In a continuation of a recent signing bonanza, the Nationals announced a one-year contract with first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames. The Apex Baseball client’s contract contains a mutual option as well. Thames is reportedly guaranteed $4MM, which comes in the form of a $3MM salary and a $1MM buyout on the option.
The Nats have now added five veteran infielders on short-term deals in the past several weeks. In addition to bringing back catcher Yan Gomes and utilitymen Howie Kendrick and Asdrubal Cabrera, the club has picked up Starlin Castro and now Thames.
It’s rumored the D.C. org still intends to work something out with long-time franchise stalwart Ryan Zimmerman, leaving open the question whether a major addition at third base is still plausible. Whether there’s space for Josh Donaldson or some top-end trade target, even with a 26th active roster spot to work with, may depend upon the Nats’ willingness to utilize Kendrick and/or Thames as part of the outfield mix. Both have spent time there in the recent past but are probably best limited to duties at first base to the extent possible.
Fans of the Nats won’t be especially surprise to hear of today’s signing. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo has made a practice of keeping a left-handed-hitting corner piece around. The role was filled most recently by Matt Adams but has also been occupied by Adam Lind, Clint Robinson, and Chad Tracy. It’s a clearer need now than ever given the otherwise mostly right-handed-hitting infield mix. (Cabrera is a switch-hitter.)
Thames, 33, was trusted to take only fifty trips to the plate against southpaws last year and didn’t fare well. But he is a weapon against right-handed pitching. He strikes out quite a bit, but also walks at an above-average rate. And he devastated opposing righties to the tune of a .254/.348/.529 slash with 23 home runs in 346 plate appearances.
It was much the same split in effectiveness in Thames’s first two seasons with the Brewers, so the Nats will anticipate much the same and pick their spots with their new slugger. He landed in Milwaukee after reviving his career in Korea, where he once even managed a 40/40 campaign. Though he hasn’t attempted many steals in the majors, Thames does grade well on the basepaths. Metrics have graded him as a roughly average performer at first base and even in the corner outfield of late.
The Brewers could’ve kept Thames at a $7.5MM price tag, but opted instead to pay him a $1MM buyout. Justin Smoak ended up inking in Milwaukee to take up the slack.
Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic first reported the agreement (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter) and ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link) added financial details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Huh
My predictions are so money!!!! Zim coming back next!!
So when is the contest officially over? What is some players never sign?
At a bargain price as well.
Best under the radar signing of the off season. This somehow feels like it will help the Nats repeat. Don’t need Donaldson’s bat or glove anymore. Thames gives you enough dingers. Castro gives you enough 3B glove.
Castro will be playing 2B. Kendrick and Cabrera will be playing 3B. But either way, these are better signings than paying 25mil per year for Donaldson. Nats have done very well this offseason in my opinion. Hope their fans feel the same way.
Kendrick doesn’t have the arm for much 3b. Castro just barely has the arm for regular 3b.
True, I like that they signed Hudson as well. One of the stalwarts of the bullpen. I think they need one more strong arm in the BP.
I wonder, does South Korea still refer to him as God? Is the KBO kinda like the PCL++?
It trying to dig him either, the man is cut like most of us wish we were. But ever since Ichiro’s career concluded(?) , very wondered about how to compare international pro baseball with MLB and what the comp ratio”
Is if there is one, last post got enter incompletely
Pardon, I still am mastering typing while correcting iPhone’s autocorrect.
Guess that means the Ryan Zimmerman era in DC is over
No. No it doesn’t Zimmerman hasn’t been a full time starter in three years
Well, over the majority of the past 6 seasons Zim’s struggled to remain on the field. However, he had 144 starts in 2017 with 576 PA’.s
I agree that this doesn’t mean there’s no place on the roster for him.
What are you going to do with Zim if they bring him back though? Give him a bench job based on his prior contributions? He doesn’t fit. He’s a 1B only guy on a team that now has Thames and Kendrick—2 guys that should only play 1B. You can give them a start elsewhere but that’s not ideal. Zim has 0 versatility and isn’t all that with the bat anymore. That feels like a purely sentimental move if they do it.
Kendrick can play 2B, 3B, and technically LF, though he’s never graded as a very good OF. Nevertheless, there’s no reason to limit him to 1B only when so much of his value comes from his ability to be an above average hitter while adequately fielding multiple positions.
Kendrick really shouldn’t play anywhere but 1st and 2nd in just a pinch.
He’s a fine 3B – much better then 2B.
So you watch any games?
10 starts last year really convinced you huh, buddy? I guess you watched all 10.
@sean
I hear you on that. I think his value comes from getting his bat in the lineup more though. He’s just a bad defender at any of those slots this point in his career. You can slot him in at those positions in for a few games here and there but he really belongs at 1B. I certainly don’t see things getting better defensively with each passing year. My thing is that it doesn’t make sense to add another 1B only guy like Zim to the mix and guarantee Kendrick gets starts at other slots. A 140 OPS+ plays just fine at 1B. (Even though we know that’s going to dip a bit)
He was fine in limited time at 2B and 3B last year, and has generally been slightly above average at both over the course of his career. He’s even graded as a little above average in LF in seasons where he logged enough innings there to make the metrics useful.
When Healthy Zimm will Platoon with Thames and Kendrick. Howie will move around the infield. Second base will be just as crowded with the plan being that carter must force his way into the starting role.
As for the quality of Zimm’s bat right now in an injury limited 2019 he managed to play in 52 games with a 171 AB clip his slash line was almost identical to Robles and very similar to the much improved Kurt Suzuki
.257/.321/.414
Did you watch the NLCS?
But Zim just lost his roster spot.
Where do you plan to play Howie Kendrick? He has been a better hitter than Zimmerman.
2B most likely with Starlin at 3B to start the year I’d assume.
Maybe not! They could platoon at 1b and Thames could slot into the corner OF spots in a pinch. Either player (whoever doesn’t start) can also be available to pinch hit later in games.
Nope, youre wrong. Kendrick and Thames represent the perfect platoon. Hats off to the Nats FO for this one. What a bargain for Thames.
Guessing a guy who just hit .344/3.96/.572 is going to have more of a role than being on the short end of a platoon.
I think the plan is to play Kendrick two games and then Cabrera one game at third. I think they will do something close to this all year unless someone slumps or gets injured. Neither is an everyday player at this point. Replacing Rendon is so difficult. I guess the Nationals hope they just make the routine plays. Kendrick will bat much higher than Cabrera. They won’t provide the offense that Donaldson would but they don’t cost nearly as much. .When I found out that Thames’ option was not picked up, I said that the Nationals should sign him. He is better than Lind or Adams. I would bat him behind Soto. Opposing managers will be much less tempted to walk Soto intentionally. Thames should be pretty much the everyday first baseman. The Nationals have 13 pitchers, 8 starters and Suzuki, Cabrera, Taylor and Difo on the bench. There is still room for Zimmerman although I don’t think he will get much playing time even if he doesn’t get hurt. He might start once or twice a week against left handed starters.. There would not be a spot for him if there were only 25 spots..
Howie needs to play more than that. The guy had a 1.036 OPS vs LHP (117 AB) yes. But, he also had a 0.930 OPS vs RHP (217 AB). That is an everyday player. At his age I understand resting 1-2 times per week, but he needs to play a strong majority. With that said I don’t see a fit for Zimmerman to come back
Why would you want the better hitter (Kendrick) as the short side of a platoon with an inferior hitter (Thames)?
Zimmerman hit .367/.415/.551/.966 vs LHP. He is a perfect platoon with Thames at 1B.
Kendrick, Castro, and Cabrera rotate at 2B/3B.
Thames is just going to be the new Matt Adams- a lefty stick off the bench, mostly PH duties and occasional 1B. The Nats will bring Zim back, I’m very confident about it. I’m also really happy to see Thames get a job, he seems like a great guy. He won me over during his first season w/ the Brewers when he was hitting a bunch of HRs and MLB kept drug testing him. During an interview Thames mentions all the testing and said: “It’s okay, I got a lot of blood and a lot of pee, so they can test me all they want”. Also, he expressed his excitement for Milwaukee by saying: “I always heard they have great beer there, and I really like beer so I’m excited”. Who wouldn’t root for a player like that?
I meant RH pinch hitter. My bad.
Howie hit .376/.421/.615/1.036 vs LHP and .327/.381/.548/.930 vs RHP. He is not a platoon. He is better than Zimmerman and needs to play almost everyday 3B/1B. I don’t see the fit for Zimmerman.
Jeez…I’m in a fog these days. Thames is a LH batter is I originally thought- makes sense to replace Matt Adams with him then.
In……….48 ABS!
OF defense is a big reason the Nats made it to the WS and not the Braves. Good luck with a team that includes Zim, Kendrick, and Thames while sacrificing a good OF bench glove.
Thames has a positive UZR/150 in RF last year. And almost even at 1B. Howie was good at 3B and positive at 2B (bad at 1B).
I’d say this more so forgoes them being the front runners for Donaldson. If I’ve learned anything from SF these past few years, you need to balance the older talent with the youth.
Front runners? I didn’t know they were
They were never the front-runners. That has always been Atlanta considering he wants to be there and is giving them the opportunity to match any offer.
I don’t get how people keep thinking these moves have any bearing on Donaldson.
Last year, when they had Rendon, they also had Kendrick, Cabrera, Dozier, Adams, and Zimmerman.
Re-signing Kendrick doesn’t impact the Rendon/Donaldson spot, it impacts the Kendrick spot.
Re-signing Cabrera doesn’t impact the Rendon/Donaldson spot, it impacts the Cabrera spot.
Signing Castro doesn’t impact the Rendon/Donaldson spot, it impacts the Dozier spot.
Signing Thames doesn’t impact the Rendon/Donaldson spot, it impacts the Adams spot.
Why is it difficult to understand, why do people keep drawing nonsensical conclusions from signings?
It has nothing to do with roster spots. Even though the Nats are willing to go above the tax threshold, the thought behind these statements is that they have thrown in the towel on signing Donaldson and using up the money elsewhere.
We all know they keep stating they have room to spend, but if so, then why not just offer Donaldson the extra $2m per year or whatever it would take to get him on board instantly?
Because it not just $2m a year.
He’s jacking them around. He had a nice year. But Donaldson ain’t going into the HOF.
They’re going to get enough production out of multiple players filling 3B – especially Howie as he’s a decent 3B – and they still have money left over to take on salary for an in-season trade or two when they find out what they need due to an injury or an unexpected bad season from someone.
u mad?
I’m impressed, you nats fans are definitely blessed with your owner and upper management who want and love to win. Rizzo sure knows how to disperse funds into super solid depth, he impresses me every offseason more than anybody and reminds me of schuerholz back in the day.
Donaldson’s decision is looking pretty obvious at this point, but if he goes your way I’m calling in to cancel my extra innings lol. ~jk~
Donaldson will be back with the Braves. Don’t like him getting four years, but I guess that’s what it’s gonna take. Frankly, given what he did in 2018 when give a chance to play every day, I’d be OK with Camargo as my everyday 3B and spending the Donaldson cheese elsewhere.
Saw this one coming. I would bet the Zimmerman signing is not too far behind if it is going to happen (and why wouldn’t it.?)
Cue the “Nationals are all out an Josh Donaldson” comments
that happened when Castro and Cabrera signed
Howie Kendrick is playing 1B when Thames isn’t, that’s why Zimmerman will be left on the market until he gets the hint and retires.
Have to agree totally. While Kendrick and Thames are both capable of playing other positions, the logic is clear that they will platoon at 1B. A Zimmerman signing would only make sense from a nostalgic standpoint. Time to retire.
Thames is a bench piece if need be
Imagine Zimmerman as a platoon partner won’t be too far behind.
He has been for 2 years.
Sorry I made a mistake. Look below.
Zim has been platooning for 3 years.
In 2017 Zim had 576 plate appearances, 36 home runs, 108 RBI, batted .303, and was an All-Star.
Howie Kendrick and Eric Thames platoon at 1B is a massive upgrade over the terrible, washed up Zimmerman.
Just like Zim and Lind, Zim and Adams x2….Zim and Clint Robinson. He will be back..!
Thames on the Potomac.
That’s a good one!
that one really flows
Smart!
Do the Nats have any minor leaguers? They keep signing people as backups who could start anywhere else.
None of note besides Kieboom (AAA) and Luis Garcia (AA). Wilmer Difo, Adrian Sanchez and Jake Knoll are trash.
Also of note, Nats have two more 40-man spots open. Hopefully JD signing will push Difo back to the minors and Zimmerman.
JD isn’t coming to Washington
Difo is out of minor league options so he either stays on the major league roster or they lose him on waivers. Nats need him as a backup SS; otherwise they’d be relying on Castro who should only handle SS in an emergency.
Does Thames bat play outside hitter friendly Miller Park?
Parks do not have THAT much affect on big league hitters. People around here talk about some hitters as if they couldn’t hit one out a little league infield if they weren’t in Denver, Texas, Milwaukee, etc. It’s just stupid.
Don’t tell that to LH hitters playing at Yankee Stadium.
Don’t know what that rude comment was about “It’s just stupid”… none the less …
I would say he is borderline mediocre away from Milwaukee. Looking back at his road performance the last 3 years he has played for the Brewers, his OPS is about 100 points lower than playing at home. But who knows, if he really likes Washington he could hit better. Hard to say. He definitely showed power in Milwaukee though since he hit way more homeruns there than elsewhere.
If you take Cincy out of his road numbers he goes down even further. As a Brewer fan, he was great against the Reds but it ticked me off when they’d throw the shift on and he didn’t even bunt it over towards 3rd base. He had too much fence or bench type swinging.
lots of old guys joining the Nats,
Clutch guys too, with good clubhouse persona
Reds should have signed him over Matt Davidson. Like 90% oh his yearly HR totals are from GABP. At least thats the way it felt..
Thames wouldn’t have signed with the Reds to serve as a bench role if he could get a full time, or part time role with another team, like he did.
Zim can always sign with the expos.
Fukoshima Bay Hawks gonna real him in!
I’m not a Nats fan, but I think this is a steal for them. Thames is an excellent, but streaky hitter. I think their staff can, and will work on that and bring it his best
How many roster spots do these guys have?
they had 9 open after setting their 40 before the Rule 5 draft i believe.
he probably means on the 26 man.
Holy crap, the Nationals are going bananas! The ink isn’t even dry on the last one!
I definitely see this to mean that a) Zimmermann won’t be back and b) Donaldson won’t be coming to Washington DC
very positive they’re out on Donaldson now
Hoping Donaldson gets out of the NL East and signs with the Twins, but my gut is telling me Atlanta bound
This still doesn’t put a nail in the Donaldson coffin. Cabrera could very easily become a utility guy—picking up 2 starts from Castro, a start from Trea Turner and a start at 1B or 3B most weeks—If they did decide to add Donaldson. This doesn’t do anything to make that situation more likely, but I’m not sure it rules it out altogether.
MLB needs to regulate protective equipment for batters. Thames’ elbow pad is a prime example of protection run wild.
if it was a serious injury risk to catchers id bet theyd have already stopped him from using it.
I agree
Uh… What?! Lol. What do you have against a guy wanting to protect himself? How does it in any way interfere with anything?
Certainly made Bonds fearless.
… the inside pitch, Outlaw. I’ll let you sort out the details.
But why? Seems like such a strange thing to nitpick at. I would get if his elbow guard stuck out and made it easier for him to get a HBP, but it doesn’t.
They need all the protection they can get, with the pitchers throwing harder than ever.
I’ve seen some say it will make pitchers more cautions to throw inside, but I’m pretty sure that if a guy struggles with inside fastballs, elbow guard or not, they’re going to throw inside fastballs to them.
If you cannot comprehend the advantages offered to batters via protection, there’s no point in explaining same. Balls are also coming off the bat much faster than in decades previous – are pitchers wearing protection? No. Sorry, batters need to toughen up and have protective gear regulated.
Pitches have an option to wear padded caps as head protection while on the mound. They choose not to. I’m sure the MLB isn’t against letting them wear an elbow guard if they feel they need it, but pitchers will probably have a similar reaction. Your reasoning of “well since pitchers don’t wear protection, then batters can’t” is stupid. Wearing an elbow guard doesn’t give an advantage to Eric Thames, or the pitcher.
Wrong.
If you’d ever actually been a pitcher and/or a batter you’d understand.
I’m truly disgusted with all the Ryan Zimmerman hatred. Yeah that HR off Cole in World Series was nothing. That broken bat single off Hader was crap. Still worth a bench role for Zimm.
Mostly from that A’s fan up there, Strike Four. Sometimes he says smart things but mostly he’s just a troll. Don’t listen to him.
Maybe so, but he’s not as mental as StewartnBuck, though.
I don’t see any hatred. I see a bunch of “he’s been a platoon player the past several years,” which he mostly has been, and “this likely means he’s not coming back,” which is certainly possible. There’s 2 1B on the roster now and his arm’s shot, so he can’t play 3B. It’s unfortunate that many “faces of the franchise” can’t go out on their own terms, but the Nats do seem to be sending the message that “it’s time.” Can they carry him as the 26th man? Sure, but more likely they carry a 3rd C or multi-positional player. That’s not hatred, it’s truth.
It’s not hatred to point out that the game has passed him by.
“the terrible, washed up Zimmerman.”
That’s hatred.
Big improvement over Matt Adams.
If $4 million is all it took to sign Thames, I would’ve much rather seen the Brewers bring him back instead of signing Smoak. Nice pickup for the Nats.
agreed. scary to think what might happen with Smoak if the ball isnt juiced this year.
Considering Smoak had the most unlucky offensive year of his career last season, I’ll put money on him outperforming Thames this season.
Smoak is a significantly better defender at 1B and is a switch hitter who can actually start against a LH pitcher and not expected to be an automatic out. Both players offensive numbers are quite similar except this Smoak actually makes better contact than Thames which is evident by the lower strikeout percentage. Overall the Brewers needed a better defensive player to put next to Huira.
Good point.
That is something that looking at raw numbers just won’t show.
I think that more than any team, the Brewers take it to the Nth degree when planning how to utilize their defenders. Covering weaknesses of their pitchers as well as position players. On one hand it can be tiresome waiting for guys to trot around the field to odd positions and form some alignment generate by an algorithm, but It is fascinating to see the strategy deployed and whether it is effective or not. The strategy of a hardball game is something that many people under appreciate. There are multiple decisions by both sides on every pitch.
I said it in the last post, but add this signing to the nats and again, takes them even more out of the JD hunt. I’d say they are officially out, but they are getting super close to that lux tax threshold and still have small holes to fill.
That luxury tax means nothing to the Lerners, especially coming off a WS ring. They have gone over it twice and just reset last year. Going over for Donaldson would be well worth it especially when you could just reset the tax again the next year. Lerners are top 5 spenders as owners in MLB, not like these cheapskates scared billionaires elsewhere.
Well, reportedly they want to keep under it… but we all know how that is. And yea, billionaires and liberty… lol
Devastation sure ain’t what it used to be.
Haha, thought the same thing man
Interesting approach by the Nats. Using ALL of that 26 man roster. No scrubs. A few stars. Playing lotsa match-ups
Manager needs to be on his toes.
Nats look stacked after they won the big one. Good for them
Rendon leaves a gaping hole that Thames and Castro won’t fill.
Thames replaces Adam’s
Castro replaced Dozier.
Who replaces Rendon? That’s the point. Big hole unfilled.
Essentially, the Nats have replaced Rendon with a vastly improved bullpen. They’re also hoping Robles takes a leap offensively this year–which is far from a sure thing, but certainly possible.
Dang, Nationals aren’t playing around. I like this version of nationals free agency
Thames is the most muscular guy who doesn’t take PED’s. He’s an upgrade on Matt Adams (who I met once in St. Louis, and is a very nice guy).
Some teams like the Nats try to win and some don’t!
1.7 WAR for $4MM. Terrific.
Oh no, your personal fortune is being plundered!
I wonder if JD’s agent privately told the Nats that they were out of the running. That would explain this spate of mid-level signings.
Good move , now go get zim so he can retire a nat
is this a record for free agent signings by one team in 10 days? holy crap seems like 20 players now. awesome to see
32yo defensively challenged 1B, 117OPS+ gets $4mil
32yo defensively challenged 1B, 119OPS+ gets 3/$50mil
One team is doing this right.
^exactly this. The most perplexing move all offseason is the Abreu deal. Makes no logical sense.
Abreu had over 100 something RBI as the 3 hitter and pitchers had to pitch to him cause for half the games last year Jon Jay was batting cleanup
I didn’t realize Jon Jay was such an offensive threat that they had to pitch to Abreu so they didn’t have to face the powerhouse that is Jon Jay.
I think he was being facetious. Making fun of the ones who think RBI’s prove skill and line-up protection is a thing.
Jon Jay isn’t a bad hitter, but in what world is he a cleanup hitter?
Still a better statistic than batting average, though which is only not the most overrated statistic in baseball because of WAR.
No, this doesn’t mean they are out on JD. This is a pure replacement for Adams and/or Zimm.
Still two signings to go.
Replace Rendon and Parra
Brewer fan. Thames is a great guy; he’ll help the Nats however you use him. Hope he does really well.
“Eddie” ~ He will do well and he will enjoy hob-knobbing with the Korean diplomats in DC. I know he can sing at least one song in Korean very impressively.
This is a great move, and I think a lot of people are missing just how much flexibility this and the other Nats recent signings have given them.
There’s no reason to assume Kendrick will just play 1b. His bat is too good overall to just start against lefties and Thames’ numbers against righties are good enough to justify getting most starts for RHPs. I expect Kendrick to split his time between first and second (even though his defense hurts a bit there), which leaves room to re-sign Zim as a platoon partner and bench bat.
With Thames as a platoon option at 1b now, you can choose from a combination of Castro, Cabrera, Kieboom, and Kendrick to cover the holes at 2b and 3b and exploit matchups.
Once again, Rizzo is proving that he’s a maestro. If Nats ownership doesn’t pay the man and lock him up to a long-term deal, they’re fools.
Next to 1B, Howie’s best position the past 2 years has been 3B.
Nats continue to bolster their roster. Good signing.
The nats be getting them deals
Nice to see a World Series team add and not subtract looking like another WS on paper…I’m ready for baseball like now!!!
Zimm must be retiring. No need for another 1B.
Nope. Thames cannot hit Lefties so they will resign Zimmerman for platoon splits against LH pitchers.
Yawn!!! All this quantity doesn’t replace Rendon’s quality bat. Fringe players like these signings did produce WS stars/MVPs, but the big producers got them only to the Wild Card slot last year. The Nats won’t make the playoffs this year.
Your nuts if you think losing Rendon means they will not make the playoffs.
What did you say about his nuts?
Brewer fan. Nice signing by the Nats. Good luck ET.
This is ridiclous! Anyone with 20/20 vision can see a pattern with many of the player moves by the Stearns/Counsell regime. Plus both are highly over rated. Just a few years ago the “Brewers clubhouse” was deemed a positive. Not anymore over the past season and next year. There’s a reason many players don’t resign in Milwaukee. Amazing how many former Brewers are snapped up by other ball clubs.
Get ready Milwaukee fans and other MLB GM’s. Don’t be surprised if Arias, Cain, Peralta, Ray or Taylor are also soon out the door!
And yet 2.5 mil fans will still visit Miller Park.
So you’re upset that Stearns brought players in on affordable deals, then after most out produced their salaries he didn’t resign them once he determined the contracts they were being offered in free agency were overpays? It actually takes more discipline to walk away from a quality player when you realize they will most likely not be worth their next contract.
How about you ask the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees and Angels how they are feeling about Heyward, Darvish, Price, Eovaldi, Stanton, Happ and Pujols. Heck you can even throw in Braun for arguments sake since he’s still an above average player but isn’t worth his current salary.
As for the Brewer players you mentioned, Cain isn’t going anywhere, Arcia (not Arias) was one of the worst offensive SS in the league last season, Peralta isn’t going anywhere unless he’s included in trade for a better/more proven starting pitcher while Ray and Taylor aren’t starting caliber players so yes those two aren’t off limits in trade negotiations.
Not sure if he was going for Arcia or Urias, but either way a swing and a miss. Cain they would move if they could I think and despite fans being upset it wouldn’t be a horrible move. His knees are shot, he had a down year with the bat, and he’s got $51 mil left on his deal. Peralta is an all or nothing bullpen arm since he can’t develop a 3rd pitch to start. Taylor is a 4th OF at best, Ray hasn’t lived up to the hype…. Not sure why fans should be upset about any of them moving or where that rant was going…..
The food’s good
Nats are going to have to get really creative with their defensive alignments to make this work. Kind of an expensive pinch hitter if you ask me! Thames would be so much better utilized as an American League DH.
Name the AL team that has a full-time role for him to be a DH…….
Name the AL team that even has a DH slot open for a platoon LHH.
Like half of them! I won’t list them all but plenty of teams could use a DH bat with 25+ hr pop. Don’t be silly. What’s crazy is thinking he would be of any value at all fielding for an NL team. Good luck with that.
Over the last 10 years:
Less than 45% of playoff teams have repeated the next year as playoff teams, and
Only 1/3 of all Wild Card teams make it into the playoffs the following year
The odds are stacked heavily against the Nats even making it into the post-season next year
Great fire power from the Bench!! The Nationals are doing everything they can do the beef up there team, in every area for a shot at winning another World Series!!!!!
Even with the loss of Rendon, the Nationals have had an excellent off season and this is yet another great short term signing for them. Bring back Zim and he can platoon with Thames when the opponent has a lefty on the mound. The Nats have improved their bullpen significantly and probably have enough offense now to get similar overall production out of their entire lineup. The key to their season is keeping their Top 3 starting pitches healthy for the majority of the season. If they can do that, they have a really good chance of repeating as WS champions.
All these infielder signings seem to point to the fact that the Nationals don’t believe that Keiboom is ready to start in the majors in 2020. If he has a great spring and makes the ML roster then the Nats will need to release or trade one of these newly signed players (Cab, Castro, etc..)
no it doesn’t but if Carter does need more seasoning they have the plan for that
I called it. He’s cheap and the perfect roster fit.
1b and corner of capable. He had nats written all over him.
I’m very proud of you.
A+ username right here man. Points for you.
Is this formatted improperly for anyone else reading on Safari MBP?
The Nats are only adding age to the team IMO
Actually this is a good move since you now have a few years to draft/acquire a top 3B prospect, develop him and bring him up when JD moves to DH in the ’22 season… Assuming the CBA gets done.
Yes, I meant Arcia, not Arias or Urias. My main point is there’s a pattern as to a certain type of player being moved out of Milwaukee or not resigned by Stearns/Counsell over the past few years.
Who seem to have a build a “softball team” mentality in Milwaukee. Typically comprised of usually average at best pitching or wearing the staff out within a year or two. Average at best defense. Then sluggers who strike out too much and take up most of the salary budget. While whining about being a “small market” team. Yes, Milwaukee is one of the smaller MLB markets (Like Green Bay in the NFL.). Yet the Brewers routinely finish in the top 10-15 for home attendance and ahead of much larger “markets.”
Which leads to ONE WS appearance in 50 years!!!
There are is a type of player (Shaw, Sogard, Gamel, Spangenberg, Albers, etc.) who are over rated by Stearns/Counsell/Mark A. and given numerous opportunities to perform. Whereas another type of player are given a much shorter leash and not given the same opportunity to succeed in my opinion. AKA bias.
It should be in the contract that he has to drug test before every home stand series. Since it’s quite obvious he’s on something
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