The Nationals have made a late-season push to retain pending free agent star Anthony Rendon, according to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.
Per the report, the club dangled a seven-year offer in the range of $210MM to $215MM. While there were deferrals in the proposal, it would’ve functioned more like the Max Scherzer contract than the long-fuse offer the team made last year to Bryce Harper.
The offer was put on the table in early September, according to Svrluga, and it doesn’t seem as if it’s likely to be accepted. Rendon is now just weeks away from the open market and appears destined to reach it. He’ll do so armed with the knowledge that the Nats have intense interest in keeping him.
It’s not entirely clear whether the D.C. organization will keep this particular offer on the table once the offseason begins. Neither is it known whether the team is willing to go any higher if that’s needed. Regardless, it’s a nice starting point for Rendon, who has ramped up his already excellent play to higher-than-ever levels in 2019. He’s slated to reach free agency as the top available position player.
Depending upon where one looks for their contract numbers, the reported offer may sound light. After all, Rockies star third bagger Nolan Arenado just got a $260MM contract that spans eight years … sort of. In fact, that deal added seven years and $234MM beyond Arenado’s final season of arbitration eligibility. In reality, the Nats’ offer to Rendon is close to — but still clearly less than — the money the Rox gave to Arenado.
That Arenado contract (which also includes an opt-out) always spelled bad news for the D.C. organization’s efforts with Rendon, as it pushed a big new comp out at an inopportune time. Rendon is nearly a year older, lacks the history of consistent home run output, and isn’t as flashy a fielder or well-known a marketing piece. But for all his steady excellence, Arenado has never reached the offensive heights Rendon did in 2019 and hasn’t yet posted a 6.0 fWAR campaign. Rendon, meanwhile, has quietly reeled off three-straight seasons with that level of all-around value.
These ongoing talks only help to set the stage for what promises to be quite an interesting trip onto the open market for Rendon and super-agent Scott Boras. The universe of bidders isn’t yet known, but there’s little doubt multiple clubs will make serious pushes to draw Rendon from the Nats.
It’s a good starting offer if the deferrals aren’t insane but Remdon should be able to get 8/250 on the open market
8 years… He’s going to be 30 next June.
Exactly. Arenado was locked up through his age 35 season. Arenado probably gets a year bump for actually hitting the open market, so locking him up through his age 36 season gives him a 7 year deal max.
People said the same about Cano. Rendon is a great hitter and the Nats are undervaluing him. Hit the market.
I highly doubt that the Nats undervalue him at all actually. They just offered him a contract equivalent to or greater than what they are paying Scherzer, who is a top 4 starter in baseball (at WORST). Also, if they watch their own games, I think that they know how much they need him. I know hitting is largely circumstantial, but if you were to go through the game summaries and box scores from this year and look at some of the runs that he has driven in and hits that he has delivered you would realize that you’re not looking at a team that would have enough wins to be playing tomorrow night. There are only a few guys I can remember from the last 15 years in baseball who have at-bats/approach at his level. Today, Trout is the only guy who I would say is defenitively better from that perspective.
While arenado gets a bump for his age, rendon is outright better
The best players in the league are expensive
It’s crazy to think 8/250 is a realistic offer nowadays while I remember A-Rod’s 10/250 and then 10/275 were outrageous deals that would never be topped
Is Boras his agent.?
If so, then everyone will have to wait until February to find out where he signs.
Or June
This is the Nats just being super PR savvy. They reportedly offered Bryce a reasonable contract. Now they are reportedly offering Rendon a reasonable deal to stay.
When Rendon leaves but the Nats keep winning, the fans in DC will hail the front office and snear at the greedy stars who didn’t bleed for the city.
215 million is excellent for someone about to enter their 30s. Don’t be a moron, you’d do unspeakable things for that kind of money. He plays a game for a living, I think your priorities are skewed.
Well the offer value is less than 215 million, probably less than 200 million considering deferrals. It’s a business, Anthony rendon is worth more
LOL!!! Even they know they’re gonna lose in the first round again!
Good call, Nostradamus.
What’s that old saying? “It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future, especially when you’re a moron.”
Rizzo needs to quit with the deferral CRAP
I’m sure it’s coming from ownership
If they didn’t they wouldn’t be able to pay for talent.
it’s to get around taxes.
if he got his full salary, a large portion would go to d.c. taxes.
by deferring, it allows the player to avoid them (if he lives in a no state income tax state, like rendon does).
i do agree it should stop, but if they didn’t, would mean any team offering the same amount of cash the nats did would beat them by quite a lot
It’s because Baltimore has all their T.V. money.
I am not a tax expert so if anyone reading this is, please correct me if I am wrong.
It is a tax issue. But you have it backwards. DC can’t tax folks who work in DC but live elsewhere (Congress prevents reciprocity with other states)..
So Rendon, who I believe lives in Texas (which has no state income tax), would not pay any state taxes on the games he plays in DC. Likewise, once he retires (to Texas), he would pay no state taxes on the deferred dollars.
Totally agree the MLB needs to make a rule about deferred money. The higher revenue teams have an advantage plus players in those places are able to get more endorsements. So this deferring money seems kinda like a loophole.
And the opening bid is 7 years at 30 Mil a year or so they want us to believe. The amount deferred becomes all important. It could be 7 years at 20 Mil with 7 years of 10 deferred until after the contract. Those are pretty far apart on annual salary.
It’s about the same structure as Scherzers deal.
So your offer is 7/140M with 70M deferred? LMAO. He would walk out of that meeting so quickly.
PHILLIES
Astros if he goes home.
I could see Rangers, Angels or Mets.
Where’s he gonna play in Houston?
3rd. Bregman to short. I’d look at a possible move to either 1st or left for Correa. Who do you sign, Tendon or resign Cole?
heard of Carlos Correa?
Correa moves from Short to first or the OF
Correa to 1B? What? Dude. Don’t ever be a Manager, please.
Correa will probably be traded because of back issues.
Bregman can play short and they could trade Correa for pitching to help mitigate the sting of losing Cole, if he leaves.
No. This has the feel of trying to hard to fit a player into your line up. Between Gurriel and Alvarez, 1B AND dh are covered. Altuve is at second, Bregman at third and Correa at SS sets the infield. So you can’t put anyone at 1B to make room.
You want to put him in the outfield? Okay well, you should know that he has never played a single major league game there.
Phillies would be wise to make a strong offer if he reaches FA market. Move Bohm to 1B and trade Hoskins
selling low on Hoskins wlulf be a terrible idea
Who cares Hoskins STINKS.
So, you keep him ONLY with the hope and prayer that he bounces back to regain trade value? Nah. It’s not great to sell low, obviously, but it is even worse to continue to fool yourself into thinking that he’s the much-needed “protection” for Bryce Harper. I love Rhys but his production this year just ain’t gonna cut it for a 1st baseman on a (hopeful) contender. Change of scenery needed. Hoskins to Tampa Bay for McClanahan, Baz, and Gibaut. With how deep TBs pitching is, they wouldn’t even notice these guys are gone. They still keep an impressive rotation and an even more impressive level of pitching depth.
Sad to say, but Hoskins is looking more like Adam Dunn than the Superstar they Philly media made him out to be.
I hope I’m wrong.
Which Adam Dunn? The one you remember from the last few years of his career, or the guy who hit 462 career home runs (37th all-time)?
and the sky is blue
Unless the deferred money is huge this doesnt seem to be a bad offer at all. Perhaps one that should have been made earlier in the season though when it would be more tempting. I really havent seen a lot about Rendon getting 30 mil AAV. Obviously the deferred aspect lowers that but i was pleasantly surprised to see this big of a number reported.
The nonstop deferred money crap is absolutely infuriating though. Just offer what the “true value” would end up being!
Why does anyone care if they Ave deferrals or not? I’m sure the team isn’t trying to pretend that the deferrals are the same as actual cash. Both the team and the players agent have accountants and other financial advisors that can tell them what the deal means and whether it has tax advantages or drawbacks.
3rd. Bregman to short. I’d look at a possible move to either 1st or left.
Wow 7 years $210M…never would have thought Rendon would get that kind of $$
7/260, with 259M deferred.
Rendon has always been underrated, now he will get his due, I think he stays with the Nats.
Didn’t we hear the same banter about Harper last season? What are the Lerner’s trying to do, pull a Steve Phillips and Bobby Bonilla their franchise!?!
I hate the Nats, so please do, but it I don’t see the long term positive from these deferred contracts. 5 or 6 WS titles maybe, but not for one. No one will remember outside of DC 5 years from now.
He’s 30. Don’t give him more than 5 years. Don’t give any player over 30 more than five years. Not a whole lot of players are worth $30 million a year by the time they are 35.
It’s a trade-off. They’re worth more than that up front, so you pay at the back-end for the effective discount you get up front. It all averages out.
No one on the planet is worth anything. #spaceisfake #flatearth #lizardsociety
Why mess with this before their season ends?
Especially with the team heading into the playoffs.
you mean playoff
Big question is how much is deferred. If nothing this is a good deal. If a lot is (like they offered Harper) not so much.
The tax issue people have raised above is way more complex than where an athlete lives or which team he plays for. Most states and some municipalities require them to file and pay taxes in those jurisdictions. So, Rendon would owe state and local taxes wherever the Nats play. I agree that a deferral could be advantageous, then, if he’s living in a low or no state income tax state when those deferrals are paid (but even then I wouldn’t be surprised if there are state or local laws that would consider a deferral “earned” at the time he is playing in their municipality)
Not an issue for D.C., which has reciprocity with all states. https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-reciprocity-for-state-income-tax-3193330
Damn. That’s a lot of money to turn down.
7/235 Anaheim Angels