The Nationals’ previously reported deals with infielder Howie Kendrick and catcher Yan Gomes are now official, the team announced.
Kendrick will earn $4MM in 2020 with a mutual option for $6.5MM or a $2.25MM buyout for 2021, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. At the moment, the 36-year-old is penciled in as Washington’s starting first baseman for 2020 after a year in which he was nothing short of spectacular during the regular season and the playoffs.
The long-solid Kendrick slashed an eye-popping .344/.395/.572 and swatted 17 home runs in 370 plate appearances during the regular campaign, in which he was a Statcast darling, before coming up with more than one enormously important hit in a postseason that ended with the Nationals’ first-ever World Series championship. He’s etched in Nationals lore for his grand slam against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS and his go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series in Houston.
Gomes wasn’t anywhere near as successful as Kendrick in 2019, but the Nats nonetheless brought him back to again pair with fellow veteran Kurt Suzuki behind the plate. The 32-year-old Gomes will rake in $4MM next season and $6MM in 2021 on the two-year, $10MM pact he landed, per Nightengale.
Kendrick was one of the most underrated free agents in that 2017-2018 free agent class. Knew when the Nats signed him, they were going to get a good player. Just never thought he would have the season he did in 2019.
Cool!
If they don’t get Rendon or Donaldson, I could see them trading for a paid-down Kyle Seager. Would be a high-upside play, the guy has had a very good career, only that one bad year in 2018. Probably wouldn’t have to give up a whole lot and his tax number is lower than his salaries.
Kyle Seager is never getting moved. His contract contains a poison pill that turns his option year in 2022 into a fully guaranteed year if he is ever traded. He bounced back a bit this year but no team is going to take that on, and the Mariners aren’t going to pay down that money either.