The Nationals announced that veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson went unclaimed on release waivers. He’s officially a free agent.
Dickerson, 34, lost his roster spot on Wednesday. The left-handed hitter signed a $2.25MM free agent contract over the winter. His stint in the nation’s capital didn’t go well. Dickerson missed six weeks with a calf strain and struggled over the 52 games he played. He hit .250/.283/.354 with a pair of home runs. The on-base and slugging marks were the lowest of his career.
Once the trade deadline passed, the Nationals decided to move on from the former All-Star. They called up former Yankees’ first-rounder Blake Rutherford for an audition in the corner outfield. It’s understandable the last-place club preferred to get a look at Rutherford, who’d be controllable for a number of seasons if he plays well enough to secure a spot.
The Nationals remain on the hook for the rest of Dickerson’s salary. He’ll likely be limited to minor league offers now that he’s back on the open market. If another club called him to the majors at any point this season, they’d pay just the prorated portion of the $720K minimum, which would be subtracted from the Nationals’ payments.
Calf strain is no joke.
$240K for the rest of the season for at the very least a veteran presence should get him a major league contract.
With those numbers and at that age—I wouldn’t bank on it. Dickerson’s about done. Any contending team ought to have something better and a rebuilding club should use this time to evaluate a guy with a future in the org.
Where you at John Mozeliak? You obviously need a 5th outfielder to block someone like Randy Arozarena? Dexter Fowler on line 2….
Alex Anthopoulous be like… yes please