Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo doesn't like the offers he's received for Adam Dunn, a person close to the team told MLB.com's Bill Ladson and Faran Fagen. As a result, the source doesn't believe the team will trade the first baseman before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. It is unclear exactly which teams have approached Rizzo and made an offer for the lefty power threat.
Dunn has said he is frustrated by not having a contract extension already in place, but as far as we know he hasn't asked for any kind of trade. The Yankees and White Sox are among the teams known to covet him, but there are certainly plenty more out there given the decrease in homeruns and offense in general around the league. Dunn is on pace for 39 bombs this year, which would make this the sixth consecutive year he's hit between 38 and 40.
The problem I think they are facing is that if you are in the NL you think about his less than good defense. In the AL you are trying to trade for a DH which subtracts from his value as well (Although he will be expensive either way.)
Yeah, but Dunn’s gone out and said he doesn’t want to be a DH, so I don’t think he’ll really want to move to the AL. …Yeah, he’d be good as a DH, but if he’s not gonna play, I won’t force him.
I just realized something, and maybe its just me, but does he have an outside shot at the HOF? He’s already at 338hrs and doesnt turn 31 until november, if he loves the game enough to stick around until 40 he’s got a really good shot at the magical 600 plateua.
Got to be honest. Had no idea he was that young.
It’s totally a question of how well he ages and if he can change the narrative about him with writers. Writers don’t see him as a hall of fame caliber player now. They don’t understand his value or see him as a winner. You know, the same nonsense that will keep Mussina out.
I guess although I doubt he makes it even with 500. Doesn’t hit for a good average, poor defense, no speed, and never won anything (individual or as a team that’s worth noting.)
500 homer runs and not in the HOF? That’s pretty much your ticket, as long as it doesn’t have a steroids stamp on it.
Not any more. I’ll bet that in the next 10 years there will be a pretty long list of guys with 500 jacks and no invitation to Cooperstown. Sure steroids are part of it but it goes beyond that. The value of a HR 5 years ago just isn’t the same as it was in the 70’s and 80’s.
Dunn has to do something more than hit jacks. Walking a ton is great but he brings literally nothing else to the table … and in fact, what he does bring to the table are big negatives (defense, base running).
Don’t forget – Adam Dunn doesn’t like baseball. I doubt he sticks around that long.
For those who can’t tell, that was sarcasm
Don’t forget that a lot of recent players numbers have been really distorted by steroids as they age: Bonds, Palmero, Sheffield, etc. McGwire was essentially finished at 30 before he started juicing. Jim Lemon, another big slugger for Washington had his last good year at 32. Frank Howard at 33.
He seems like a good guy and I hope he continues to play well for a long time but if I were a MLB GM I would follow the lead of Bill DeWitt & Branch Rickey & be wary of signing anyone over 30 to a long term contract.
I think he could have the Power number to do so. Maybe if he starts taking a more of a leadership role in his later years while he still produces and gets a WS win or two under his belt, also playing on so many teams through his prime years doesn’t allow him to stick out. Givin the kind of power he has and seems to be in pretty good health most of the time. Mush of the problem does have to do with jis feliding and never seems to fill a franchise player role anywhere he is. Wish the Nats would do it tho. Sign him to a 4-5 year deal let him get settled and be a mentor and hit some HRs and possibly turn that young and aspiring Nats in a TEAM. Otherwise he will fad into the background no matter where he goes. Unfortunately, I do like the donkey tho…
There are plenty of guys in the hall that dont deserve to be there and there are a ton that are not in and deserve to be in there. Right now Dunn is boarderline in my opinion. If you really sit and think about dunn all he does is hit home runs and take walks(some times). He has lead the league in K’s multiple time or at the very least been close to the lead, is one of the worst corner out fielders defensively of ALL TIME and one of the worst defensive 1stbasemen in the league right now. that will factor alot into the hall voting…plus the hall does not like to admit DH”s and considering his career has said DH since he came up but his ego stopped him from going to the AL i doubt he makes it unless he breaks the home run record
Dunn isn’t worth much. That’s the reason why Rizzo isn’t seeing good offers. People realize what they are getting.
This year his value has skyrocketed due to UZR liking him a 1st base. Historically, he has been about a 2 win player since 2006. With wins being valued at $4.5m (or so) that places his FA value at about $9m/year. He’s making $12m this year. In a normal season the Nats should be paying someone to take him off their hands.
Dunn should be moved. Even if offers don’t blow them away. Offering arbitration is risky (as we saw with the Diamondbacks). He could easily stay on a 1/$14m type deal. Is that the kind of contract the Nats want or need right now? And if you don’t offer him arb then you paid the guy an extra $5m (vs trading him now) and received virtually zero economic or long-term baseball benefit.
I disagree completely with this perception of Dunn. Dunn’s UZR numbers favor him, because he is actually playing decent defense, is he a gold glover no, but he is pretty solid there. And I believe there is a direct cause and effect relationship with why is defense is so vastly improved, and that is for the first time in his career he entered the offseason knowing he’d play first so he worked at it. He was no longer splitting his time between the OF and 1B on the side, and his effort to improve himself has shown greatly. I’m also not sure where you say he is a 2 win player, his last two years his numbers are down because of how bad his defense was, but in his 9 year career (full seasons) he has posted a WAR 3.1 or over 5 times including this season, and one of the years he didn’t he missed 50 games. And yes only two of those years are since 2006, but those lower WAR numbers are due to his defense. His bat is usually worth about 4-5 wins, and this year it is even better. And while his best value will be if he can maintain being just a slightly below average 1B, Dunn would have been a 3.1 and a 4.1 win player each of the last two years if he was a DH and took that negative positional value over his defense.
I think you have looked solely at his average, WAR and SO’s and assume that Dunn isn’t a good player, when on the contrary any contender should want him. I realize there is also a misnomer that Dunn said he won’t DH, well that was in the sense that he wanted to work extra hard this year to improve himself at 1B (now that he had found a position). Those reports were basically saying that he doesn’t want to give up playing in the field b/c he loves to play. If he gets traded to the White Sox or Yankees I don’t think he won’t DH for them, it just means he might not be as likely to resign him in the offseason if that’s how they view him.
Dunn is easily 1st or 2nd on the trade market right now depending on whether Fielder is in play (and Dunn would cost a lot less in money and prospects).
Agreed. I don’t know why Rizzo thinks he can get a huge package for him. I mean, we’re not talking about Pujols or Adrian Gonzalez here.