The Washington Nationals Thread: The Future is Near!

[Renegade7]

2 minutes ago, -JB- said:

And people continue to worry about if the Lerner’s will spend the $ because Bryce walked. But the proof is in the pudding.  Letting Harper walk was the best baseball move.  You pay that contract and what about Eaton?  Robles?  What about Corbin?  Etc.  I’m not worried at all about the Lerner’s opening their wallets.  The Nats payroll is near the top.  They operate like a tremendous organization.  Please don’t change a thing.

 

You make a good point about them investing in starting pitching, but I'm prepared for a bidding war, so we gonna see if they do have a line for that as well.  And again, this is at the same time trying to figure out how much to pay Rendon.  If they were prepared to spend whatever it took to keep the band together, Harper would still be here.

[Commander -JB-]

11 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

You make a good point about them investing in starting pitching, but I'm prepared for a bidding war, so we gonna see if they do have a line for that as well.  And again, this is at the same time trying to figure out how much to pay Rendon.  If they were prepared to spend whatever it took to keep the band together, Harper would still be here.

I truly believe that Stras & the Nats are going to quickly work together to get him a contract that most likely makes him the highest paid pitcher in the Game.  Even if that number ends up getting surpassed by Cole.  Also, as I’ve said before, letting Harper walk was always about making the best move going forward as a team.  It seemed that adding Corbin was more of a glaring need than bringing Harper back ever was.  Soto, Robles & Eaton on team friendly contracts.  Add the third ace who also happens to be a Lefty.  That was such a smart move by Rizzo.

 

I also think that when it comes to opting in or declining option years it really only has to do with market value.  Doolittle at 6.5 is a bargain for the Nats so of course they opt in.  Eaton at 9.5 is a bargain for his production so of course they opt in.  But just because they decline Gomes/Zimm isn’t a slap in the face.  It’s just nobody is giving Zimm 18 mill for one year and nobody is giving Gomes almost 10 mill.  It doesn’t mean the Nats don’t value them.  Who really thinks Zimm isn’t coming back??

Edited November 3, 2019 by -JB-

[bearrock]

6 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

You make a good point about them investing in starting pitching, but I'm prepared for a bidding war, so we gonna see if they do have a line for that as well.  And again, this is at the same time trying to figure out how much to pay Rendon.  If they were prepared to spend whatever it took to keep the band together, Harper would still be here.

 

We'll have to wait and see.  I will say that there was a lot of speculation that Rizzo was preping for Harper's departure with the Eaton trade.  And when Soto burst onto the scene, it pretty much became a situation where only way we keep Harper was if he takes a deal we can't refuse.  

 

Lot of baseball people preferred Rendon even before this season and already Rendon got a better offer from us than Harper (same aav with significantly less deferral).  We'll see.  It's certainly going to be another eventful winter.

[Commander -JB-]

All of this talk about free agency and nobody is talking about Howie Kendrick.  No matter what he ever does he just continues to be the most unheralded player of his era.  I mean, the guy batted .344 this season and had the two biggest hits in Nationals history during a series in which they WON THE WORLD SERIES!

[spjunkies]

Worth listening to. This happened 11 years before I was born, but it's a grim reminder. 

 

 

[Bacon]

No matter what happens, we're going to field a very talented and much more confident roster next spring. We're stacked right now and I trust Rizzo to fill the gaps left in the wake of free agency. 

[clskinsfan]

3 hours ago, max21 said:

So those who went to the capitals and nationals parade. How did they compare? I missed the caps parade because of work and I’m still pissed about it. Go Nats 

 

Caps was better IMO. But that was because it was the first Championship on almost two decades for the city.

3 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Harper wanted to stay, too, and they decided not to overpay him.  Gotta be prepared for fact this guy opted out for chance to get biggest pay day hell probably ever get, someone will give it to him.

 

Heard they declined Zimms option today, that is soul crushing, I dont care what the reason is, same day as the GD parade? Rizzo making it clear hes the Danny Ainge of baseball and doesnt have time for any sentimental BS.

**** it. We just won the World Series man. People are gonna leave and people are gonna come. The bottom line to me is this team just earned 3 years of what ever from me. WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPS.

[clskinsfan]

2 hours ago, -JB- said:

All of this talk about free agency and nobody is talking about Howie Kendrick.  No matter what he ever does he just continues to be the most unheralded player of his era.  I mean, the guy batted .344 this season and had the two biggest hits in Nationals history during a series in which they WON THE WORLD SERIES!

Agreed. BUT. He was coming off of a torn achilles and he didnt even start the season. I love Howie and he CLEARLY had the biggest hits in the playoffs for this team. But he is OLD. I think they keep him for this year at least.

[Bacon]

I'm thrilled that Doo is coming back, but can we lock down Hudson as well? There's virtually zero chance of the pen starting off as badly as last year if we bring those two back. 

 

An offseason of work with Rainey and recovery time for Koda Glover and you never know, the pen might actually be decent. 

Edited November 3, 2019 by Bacon

[TheGoodBits]

58 minutes ago, Bacon said:

and recovery time for Koda Glover and you never know, the pen might actually be decent. 

 

[Bacon]

Just now, skinsfan_1215 said:

 

 

I was hoping someone would get a laugh out of that. I like to see who's paying attention. 

[Riggo#44]

Zero doubt in my mind Strasburg comes back. He'll get a significant deal, but he'll be back. Rendon I am less certain about. 

 

But when Strad resigned in '17, he said that sometimes the grass isn't always greener. He moved here. He loves it here.

[stoshuaj]

Woke up to a cpl PMs from ppl asking if this could use this picture:

 

Appreciate asking but Nats just won the World Series, of course you can use it.

[Warhead36]

While it was a great parade and I enjoyed it, I don't think it was quite as good as the Caps parade both in terms of total energy and overall preparation. Now in fairness its a lot tougher when its about 30 degrees colder, but I also thought the rally itself lacked the same sizzle as the Caps one. I think the Caps one was just because it was our first championship in 25+ years so it was just a much bigger party for the city, but I almost feel like the Nats would have been better off waiting another couple days or so because some of the logistics could have been done better.

 

Still, it was fantastic overall and a great conclusion to an epic championship. And we should celebrate it as much as possible for the next few months.

[Riggo#44]

Part of the issue was the American Heart Association had an event on the Mall yesterday too. Maybe should have waited until Monday was my only real complaint.

 

But when Max rode by, holding the belt, my ears were ringing it was so loud.

[Sticksboi05]

Amtrak'd down yesterday to D.C. for my second championship parade in 16 months. Life is great.

 

Being at both, here's my comparison......they were both amazing. That's it.

[Mr. Sinister]

10 hours ago, StillUnknown said:

oddly enough, i'm completely at ease with this offseason. if any of them choose to leave, so be it. I will cheer like mad when they are introduced with their new teams.  They have delivered all that could be asked of them.

 

and I fully trust Mike Rizzo to restock the shelves. he has always had vision beyond the immediate future of the team

 

Same. As long as Rizzo is here, cant count this team out. We all should enjoy this though. Things like this can be a once in a lifetime/once a generation kind of deal. It's hard.

 

We should live in the moment for as long as we possibly can.

[bearrock]

The more I think about it, the more it makes business sense for the Nationals go hard at keeping both Stras and Rendon.  We have about 105 mil in cap space for 2020 (after factoring in player benefit and misc payroll) and we were under the luxury tax cap so we will not be a repeat offender.  You can allocate 65 mil to stras and Rendon and still have 40 mil leftover.  With all 4 starting pitching, the entire outfield, and most of the infield filled, that's not a bad spot at all.

 

If you give Kieboom a shot at 2nd base, bring Zimm back on a reasonable deal, we need a platoon partner for Zimm, backup catcher (apparently Gomes is open to coming back at a lower salary), and probably 2-3 pen arms and bench bat.  That's totally doable for 40 mil.  When you set 20 mil above as the ceiling to avoid the extra 12.5% kicking in, you have 60 mil to play with to fill 6-7 spots.

 

The real reason though is that pretty much everyone comes off the books in 2021.  We have Scherzer and Corbin, then options for Sanchez and Eaton.  That gives us tremendous flexibility from 2021 on.  And by the time Soto's arbitration gets expensive, Scherzer is off the books (I hope he returns on a cheaper deal)

 

The operating income in 2017 was about 38 mil and 2018 was 24 mil.  That's obviously the cost of playoff vs not.  Now on the other hand, Astros operating income (very comparable market size, both slightly over 6 mil) for 2018 was 66 mil.  Slightly lower payroll, but they also had 30+ mil in more revenue, leading to higher operating income.  That's the benefit ofa championship and sustained success afterwards.  If the Nats can keep their championship core together and keep the fans interested, it's going to far outweigh any luxury tax in 2020.

 

There are two holy grails in consideration too.  First, DC has a real chance to become a baseball town.  The football team isn't going to be good anytime soon and basketball will take a while to dig out from the rubbles of Grunfeld.  If you can provide the fans with 5-6 years of contention and perhaps another ring in that period, that's a decade plus of sustained success with multiple championships.  The kids growing up now aren't gonna give a rat's ass about the dysfunction in Ashburn.  They will root for baseball and hockey.

 

The second holy grail is MASN.  Already MASN has offered to accelerate the schedule for ownership transfer because they are short on cash.  Which isn't surprising considering how Angelos and co are running that network into the ground (love the staff at MASN, but that network is a joke).  Already the rights fee at the next negotiation will be so much higher due to the ring in 2019.  What happens with another ring?  Another half decade of excellence?  Do we see a scenario where the arbitrated rights fee bankrupts MASN?  Or CSN coming in with a bid to buy MASN and Lerners lining up for a shareholder suit against Angelos if he rejects the deal?  

 

TL:DR?  Pay the men!  Pay them both!

[StillUnknown]

 

we truly had the perfect mix of old heads and young dudes. The young guys were willing to take advice and lessons from the old heads. the old heads didn't put a stop to all the theatrics and energy the young guys did. then we had Parra who is an old head with the energy of the young guys. Truly a perfect clubhouse blend

Edited November 3, 2019 by StillUnknown

[wrilbo67]

49 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

I almost feel like the Nats would have been better off waiting another couple days or so because some of the logistics could have been done better.

This is a common complaint about championship parades in a lot of cities. The problem is that a lot of the players don’t live in that city during the off-season and are despite how excited they are, they’re also eager to get back to their hometowns. (this is especially true now that there’s a lot of international talent in pretty much every sport).

Outside that, a lot of business decisions start getting made very quickly after the last out is recorded (contract options, etc.), and nobody wants that to sour the mood of a championship parade.

[Warhead36]

I'm at peace with Rendon/Stras leaving too. They brought us a championship, I'll always love them for that and will never fault pro athletes for taking their fates in their own hands and trying to maximize their earnings. With that said, I'm confident Stras will stay, but Rendon is probably still 50/50. They'll both be Nationals for life.

[Going Commando]

I hope Stras stays.  I think he's harder to replace.  Weird to say about a lockdown third baseman with an MVP bat and the temperament and leadership quality of a champion.  But Strasburg is a bonafide ace.  You just can't let them go.  They determine the course of postseasons.

[Commander -JB-]

9 hours ago, clskinsfan said:

Agreed. BUT. He was coming off of a torn achilles and he didnt even start the season. I love Howie and he CLEARLY had the biggest hits in the playoffs for this team. But he is OLD. I think they keep him for this year at least.

Yea BUT he was old and coming off an Achilles injury THIS season.  Just as long as they keep him!  That’s all I’m saying.

Edited November 3, 2019 by -JB-

[Warhead36]

30 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

I hope Stras stays.  I think he's harder to replace.  Weird to say about a lockdown third baseman with an MVP bat and the temperament and leadership quality of a champion.  But Strasburg is a bonafide ace.  You just can't let them go.  They determine the course of postseasons.

Yeah but without Rendon's presence at 3B everyday we never get to October.

 

One thing to note though is that Rendon is actually a wee bit older than people think. He turns 30 in June. That's not OLD old by any means and baseball players tend to have later prime windows, but it is still something to think about when factoring in long term deal.

[Riggo#44]

1 hour ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

Same. As long as Rizzo is here, cant count this team out. We all should enjoy this though. Things like this can be a once in a lifetime/once a generation kind of deal. It's hard.

 

We should live in the moment for as long as we possibly can.

 

MLB Network has the Nats run on right now. Watching GM 1 of the World Series. Soto just launched his homer into orbit.