Nationals Rumors

Revisiting Ryan Zimmerman’s Extension

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 12, 2011 at 5:18pm CDT

The Nationals and GM Mike Rizzo have taken their share of criticism for bidding aggressively on Jayson Werth and signing him to a free agent contract worth $126MM. Back in 2009, six weeks after taking over in Washington, Rizzo, then the interim GM, signed an equally important player to a long-term contract that's now looking like a fantastic deal for the team.

Ryan Zimmerman signed a five-year, $45MM deal two years ago this month and though his reasons for accepting the deal – guaranteed money, an extended stay with an organization he likes – are understandable, the Nationals are set to save $14MM or more in 2012-13, Zimmerman's age 27 and 28 seasons.

If he hadn't signed the exension two years ago, Zimmerman would have hit free agency after the 2011 season as a 27-year-old. He’s now on the disabled list (for just the second time in his career) with a left abdominal strain, but that wouldn’t have stopped teams from bidding on him if he had hit the open market after the season. Zimmerman and Prince Fielder would have been the best free agent position players available other than Albert Pujols.

A $20MM annual salary on a long-term deal would have been possible for the third baseman and his agents at CAA. Instead, the Nationals will pay Zimmerman $12MM in 2012 and $14MM in 2013. They have always been aggressive with Zimmerman, promoting him to the majors just 85 days and 269 minor league plate appearances after being drafted. It paid off with a sizzling cameo in 2005, a productive rookie season in 2006 and a shrewd contract extension in 2009.

The only players with more wins above replacement than Zimmerman since he became an everyday player in 2006 are perennial All-Stars and, in many cases, Hall of Fame candidates: Pujols, Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, David Wright, Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera and Joe Mauer. Zimmerman, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, has a career mark of 13.1 UZR/150 and a .289/.356/.485 batting line, testaments to his well-rounded game.

He said last month that he would like to stay in Washington and is open to extending his stay in D.C. once again. This time, the Nationals might not be able to secure free agent years for south of $20MM, but that doesn't change the fact that his current deal has been a success for them so far and promises to be even better in 2012-13.

Quick Hits: Buchholz, Ishikawa, Tabata, Rivera

By Luke Adams 2 | April 10, 2011 at 9:57pm CDT

Rounding up Sunday's links, as Andre Ethier celebrates his 29th birthday….

Jon Lester told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he didn't talk to Clay Buchholz about the pros and cons of signing a long-term extension before the right-hander inked a four-year pact today.
Travis Ishikawa admitted he hoped another team would claim him when he was placed on waivers earlier this season, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft. However, now he says he's glad he's still with the Giants organization and is excited to stay on the West Coast, playing for Triple-A Fresno.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks back at the trade that sent Xavier Nady to the Yankees. Kovacevic argues that even if three of the four players the Pirates received for Nady don't work out, Jose Tabata alone makes it a steal for Pittsburgh.
Juan Rivera isn't off to a good start with his new team, as Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun writes. The Blue Jays are reportedly interested in trading Rivera, but his performance so far likely isn't helping draw any interest.
The Indians will have some roster shuffling to do when injured players return, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who also addresses trade possibilites in a Tribe mailbag.
Nationals infielder Alex Cora should make a good manager someday, says MLB.com's Marty Noble.

Heyman On Marlins, White Sox, Jenks, Glaus

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 8, 2011 at 3:13pm CDT

There is likely an unusually short list of managers on the hot seat this year, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez is the lone manager who truly has uncertain job security, according to Heyman. Rodriguez received a one-year deal from the Marlins, which is rare for managers and suggests he doesn’t necessarily figure into the club’s long-term plans. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors.

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told Heyman that "no one's on the hot seat.”
Jim Leyland of the Tigers, Jim Riggleman of the Nationals and Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox are not necessarily on the hot seat, but they’re worth keeping an eye on, according to Heyman.
Leyland will likely be given the chance to return to Detroit after the season when his contract expires, but that’s not a sure thing, according to Heyman.
One White Sox person told Heyman that Guillen “isn't going anywhere.”
Before the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano, GM Brian Cashman told Bobby Jenks that he wasn’t offering any setup man $8MM. The Yankees signed Soriano for $35MM over three years, though Cashman advised against it.
Free agent Troy Glaus is still at home after drawing some interest this winter.

Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals

By Tim Dierkes | April 6, 2011 at 2:40pm CDT

The Nationals are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Jayson Werth, RF: seven years, $126MM.
Adam LaRoche, 1B: two years, $16MM. Includes $10MM mutual option for 2013 with a $1MM buyout.
Jerry Hairston Jr., IF/OF: one year, $2MM.
Rick Ankiel, CF: one year, $1.5MM.
Todd Coffey, RP: one year, $1.35MM.
Chien-Ming Wang, SP: one year, $1MM.
Total spend: $147.85MM.

International Signings

Click here to view

Notable Minor League Signings

Matt Stairs, Jonathan Van Every, Matt Antonelli, Chad Gaudin, Brian Bixler, Michael Aubrey, Alex Cora, Cla Meredith, Laynce Nix, Alex Cintron, Ron Villone, Oliver Perez

Extensions

Sean Burnett, RP: two years, $3.95MM.

Trades and Claims

Acquired RP Henry Rodriguez and OF Corey Brown from Athletics for LF Josh Willingham
Claimed RP Elvin Ramirez from Mets and SP Brian Broderick from the Cardinals in Rule 5 draft
Acquired SP Tom Gorzelanny from Cubs for SP Graham Hicks, P A.J. Morris, and OF Michael Burgess
Acquired RP Adam Olbrychowski from Yankees for OF Justin Maxwell
Claimed RP Lee Hyde off waivers from Braves
Acquired 3B/OF Cutter Dykstra and $50K from Brewers for CF Nyjer Morgan
Acquired SP Erik Davis and cash considerations from Padres for IF Alberto Gonzalez

Notable Losses

Adam Dunn, Nyjer Morgan, Josh Willingham, Graham Hicks, A.J. Morris, Michael Burgess, Justin Maxwell, Alberto Gonzalez, Adam Kennedy, Willie Harris, Miguel Batista, Scott Olsen, Joel Peralta, J.D. Martin

Summary

After the 2009-10 offseason, I wrote that I'd have liked Nationals GM Mike Rizzo's offseason if we could eliminate the top two signings, the $21MM given to Jason Marquis and Ivan Rodriguez. A year later, it's much harder to excuse the $142MM spent on Werth and LaRoche.

With any seven-year free agent contract, the team is really just paying for the first three seasons and hoping the player doesn't become a complete albatross in the final four. The players can provide value at the tail end of these megadeals, but it's more of a bonus than an expectation. I can see Werth remaining an elite player through his age 34 season, and as he hasn't missed significant time since '07 I can see him remaining healthy too. Though Werth's seven-year term shocked the baseball world, I could justify the signing for a team on the cusp of contention.

My beef with the Werth signing is the Nationals' timing. They don't have the rotation to contend in 2011, and while the 2012 team should be better I'm not confident they'll be ready then either. Assuming the team's top young players will really start to come together after the '12 season, why not make your huge free agent strike then? The Nationals actually tried to make their free agent splash earlier, with big offers to Mark Teixeira and Torii Hunter in past offseasons. I don't have a problem with accelerating the timetable, for example if the Nationals signed Werth and went on to add Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. But win-now moves have to come as a package deal for a team like the Nats.

Did the Nationals "have to overpay" to get Werth and make the team more appealing for future free agents? I agree with ESPN's Keith Law that the concept is nonsense. Not because players rarely take discounts, but because they don't do so because they liked the team's crazy free agent expenditure. Were players lured to the Rockies, Astros, Giants, and Cubs because those teams went overboard for Mike Hampton, Carlos Lee, Barry Zito, and Alfonso Soriano? Many bad teams have turned things around without the luxury of a signature, excessive free agent signing.

The LaRoche contract pales in comparison to Werth's, but I still don't consider it money well spent. The Nationals went well beyond LaRoche's previous contract, despite his 2010 decline in walk rate and increase in strikeout rate. Similar to Marquis, these are not interesting players at ten-figure prices.

Rizzo's other free agent signings were acceptable purchases for a rebuilding club, with a little bit of upside sprinkled in.

I expected the Nationals to bring in a credible starter for Willingham, but Rodriguez does have the potential to develop into a premium late-inning reliever. The Morgan trade struck me as selling low, and if the center field alternatives are Ankiel and Hairston, why not give him a chance to rebuild value? I understand the Gorzelanny trade, as the lefty can chew up big league innings and has mild upside. However, Morris might have been able to help the Nationals' bullpen this year, and I'm not sure why a rebuilding team gave up on Burgess.

The Nationals would not agree that their window for contention is likely to open in 2013. I respect that, but if the plan is to win now I expect the team to be aggressive in improving its pitching staff at the trade deadline and during the 2011-12 offseason after failing to do so this winter.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Rizzo On Stats, Bench

By Tim Dierkes | April 5, 2011 at 3:02pm CDT

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo joined Bill Rohland and Danny Rouhier of 106.7 The Fan last night. Here are a few highlights…

Asked which team's success he'd like to mirror, Rizzo cited the Montreal Expos first, as they were "one of the prototypical scouting/player development organizations back in the day." He also named the Braves and Dodgers.
Rizzo explained that he's recognized the value of statistical analysis well before Moneyball was published. He noted, "We have a whole staff of sabermetricians."
Rizzo defended his veteran bench acquisitions, explaining that a team can't have young players at every position, and the veteran mentors won't take at-bats away from prospects.

East Notes: Simon, Red Sox, Feliciano, Mets

By Zachary Links | April 2, 2011 at 8:31pm CDT

Let's take a look at some items from the AL and NL East..

An Orioles source confirmed to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun that Alfredo Simon arrived in Tampa on Saturday afternoon and will work out at the team’s minor-league complex within the next few days.
Don't get accustomed to the Red Sox signing $100MM players, cautions Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.
Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon hasn't been totally cleared of wrongdoing in a fatal shooting, but he has been able to secure a visa which allowed him to travel to the United States. Simon's agent, Phil Issac, says that Simon will arrive in Florida this afternoon, writes Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec writes that it's too early to speculate about his availability, but the veteran will begin a throwing program and start preparing for the 2011 season.
Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez wants to stay with the club beyond 2011, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The catcher has been brought up in trade rumors as some believe that the club could make Jesus Flores the backup after handing the keys over to Wilson Ramos behind the plate.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that Pedro Feliciano was "abused" by the Mets' use of him in recent years, tweets Jim Baumbach of Newsday.
One group of bidders interested in buying a share of the Mets includes Tampa Bay Rays minority owner Randy Frankel, writes Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News.

NL East Notes: Reyes, Werth, Amaro

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 1, 2011 at 11:05am CDT

The latest on the NL East, before the Phillies, Mets and Marlins open their respective seasons…

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes tells Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that he isn't worried about the 2011 season – his walk year. I recommend McCullough's piece for an in-depth look at Reyes.
Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal says the Mets can forget dominance and aim for competence and respectability in 2011.
Tom Verducci of SI.com praises Nationals manager Jim Riggleman for batting $126MM man Jayson Werth second.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes that past and current Phillies GMs Ed Wade and Ruben Amaro Jr. are good friends despite their professional rivalry and different personality types.

Nationals Release Bisenius, Wood, Van Every

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 31, 2011 at 8:08am CDT

The Nationals released right-handers Joe Bisenius and Tim Wood and outfielder Jonathan Van Every, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter).

Bisenius, 28, appeared in five games for the Nationals last year in his first MLB action since 2007. He spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 3.05 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings across three levels.

Wood logged 27 2/3 innings for the Marlins last year, posting a 5.53 ERA. Also 28, he has a 4.72 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 over the course of his eight-year minor league career.

Van Every played all three outfield positions for the Red Sox in 2010, the third consecutive season in which he had a brief stint in the majors. Red Sox manager Terry Francona has called on the 31-year-old to pitch in both of the past two seasons and Van Every has also pitched in a minor league game. He has a .254/.356/.477 line in a decade's worth of minor league plate appearances.

NL East Notes: Chipper, Werth, Rollins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 29, 2011 at 5:00pm CDT

The Mets made a minor trade and the Marlins are finalizing their roster. Here's the latest from the other NL East teams…

The Braves are looking to upgrade their bench with another right-handed bat, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The Braves have been on the lookout for such a player throughout the month of March.
In a wide-ranging Q&A with David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chipper Jones says the hardest part of getting older is that something hurts every day. But fret not, Braves fans – Chipper's knee has been pain-free for three weeks.
As Tyler Kepner of the New York Times explains, a visit with a wrist surgeon changed the course of Jayson Werth's career a little more than four years ago. The Nationals lured Werth to Washington this offseason, signing him to a $126MM deal.
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins tells Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he has six or seven more years of baseball left. The 32-year-old hits free agency after the season.

Padres Acquire Alberto Gonzalez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 28, 2011 at 4:57pm CDT

The Padres acquired Alberto Gonzalez from the Nationals for right-hander Erik Davis and cash considerations, the teams announced. The Padres, who had been working to upgrade their bench, were looking hard at Gonzalez this week. The A's, Astros and Braves were also eyeing the infielder over the weekend.

Davis split the 2010 campaign between three levels, posting a 3.52 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 143 1/3 innings as a starter. The 24-year-old right-hander has made just eight starts above Class A, where he spent the first two seasons of his pro career. Davis, who played at Stanford with Nationals reliever Drew Storen, led all minor league pitchers with 30 wins in 2009-10.

Gonzalez, 27, played in 114 games last year, appearing at every infield position and in right field. He hit .247/.277/.301 last year in his fourth MLB season.

The move boosts the chances that Mets infielder Luis Hernandez goes unclaimed while on waivers.

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