
  17. Stuart

    10 years ago

    Why couldn’t the mariners of done this….instead we signed George sherrill….we could of then flipped either league or lidge at the deadline for something….

    Reply
  18. LUWahooNatFan

    10 years ago

    If healthy, a great signing for the Nationals

    Closer: Storen
    Set-up: Clippard
    7th inning: Lidge
    MR: H-Rod, Mattheus
    Lefty: Burnett
    LR: Gorzo

    Reply
    • LUWahooNatFan

      10 years ago

      Sorry for the duplicate.. How do I get this deleted?

      Reply
  19. hgr900

    10 years ago

    His fastball is straighter than this line   ______________________

    Reply
  20. TDKnies

    10 years ago

    Awesome pick-up for a measly $1mil.  Wonder if the incentives are ridiculously large and really easy to reach?

    Reply
  21. Leonard Washington

    10 years ago

    Great sign. If he is healthy its a win-win. If they are contending great he is useful, if they arn’t great he could get a prospect at the deadline. 

    Reply
  22. Ryan Schaitkin

    10 years ago

    Wrong Henry Rodriguez tagged here, haha. But should be an outstanding bullpen in 2012.

    Reply
  23. Ben Mayer

    10 years ago

    It hurts to see the Nationals make great relief signings like this when I have to sit here as a Twins fans and watch the Twins pay about 10 million dollars too much for the ever- worthless Matt Capps. Your welcome for Wilson Ramos, btw.

    Reply

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