The Washington Nationals Thread: The Future is Near!

[Dan T.]

This is the first spring training in 7 or 8 years I'll be missing.  We made our annual pilgrimage last year, and it was right on the cusp of the COVID epidemic... it had just started springing up in the news while we were down there basking in the warmth and posing in front of the newly erected "World Champion" signs at the Park, so blissfully unaware of the **** storm that was coming.

 

So much has been missed over this last year.  I am so looking forward to the normalcy of baseball -  on the radio, on TV and - with any luck - at the park with fans in the stands.

 

 

[PleaseBlitz]

Well said Dan.  Of the many things that my family and i have missed out on this year, baseball at the park ranks pretty high.  My daughter, now 5, learned last year that the park with Dad is a great time, even if she doesn't much care for the game itself.  New son, who turns one this weekend, has already had to wait too long to get to a game.  

 

That's not even mentioning long nights at the office with only Charlie and Dave to keep me company. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by PleaseBlitz

[Dan T.]

1 hour ago, PleaseBlitz said:

... Of the many things that my family and i have missed out on this year, baseball at the park ranks pretty high.  My daughter, now 5, learned last year that the park with Dad is a great time, even if she doesn't much care for the game itself.  New son, who turns one this weekend, has already had to wait too long to get to a game.  

 

That's not even mentioning long nights at the office with only Charlie and Dave to keep me company. 

 

Brighter days are ahead.

[Barry.Randolphe]

I'm hoping next year I can go back to West Palm to catch a spring training game. The stadium is phenomenal (I personally loved all the local beer options) and it is such a great experience in perfect weather that time of year

[Commander -JB-]

Padres just gave Tatis 14 years 340 million.  Let’s be honest here.  Do we have a chance in hell to sign Soto long term??

[TheGoodBits]

11 hours ago, -JB- said:

Padres just gave Tatis 14 years 340 million.  Let’s be honest here.  Do we have a chance in hell to sign Soto long term??

If we aggressively pursued it, we could. That’s not the Lerners way of doing things though. He’ll probably walk... 

[Ball Security]

12 hours ago, -JB- said:

Padres just gave Tatis 14 years 340 million.  Let’s be honest here.  Do we have a chance in hell to sign Soto long term??

I read that none of it is deferred too.

[Mr. Sinister]

Enjoy Soto while we have him.

[Riggo#44]

3 hours ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

If we aggressively pursued it, we could. That’s not the Lerners way of doing things though. He’ll probably walk... 

Scott Boras is also his agent, so, as Rizzo says "it takes 2 to tango." It's not always just on Rizzo and the Lerners.

[TheGoodBits]

12 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

Scott Boras is also his agent, so, as Rizzo says "it takes 2 to tango." It's not always just on Rizzo and the Lerners.

Meh. If they came at Soto with something in the neighborhood of that Tatis contract, the dialogue between the two parties would be extensive. But they had “brief discussions” a year ago and nothing since, which tells me whatever the Nats proposed wasn’t worth engaging on. Clock’s ticking... our odds don’t improve as he gets closer to FA. 

[Riggo#44]

Just now, skinsfan_1215 said:

Meh. If they came at Soto with something in the neighborhood of that Tatis contract, the dialogue between the two parties would be extensive. But they had “brief discussions” a year ago and nothing since, which tells me whatever the Nats proposed wasn’t worth engaging on. Clock’s ticking... our odds don’t improve as he gets closer to FA. 

 

Or maybe the ask was astronomical. We have no idea.

[Dan T.]

18 hours ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

I'm hoping next year I can go back to West Palm to catch a spring training game. The stadium is phenomenal (I personally loved all the local beer options) and it is such a great experience in perfect weather that time of year

 

 

The bar on the concourse down the left field line is the best.  Five or six taps. Really good selection. And you can still watch the game while waiting to order. 

 

(The only problem is the black marble bar surface gets lava hot during day games. Yeouch.)

[TheGoodBits]

6 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

 

Or maybe the ask was astronomical. We have no idea.

 
We kinda do though. Look at how they approached Harper. Gave him a half assed offer the last day of the season and had no other discussions after that. Weren’t proactive with Rendon... likely could have signed him to half of what he ended up getting if they’d done it a couple years prior. And he would have done it. 
 

So no, we don’t know what happened with the Soto discussions last year. But we do know the Nats are notorious for not paying their stars and not getting extensions done early enough to keep them from hitting free agency. I have no expectations that it’ll be any different with Soto. 

[Riggo#44]

2 minutes ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

Weren’t proactive with Rendon... likely could have signed him

 

That's entirely speculation. It also discounts the fact we had Strasburg's pending free agency too. And before anyone says "Lerner's have the money!" Yes, they are very wealthy, however signing two, 30-plus players with a long injury history to long term contracts is risky.

 

I do not expect Soto to resign here--in fact, I fully expect him to leave. It's what Boras does. How many of his clients resign without testing free agency?

[Dan T.]

1 minute ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

 
We kinda do though. Look at how they approached Harper. Gave him a half assed offer the last day of the season and had no other discussions after that. Weren’t proactive with Rendon... likely could have signed him to half of what he ended up getting if they’d done it a couple years prior. And he would have done it. 
 

But we do know the Nats are notorious for not paying their stars and not getting extensions done early enough to keep them from hitting free agency. I have no expectations that it’ll be any different with Soto. 

 

The Nats record is definitely a mixed bag.  But they opened the pocketbook for Werth and Sherzer.  They kept Zimmerman a Nat his entire career.  And they paid Strasburg.

 

They let Harper go - and more and more that's looking like the right move.  Rendon was pretty much an either/or with Stras.

 

I think for the Nats, Soto is a different situation than anything else they've faced.  We'll see how they handle it.  I hope they get it done.

[TheGoodBits]

1 minute ago, Riggo#44 said:

 

That's entirely speculation. It also discounts the fact we had Strasburg's pending free agency too. And before anyone says "Lerner's have the money!" Yes, they are very wealthy, however signing two, 30-plus players with a long injury history to long term contracts is risky.

 

I do not expect Soto to resign here--in fact, I fully expect him to leave. It's what Boras does. How many of his clients resign without testing free agency?

It’s educated speculation. Rendon himself expressed interest in re-signing and specifically noted in spring 2019 that at that point (because it didnt get done earlier) he was fine with hitting free agency. 

[Riggo#44]

1 minute ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

It’s educated speculation. Rendon himself expressed interest in re-signing and specifically noted in spring 2019 that at that point (because it didnt get done earlier) he was fine with hitting free agency. 

 

It also completely ignores Boras record as well, putting the onus entirely on the Nationals. Sure, they could have given Rendon $320m and he would have taken that.

[TheGoodBits]

7 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

 

It also completely ignores Boras record as well, putting the onus entirely on the Nationals. Sure, they could have given Rendon $320m and he would have taken that.

If they’d done it two or three years before FA they could have done it for $140-160m. That was the range that was being talked about and I’m guessing something Rendon would have done. Arenado’s contract in early 2019 reset the market... cost of not being proactive enough. 

[CRobi21]

They should have locked him up early the way the ATL did with Acuna..

[Riggo#44]

30 minutes ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

If they’d done it two or three years before FA they could have done it for $140-160m. That was the range that was being talked about and I’m guessing something Rendon would have done. Arenado’s contract in early 2019 reset the market... cost of not being proactive enough. 

 

Again--entirely speculative, especially considering who his agent is.

[CRobi21]

Baseball players!

[Ball Security]

Looks like Lester is wearing #34, you know, the number that Elijah Dukes made famous.

[Commander -JB-]

2 hours ago, Dan T. said:

 

The Nats record is definitely a mixed bag.  But they opened the pocketbook for Werth and Sherzer.  They kept Zimmerman a Nat his entire career.  And they paid Strasburg.

 

They let Harper go - and more and more that's looking like the right move.  Rendon was pretty much an either/or with Stras.

 

I think for the Nats, Soto is a different situation than anything else they've faced.  We'll see how they handle it.  I hope they get it done.

I’m just wondering what a long term deal for a superstar corner OF is going to look like in 2025 entering FA with Boras as your agent.  Over 500 million id say would be the starting point for at least 10 years.  Now with Tatis he does play a premium position @ SS so maybe Nats won’t have to go as high but with inflation and Soto waiting until 2025 SHEESH $$$

[Commander -JB-]

2 hours ago, Riggo#44 said:

 

That's entirely speculation. It also discounts the fact we had Strasburg's pending free agency too. And before anyone says "Lerner's have the money!" Yes, they are very wealthy, however signing two, 30-plus players with a long injury history to long term contracts is risky.

 

I do not expect Soto to resign here--in fact, I fully expect him to leave. It's what Boras does. How many of his clients resign without testing free agency?

I would say tho that when Stras re-signed with Boras as his agent, at the time it was biggest contract ever for SP until Cole signed with Yankees.  If Soto wants to stay and Nats are willing to give him the contract he deserves I believe he will stay.  I also think Soto’s situation is different than Harper’s.  Soto has won a WS here and it just seems like a great fit.  With Harper he had the great MVP season in 2015 and even that year we missed the playoffs.  Something just never seemed to really fit.  I do think we have a shot to re-sign Soto I just don’t think it will be extra early like Tatis.  Hopefully in the next two seasons as he nears free agency talks get truly serious.  

[bearrock]

Soto is not going to re-sign.  It is sad, but it is what it is.  Boras clients do not give hometown discounts (even Stras' contract was arguable in terms of whether there was a hometown discount considering the question mark surrounding his durability at the time).  I can remember three Boras clients staying with their team, Stras, Jared Weaver, and Matt Holliday.  Stras and Weaver dictated their decisions and Holliday got a good enough deal for him not to feel the need to go shopping.

 

As to whether it's on Boras or the Nats, it's probably a mix.  Soto being Boras' client would make it hard for any team to re-sign him, but when's the last time Nats kept their big free agent other than Stras?  Nats usually only sign big time free agents if they can get an edge in the deal, like deferred money (Scherzer, Corbin) or high upside compared to value/risk (Stras' first extension).  Werth and Stras' second extension are the outliers, but Werth deal had a different consideration to give legitimacy to the franchise and Stras' second deal still had deferred portion.

 

So barring some strange confluence of events like Soto leaving money on the table or injury just before free agency (neither of those should happen), Soto is gone.  Only realistic edge the Nats could utilize would be to buy out his arbitration years with top line contract in exchange for a 7-8 year extension that allows him to hit free agency again around 30, but I doubt they do it.  And quite frankly, if they won't open the pocketbooks to go market value+ for Juan Soto, they are never going to.