The Nationals finished the year with the best record in baseball, but their season came a stunning and abrupt end last night thanks to the Cardinals' ninth inning comeback. Following the game, one of the club's impending free agents told Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com that he would like to return to the team in 2013.
"It's definitely a group of guys that I gel with, and I definitely wouldn't mind coming back," said right-hander Edwin Jackson. "If we work something out and I have a chance to come back and do it all over with these guys again, I'd definitely be happy about it. But as far as right now, deal with it when that time comes … Like I always say going into free agency, you're not really sure (of the team's) plans."
Jackson, 29, left Scott Boras for the Legacy Agency back in July and said he's looking for a multiyear contract this offseason. He joined the Nationals on a one-year, $11MM deal late last winter, then pitched to a 4.03 ERA in 189 2/3 innings across 31 starts. It seems likely that Washington will make him a qualify offer so they can receive draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. Here is my recent look at Jackson's free agent stock.
Adam LaRoche also reiterated to Kolko that he would like to remain with the team going forward, and that contract talks have not really progressed yet. GM Mike Rizzo acknowledged the preliminary talks and said he likes the way the first baseman fits in the clubhouse. LaRoche will surely decline his half of his $10MM mutual option after hitting .271/.343/.510 with 33 homers this year.
A bit off-topic, but I still can’t believe to the finish to that epic game..still kicking myself that I didn’t watch the whole thing.
I’m so glad i’m not a Nationals fan right now , my house would look like an episode of Hoarders.
Only topic that matters. This postseason has been unbelievable so far. The Cards/Braves mayhem. All four series going to elimination game. Walk-offs, complete games, and crazy comebacks. The last two WS champs battling in the NLCS. The new WC system passed its first test. Anybody else notice how the Nats fans just kept standing in the stadium for an extra half hour, like something was going to change?
I wouldn’t say the only topic. Imagine many A’s fans and players especially are livid still at how wide the K zone was for Verlander in game 5. Balls 3+ inches off the plate being called strikes at 97mph are impossible to hit when they are at shoulder height. Crisp let Wally Bell know it numerous times, but the zone seemed to “grow” as the game went on..
Sabathia was given wide berth as well on the zone and his constant stalling on the mound between pitches made that one drag.
Baltimore and Oakland really never had a fair shake in game 5. Another reason have long sought to do away with an umpire altogether calling balls and strikes and use the “K-Zone” calling balls and strikes.
One day, maybe when a decent commissioner comes into power the Umpires union is the next they go after and crush this farce of a group the league is stuck with.. Blown calls abounded the entire group of games from as they themselves stated as “the best” group they could muster and a pathetic lot indeed it was.
I hope you’re not going by the “K zone” TBS has. That thing is not only annoying on the screen the entire game but terribly inaccurate as well.
The league can mandate it, it wouldn’t be hard. They don’t need the Umpires union to set it up.
So two of your points are that:
1) Sabathia slowed the game down and it was boring.
2) You want computers/replay making all the calls.
Having replay/computers determine the strike zone and all the other things umpires have to watch for (balks, whether a batter went, foul tips) would slow the game down a huge amount.
Nobody said **1** word about anything other than balls and strikes.. You sound like *reporters* on certain news channels that will go not named..
Balls and strikes only.. That idea was toyed with as far back as the late 70’s.. Different balls and strike zones are bad and lead to more confrontations than anything. Some are small zones, some are huge. Make them all the same, knees to the numbers and “from the black to the black” on the plate. Want a 4th umpire to handle out calls at HP? Stick him several feet behind HP and let him go to sleep there the rest of the time.. 1b/3b umpire can handle check swings and foul tips are always blown calls anyway.
HP umpire is one useless piece of the game that needs to be done away with and I am one who generally is calling for things to be done the way they were decades ago, but this is one thing that needs changing seriously.
I was one of them. I did it to avoid the miserable Metro rush — and because I was too catatonic to walk out of the stadium on my own power.
Maybe it’s just me, but he isn’t that good of a pitcher especially at $11 million aav.
He’s no Strasburg, or even Gonzalez, but the dude hasn’t missed a start in six years and more often than not pitches well enough to keep his team in a ballgame. About once every 4-5 starts he’s dominant. That’s worth a lot of money in MLB.
2.7 WAR , 3.85FIP. Worth every penny of that 11MM
Kind of agree, in that on a good team, he’s a #3-4 who eats innings and can keep you a in ball game. In today’s market that warrants at least a qualifying offer, if for nothing more than to receive a compensation pick.
he should come back with the dodgers.who need starting pitchers
I remember reading that Jackson turned down a 4 year contract from the Pirates as well as a 1 year offer this year…. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go after him again
What team would offer Edwin Jackson a 13 mil offer?
That’s the qualifying offer Washington have to make in order to get a draft pick.
Sorry, I don’t see it. Jackson is just not very good. He’s a solid number 4 or 5 starter, but doesn’t have overpowering stuff or good control. Or any nasty out pitch.
Other teams will probably, if they get the chance, offer Jackson somewhere along the lines of 3-4 year deal worth 6-7 mil per year. 4 years/ 30 mil for a team that has scouted him thoroughly.
When was the last time we heard a free agent say that he didn’t want to return to his previous team?