The Nationals have held ongoing contract talks with third baseman Anthony Rendon, with optimism at times of reaching a long-term deal. But Rendon says he rejected an offer in late February (around the time that Nolan Arenado signed his new deal with the Rockies) and that talks have “kind of come to a halt lately,” as Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington reports.
It’s not known what the Nats dangled to Rendon when last the sides spoke in earnest. But the number “wasn’t to where we thought we should be,” per the 28-year-old.
While it seems that chatter hasn’t picked back up since, there’s still an opening to a possible deal. Rendon says that the Nationals told him “we’re going to continue to talk.” And it seems that he’s still open to working something out. But it’s now more clear than ever that Rendon will be demanding full market value for his future services and that he’s plenty willing instead to play out the 2019 season and hit the open market.
As Rendon put it: “If [an extension] happens, it happens, if it doesn’t it doesn’t.”
Even as the sides have batted around scenarios, other teams and players have lined up on deals. Several third-base price points have hit the books, in fact. It’s hard to draw much from the deal reached yesterday between the Astros and pre-arbitration infield Alex Bregman, but Manny Machado’s free-agent contract with the Padres (ten years, $300MM) and Nolan Arenado’s extension with the Rockies (seven years, $234MM) are plenty relevant.
While Rendon is older than both Machado and Arenado, he’s less than a year senior to the latter. Even if Rendon would need to take a shorter pact, the average annual values of those contracts — $30MM and $33.4MM, respectively — seem within reason for the long-time Nationals infielder. Both of his contemporaries are more visible players, to be sure, but Rendon has edged them both in fWAR over the past three seasons.
Prior indications were that Rendon sought a contract of the sort previously agreed to between Jose Altuve and the Astros (five years, $151MM). Whether that is in fact his asking price, and if so how close the Nats will come to reaching it, remains to be seen.
The more the star players hold out for astronomical salaries, the more young cheap teammates they’ll have.
Middling veterans will continue to be squeezed out……except with the large market teams (look at the Yankees bullpen – their guys are being paid more then 2/3’rds of teams can pay their closers).
This is what happens in any industry where you have strong unions making demands based on “rights” and “fairness” which change every day, then evoking a free market system in which individuals make agreements with management different then those their fellow members are getting.
It’s supply and demand.
There are fewer true superstars than there are teams that demand them.
It has nothing to do with a “strong union.”
I don’t think the salaries of the stars have much to do with the middle tier players. If guys at the top took less money do you think teams would spread that money to the middle guys? I don’t think so, if anything I think teams would be less willing to pay average guys around $10-15 million per year if the top guys were only making $20 million instead of $30 million for example.
Is this the golden age of extensions in mlb?
Teams continue to lock in the players they want. The rest can play for a reasonable salary or leave.
Rendon’s easily the most under-rated player in MLB. He’s top-notch everywhere, and those guys are hard to find. I suspect Mike Rizzo, a pretty bright guy, will realize that, and they’ll get something done.
bob,
Bryce Harper is not half the player.
VTTH, are you proving Bob’s point?
Harper’s last 3 seasons – .267/.391/.505/.897 with 87 HR and a 133 OPS+
Rendon’s last 3 seasons – .292/.374/.504/.879 with 69 HR and a 128 OPS+
I purposely left off Harper’s MVP season in 2015 because then the advantage to Harper gets even larger. Harper is the better player and he is 2.5 years younger.
@Koamalu;
My bad – I should have clarified…….
Rendon a far better all-around player on the field – helping his team win games. (I watched at least parts of 150 Nationals games the past 4 years).
Apparently Harper is a better fantasy league player. Sorry, never been in a Rotisserie league.
WAR doesn’t agree with you. It includes both defense and offense. It measures a player’s complete contribution to a team winning. It says Harper has averaged 3.9 WAR and Rendon 3.5 WAR. wRC+ measures a players contribution to their team scoring runs. Harper – 140. Rendon – 123.
There is no argument. Harper is better by every measurement and it’s not particularly close.
Harper is 3 years younger. He will be at or above his past playing levels for 5 more years. Rendon 2 more years. Harper has been better in all measurements and he will be good for longer.
You can venture an opinion based on watching games, but the stats do not agree with you either for offense or as an all-around player. Maybe its time for you to get some knowledge of the game instead of just watching parts of 38 Nationals broadcasts a year.
Trading away Luzardo, Neuse, and Treinen for Madson and Doolittle wasn’t too bright.
It met the needs for the year the trade was made. I think the move was necessary for Treinen’s resurgence. He was atrocious when the Nats dealt him and I can’t imagine he was going to get better. He needed a mental reboot.
The Nats bullpen needed the reboot too, and the law firm did just that, but only for a year sadly (though still no qualms with Doo).
4.2
In 2017, the Nationals got the better end of that deal by far. They needed effective relief pitching, Treinen was sucking wind, and they got that pitching in Madson and Doolittle. In 2018 Treinen had a career year and Doolittle only had an exceptional year. Neuse has not played in the majors and did not exactly tear it up in AAA last season. Luzardo has not pitched in the majors and got knocked around in his first taste of AAA, but he is one of the best LH pitching prospects in baseball. The Nationals got Istler in trade for Madson last season, so he will have to be in the equation long term. In 2-3 years that trade can be evaluated fully when and if Luzardo sticks in the majors.
You have to give up talent to get something, and at the time the return was absolutely fair for two very strong relievers.
Trienen was nasty but totally ineffective over his first 4 years with the Nats – he needed a change of scenery (and maybe new coaches) to really harness his stuff.
Everyone knew trading Luzardo would hurt, and Neuse was a nice lottery ticket — but the Nats traded riskier upside for known commodities. It was a fair trade at the time, and I hope all the prospects sent over to the A’s prosper. Even if it pains me to watch them flourish with the A’s.
They made a colossal mistake by not moving Harper, let’s hope they learned something and either sign or move him immediately.
They tried to trade him the Astros last year. Had a deal in place and the owner nixed it. FO can try all they want but if the owner says no, its not going to happen.
What’s the Nats fanbase going to think if they let Harper and Rendon go for nothing…?
As Mark Twain said, if you don’t want to make any mistakes today, don’t get out of bed. Ya, Rizzo’s had his share of missteps; who hasn’t? You want a list of the “Great Theo’s” blunders in Boston/Chicago? The site’s not big enough.
Both Rizzo and Epstein have had their share of flops. But they’re right more than they’re wrong. That’s really all you can ask.
Social media Internet site, bob.
Anyone not perfect sucks……unless they like them…..then their bad moves can be rationalized……it’s always someone else’s fault…..usually those in power.
Have 2 cable TV news stations running 24 hours a day doing this. Not a lot of viewers, but the on-air people are hardly “working” for minimum wage.
Knowledge, experience, and perspective are not hallmarks in the current environment. The trick is to get someone else to do the dirty work, then pin all responsibility on them…..and make sure you get yours….complaining all the time.
Rizzo is terrific.
So you proved Bob’s point again?
No jorge78…….
But you proved mine.
I’d guess he wasn’t keen on the amount of deferred money they offered.
5 140 atltuve has an mvp he doesn’t overall think rendon has a better career up to date or atleast really close yo altuves just without a plaques
Rendon has not had anything close to the career that Altuve has had. 5/100 is reasonable, 5/150 is laughable.
Is that comparing WAR?
No
Altuve 21.2 WAR vs Rendon 14.1 WAR over the past 3 seasons. It gets more lopsided for Altuve if you go back further.
Rendon is a very good player, but he is no Jose Altuve.
The last 3 seasons Altuve put up a 21.2 WAR and a .334/.398/.512/.910 slash line with a 150 OPS+
The last 3 seasons Rendon put up a 14.1 WAR and a .292/.374/.504/.879 slash line with a 128 OPS+
5 years and $130-140 million ($26-28 million AAV) is a reasonable amount to ask for considering his age (29 in early June) and level of performance.
I’m a huge Nats fan. Love Tony Two Bags, and he is highly underrated. That being said, he isn’t at the same level as Altuve or Arenado. The Lerner’s want to stay under the luxury tax limit, so it’ll be tough to extend him during the season.
I was one of the folks in favor of trading Harper last winter. The Nats FO blew that one. Hope they make the right call with Rendon. A QO-draft pick isn’t enough. Extend him or trade him.
Tony very much in the same level as Altuve and Arenado. He can do everything those 2 guys do and I think better. I watch Rendon play his defense is outstanding.put him in a lineup at Coors field he would hit a fricken ton hell I could hit .250 at Coors and Im 60 years old.
Rendon might be good on defense but he isn’t Arenado. Rendon is not as good as Arenado all around. Don’t use WAR to come back at me because Coors Field kills a players WAR.
For the past 3 seasons – Arenado 19.4 WAR. Rendon 14.1 WAR. If you go back further the difference gets bigger. Arenado is a much better player.
BS,he plays the infield, so the Coors Field impact is minimal on his defense. and just one look at his home/away splits give you an indication how well he might do away from Coors with his bat. if Arenado played most all of his games away from Coors like most players, his numbers might be considerably more pedestrian if the splits are projected out.
that being said, Arenado, Machado and Rendon are all stellar hot corner players. Bregman will be right there if he continues.
i also hope the Nationals are able to keep Rendon. but at a price that doesn’t hamstring the team. they still have Trea Turner, Soto and Robles in the future to resign.