Now that Stephen Strasburg has been re-signed to an expectations-shattering $245MM contract, it doesn’t seem like the Nationals could manage another mega-deal to bring back Anthony Rendon…or could they? Both Nats GM Mike Rizzo and agent Scott Boras (who represents both Rendon and Strasburg) told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that the third baseman could still potentially return to Washington, despite owner Mark Lerner’s recent comments about his club not being able to afford both free agents. “Well, when you look at those comments, and then you look at the structure of this particular deal and the structure of deals we’ve had getting up to where we are right now, I think that Mark realizes that there’s ways to fit players in,” Rizzo said, in reference to the deferral-heavy nature of both Strasburg’s contract and several other major Nats contracts in recent years.
Boras also spoke of how Strasburg “directed me to negotiate and create a value, a fair-market value for him, but also a structure that allowed the team to continue at a championship level.” Naturally, it wouldn’t be good business for Boras to create any impression that a wealthy suitor had dropped out of the running for Rendon, though the fact that he has had such a long history of negotiating deals with the Nationals perhaps gives his comments some added weight. “I think when you go to do these contracts — in fairness to Mark and everyone else — is you really don’t know what can be done inside a contract to create opportunities so that aspects of the team can be looked at a little differently than was even anticipated,” Boras said.
More rumblings from around the NL East…
- Not that a World Series-winning manager should necessarily be worried about job security, but Dave Martinez tells NBC Sports Washington’s Todd Dybas that he isn’t concerned about entering the final guaranteed year of his contract. The Nationals hold a club option on Martinez for the 2021 season, though just making through 2020 would make Martinez (somewhat incredibly) the first person to manage three full seasons for the Nats since the club moved from Montreal prior to the 2005 season. Martinez didn’t give any indication of extension talks, though even with the Nationals’ unusual history of managerial hirings and firings, it looks like stability might have finally come to the dugout.
- Yoenis Cespedes is hoping to return to the field in 2020, and Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that the outfielder has begun throwing and running programs. A series of leg injuries forced Cespedes to miss the entire 2019 season, and limited him to just 119 games in 2017-18. Naturally, Van Wagenen was cautious about the possibility of a comeback for the outfielder, saying “We have to be smart and not assume anything from anyone and try to create talent on our roster and try to create impact. If he’s at his best, he’s a high-impact performer. We’ll have to see how that plays out.”
- In other news from Van Wagenen’s media briefing, he said finding depth for both the rotation or bullpen is a main focus for the Mets. The club may also look at adding a backup infielder and backup catcher. The latter could spell some trouble for current backup catcher Tomas Nido, who was one of the game’s better defensive catchers in 2019 but hasn’t shown any hitting prowess during his three MLB seasons (albeit over only 244 career plate appearances).
- The Marlins have hired Billy Hatcher as the team’s new first base coach, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports. Hatcher brings 21 years of coaching experience to Miami, after long stints with both the Rays (1998-2005) and Reds (2006-18). Trey Hillman will move from first base coach across the diamond to coach third base next season, to accommodate Hatcher. In other Marlins staff news, assistant hitting coach Eric Duncan has been promoted to hitting coach.
Cespedes should work out with Pedroia so they both can come back and RAKE. That would be a dream reality but you never know. Baseball and reality occupy some interesting places.
Those two and Ellsbury are getting a lot of money to stay home…
At this rate the Nats are going to have a $100 million payroll after their entire team is retired…
John Middleton will have all that money in his bank account or Hollywood Johnny will have more film production companies.
Why shouldn’t he dude? Incidentally, take the sum total of all of your user names divide by 4 and multiply by π and let me know what answer you get.
Then sell the team to someone who wants to win the World Series.
Will the Mets finally stop hearing it about Bonilla then???
No, because Bruce Sutter is still being paid by the Braves and no one talks about them.
the Reds are still paying Griffey jr.,the Mariners are still paying Ichiro,the Orioles will be paying Chris Davis until 2035, Texas is still paying Prince Fielder,there are a lot of teams out there making deferred payments,in all sports.
Now is the time for the Nationals to get really silly and shock the baseball world. Talking about a huge Rendon offer plus something wild like MadBum for five or six years (replacement for Scherzer in two years). Obviously, Donaldson is the back up to Rendon. In any case, make sure the Phillies are mid-pack for years.
The Phillies farm is empty. If they aren’t buying Rendon and Cole then the Marlins are going to start catching up to them.
Cool. Keep the Phillies down.
Sorry to disappoint you but the Met’s will be behind the Phillies.
Van Lunchwagon is a joke; finding rotation and bullpen depth for the 12 million total next year they have to spend under the L Tax!?
Rest easy and enjoy Philly fan I would have like to been born different.
The same Mets who finished ahead of the Phillies last year? Please. Enjoy 4th place again next year.
phillies are doing a good enough job doing that themselves
Ladies, please. You sound like a bunch of jilted prom dates. Move on…
True, but fun to bash the Phillies.
I called the FAA in Washington and asked them if they have any flight plans for Air Middleton.
Nothing.
I asked the guy if he knew who I was talking about, the “Stupid Money” guy who owns the Phillies and he said “Oh I know who you’re asking about, who could forget the Stupid Money guy? No sign of him anywhere!”
John Middleton is sucking the blood of Phillies fans and buying a new movie studio for his son Hollywood Johnny.
What about the Harper and Wheeler signings?
What about them?
The real payroll tax line is $248 million. Middleton hasn’t sniffed the fake $208 number. The Nationals DO NOT have a TV contract and they have paid tax on the payroll and won the WS.
The Phillies can afford to roll with a $270 million payroll for a couple of years to chase the trophy.
Just saying it looks like he us trying to move the meter. Nats gave a pending MASN settlement and deep pocket ownership. No way the Phils should overspend them now.
The only team behind the Phillies was the Marlins. The Phillies record was better than than their Pythagorean prediction. The Nats had the best Pythagorean number, not the Braves.
Nido was rushed. Am not sure he’s had time to develop at the appropriate intervals. His bat may become usable in 2 or 3 years and probably with another team.
Nido always had decent batting numbers for a catcher in the minors and solid above average defensive numbers. he could be a starting catcher in the majors if he gets steady playing time.
In an either/or situation, I would have taken Rendon over Strasburg any day
If you want the trophy it’s not an “either/or”
Not me. I figure Donaldson is a good backup and there are others out there. When it comes to ace starters, it is thin. Plus, Stras was already committed to four years, so the extra years are the hook. If I have $250M still looking to find a home, I would add $50M to it and sign Cole also. Now that would be a rotation!
Donaldson and Wheeler, the biggest ticketing bombs on the free agent market.
The Wheeler deal seems to be universally liked. I don’t know about his durability, but there are plenty of suitors for him at the $100M+ mark,
That’s a straight up lie dude.
Fangraphs:
Kiley 4 years $60 some million
Crowd source: 4 years $60 some million
Phillies: 5 years and $118 million
You mean Bumgardner….
Wheeler has been healthy for multiples years now and he’s been a top 15 pitcher for the past two years. He has an elite FB, and his underlying metrics are great. He could still be an injury risk, but I’d worry a lot more about Bumgardner wanting 9-figures than wheeler.
Speaking of injury risks….Ryu is the best upside 2nd/3rd tier pitcher left. I’d love for my Mets to sign him, but they have yet to demonstrate a willingness to actually spend money after a surprisingly strong 2nd half last year. Again.
Wheeler hasnt been all that healthy — he was soooo overpaid by the Phillies — I think its good for the Mets as Philly continues to spend driving their payroll up
Heard both the Reds and White Sox were in.
You’re just wrong. I’m not even sure how folks talk about injuries like this.
By whom? Wheeler is league-average with an extensive injury history. That deal is going to look awful even in year one.
At some point the deferred money on all of these contracts will have to catch up to them right?
I mean I understand the idea of it, but at what point does it hurt them team to be paying for not 1 or 2 but several guys that no longer play for you?
The deferred money isn’t on the payroll then, it’s on the payroll now.
Some guys want to win and then there’s Mr. Stupid Money who likes to yell real loud about how he wants to win but there’s the two pieces he needs – Rendon and Cole – and John Middleton is nowhere to be found.
That money is “cheaper” as it gets older (time value of money), plus the Nationals are really only on the hook for Scherzer and now for Stras. Stras was already calculated in the next four years and Scherzer is already fully accounted for. They do have an old $2M/yr. deferral to Soriano, unbelievable, but that is really pocket change. The deferred money is actually a benefit to the team because they have other options such as buying an annuity.
Moreover, deferred money afford them financial creativity to go after some other FAs they would’ve otherwise had to pass up, for example, Josh Donaldson. I’m not saying they will get him, rather they are still in the market because of the deferred money.
Strasburg’s deferred money includes interest.
It’s on the payroll now, not then.
This is NOT Bobby Bonilla.
Lerner is a decent owner.
How do deferred payments count for current and future (after the contract) payroll/luxury tax calculations? For instance, does the annual $1m payment to Bonilla count for the Mets current payroll? Does it count the same for today’s contracts as it did when Bonilla signed?
It does count towards current payroll. In the year when paid.
The Braves are still the team to chase down. Better team than ‘18 and ‘19.
Obviously, they need to be better.
Translation theres no way the natswill pay both got it. If Strasburg was really about winning and a continued success he wouldve taken less. I’m a mets fan and I enjoy watching tony 2 bags rake I dont see him coming back to was and get 260 mil
Dear Mets,
You are looking for backup infield help, but yet you had Joe Panik and could still re-sign him! Also Wilmer Flores is still available!
The trouble with that is that teams claiming to be almost maxed out on payroll can’t be paying 5m for backup IFers–Panik’s likely arb award (the Mets can’t choose not to go to arb with him then re-sign him for less). As for Flores, he should never play SS, and the last thing the Mets need is one more guy limited to 2B at that price. Guillorme showed he can handle backup IF duties at the Mets price and actually still has a little upside.
If they were a contender an upgrade on the bench would be nice, but they’re a .500 team that should have figured out a significant move with the few resources they do have to spend, such as packaging enough minor league talent for either a good pre-arb 5th starter or a real pre-arb CFer. Instead they make pointless little moves that will nudge them from 81 wins to 83.
The Steve Cohen era can’t arrive soon enough.
If BVW does nothing at the winter meetings the Metropolitans might finish behind the Marlins in 2020.
Their hitting and defense is abominable and they have no fifth pitcher.
Lugo and Gesellman are horrendous starters.
If the Mets really like Rick Porcello and he is willing to do a one-year pact to re-establish value after a down 2019, then go get him. Pick the best backup catcher from the baseball operation’s evaluation — Jason Castro or Martin Maldonado or whomever — and sign him for a year.
Can you give a Joe Smith or Craig Stammen enough on one-year deals or one with an option to get them to deepen the bullpen? Heck, sign them both. See if Dellin Betances wants to come to Queens to re-establish his value in 2020.
“We have to be smart and not assume anything from anyone and try to create talent on our roster and try to create impact.”
—If Wags ever knew how to speak English, that facility was lost long ago in a haze of fuzzy-brained corporatespeak.
“In other news from Van Wagenen’s media briefing, he said finding depth for both the rotation or bullpen is a main focus for the Mets.”
—“Depth” for a rotation with no 5th starter? “Depth” for a bullpen whose #5 reliever on the depth chart was replacement level in 2019 and over his career? You have to actually have the roster filled out before you should look to wrangle depth for that roster– although it’s probably too much to expect the guy to know that who went out and added yet another 2Bman to the roster last year when Craig Morton was available for Jed Lowrie and Justin Wilson’s salaries.