Thursday, December 8, 2011

Wrapping up the Winter Meetings

US Presswire photo
Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson were busy but didn't add any players this week.
DALLAS -- It would be easy to look at the contingent of Nationals officials who departed the Anatole Hotel this afternoon without having acquired any big-league players and declare these Winter Meetings a failure for D.C.'s ballclub.

To be sure, the Nationals arrived in Dallas Sunday night wanting to make a significant addition to their roster, and believing they had a good chance of doing just that.

But it's unfair to declare this week a failure for the Nationals without knowing what the next two months still have in store for them. Though these four days at the Winter Meetings offer the best opportunity for all clubs to wheel and deal and make moves, the Hot Stove League doesn't close up shop today just because everyone bolts town.

"I think the Winter Meetings were productive, very productive," Rizzo said this morning. "We were extremely busy on a lot of different facets, and I think we laid a lot of foundation for discussions with other GMs. We still have our goal of doing the things we're supposed to do. I think we've come a long way in really getting close to doing something very productive for the club."

Whether the fruits of the Nationals' labor while in Dallas will be born later this winter remains to be seen. They'd still like to acquire another arm to bolster their rotation, though no available pitcher fits their profile as well as Mark Buehrle (who yesterday chose to sign with the Marlins). They'd still like to acquire a center fielder who ideally could lead off, though trade talks this week didn't go very far.

Is Rizzo more confident now about pulling off a deal than he was when he arrived in town?

"I wouldn't say more confident than coming in here," he said. "We feel we're going to give ourselves every option to do it. We're not going to be rushed into anything or forced into anything. But if a deal is out there that we feel comfortable with, we're certainly going to pull the trigger."

That line of thinking actually speaks volumes about the Nationals' approach at these meetings. Despite any outside pressure to get something done, they never wanted to feel forced into making a move they didn't believe was right for them.

As one club official put it today: At the Winter Meetings, your goal is to take advantage of other teams' desperation and not let them take advantage of your own desperation.

The Nationals easily could have fallen into a trap here, especially after losing out on Buehrle and watching their division rival Marlins throw hundreds of millions of dollars at every free agent in sight, and made a move of desperation that would come back to haunt them.

By resisting that temptation, they perhaps left themselves in a better position to do something that actually makes sense for their improvement in the days and weeks to come.

52 comments:

Doc said...

Great news, at this point of development.

Our Nats aren't desperate any more!

Gooooooooooooooooo Nats!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad they didn't get Buehrle, because if they got him, they would've overpaid. I can't say that a 33 year-old left hand SP is the crown jewel of the off season. Or that I wouldn't want to see what the younger SP the Nats have can do when given the chance. Buehrle doesn't walk a lot of guys and he does have a nice ERA, but he gets hit a lot, and he's at 200 IP/year but on the downward trend. Let some other team overpay for him.

I will say this, the Nats have had a hard time beating the Marlins before, so now it becomes more challenging.

Anonymous said...

Wrapping up a big zero! Rizzo should contact Matt Stairs. He's available and more his speed.

JaneB said...

Oh shush anon at 3:42. You are a season behind the times.

Anyone else surprised the meetings ended and Fielder still isn't signed?

JamesFan said...

Not disappointed with these deals not made. Unfortunately, Rizzo and MLB talking heads raised expectations that the Nats were in the hunt on Buehrle and now have to deal with fan disappointment. Let's see what happens.

One lesson I hope the Nats learned is the problem the Cards created for themselves by not signing Pujols last year for an extension. Don't let Zim go to spring training this year without a contract unless you are willing to let him go in 2013. The lesson in every one of these deals is to sign your own guys early to long term deals at reasonable rates.

David said...

jamesfan, totally agree. that's the biggest lesson here. we can't wait to extend Zimm. im still okay with a 2 year Oswalt deal, if Oswalt would take it. takes pressure off the unproven but talented young guys. i think zimmermann, strasburg, wang, oswalt, and lannan. would be one of the best rotations in baseball.

Feel Wood said...

Anyone else surprised the meetings ended and Fielder still isn't signed?

No. He was never expected to sign before Pujols did. It's like dominoes. The second one never falls until the first one does. Fielder is the second domino, and the first one just fell this morning when Pujols signed. Now the bidding will begin on Fielder, and Boras is never in a hurry. Could be a while yet.

nats donkey kong said...

I think it was overall successful, but not productive. I think Rizzo went in with a few ideas in mind. Saw how it shaked out and we can't really blame him. Everyone knows what the nats need. The fact he said it, means nothing. He wasn't going to overspend on Buehrle or Wilson and he didn't. I'm glad he didn't.

Folks this 2012 is not the year. 2013-2016 are the years we should be worried about. We are set up nicely for those years to compete at a high level. I will be severly disappointed if we don't make the playoffs atleast 3 out of those 4 years. We do have some needs fill. I think some can be filled this year, and some can be filled next year...but I think we have to address them. They are IMO in this order:
1. Leadoff Hitter
2. Center Fielder
3. Bench
4. Starting Pitcher

Now if you get a CF who can also leadoff, great. If not, I think you still need to address these two points. Maybe not this year, see how Desi does but if he can't cut it, then yes..make a trade or pay big bucks for a good OBP leadoff guy.

Centerfielder-I don't think Werth should play CF. I want a legit centerfielder with above avg def. I want to preserve Werth's knees for as long as possible

Bench-We need to sure up our bench. Its dreadful. It should be the easiest and cheapest to improve-This is where Rizzo should earn his money.

Starting Pitcher-The free agent class next year will put this one to shame. Some will be traded at the deadline, some will resign..but the remaining FA will still put this current class to shame. We need to trade for a legit SP this season or sign one next winter.

Bryce Harper needs more time. Leave in AAA. Let Morse play LF/RF and move him to 1b when you trade LaRoche mid season.

Anonymous said...

If the idea is that the Nats are not going to buy themselves a contender (a la the Marlins) and want to stick with home grown talent, I would really like things a lot more if they proved that this winter by extending Zimmerman. Otherwise Jayson Werth is the only long term commitment his team seem willing to make.

If the story is that you prefer your home grown talent, show us by moving on that front at least. Otherwise you're just telling more untruths.

Anonymous said...

jamesfan, totally agree. that's the biggest lesson here. we can't wait to extend Zimm.

We have a year to go yet before they're in the position St. Louis was in with Pujols last spring. You can unwad your panties and relax your sphincter until next year at this time.

natsfan1a said...

It depends on what the meaning of productive is. If the groundwork was laid for future trades or signings, even though no trade was made this week, it could be considered productive imho.

nats donkey kong said...

I think it was overall successful, but not productive.

Nats Donkey Kong said...

agreed natsfan1a...that is what I meant by successful, we didn't do anything stupid. Was it productive behind the scenes? I hope so.

Natslifer said...

- Nats Donkey Kong - I'm not ready to give up on '12 yet (especially with an extra playoff spot) but think your long term assessment is right on.
- Listened to a Bowden interview with CJ Wilson earlier today. He's a SoCal kid and chose the Angels over a lot of extra cash and one extra year from the Marlins - would've been tough to swallow Wilson on top of Beurhle and Reyes. (and it's totally irrelevant but based on one small sample interview, Wilson is one intelligent, put together, cool kid).

David said...

i dont appreciate that anon. it's a valid point. the longer we wait to extend, the more we're going to have to pay. the more we have to pay, the higher chance we dont have that cash, and he walks. we're a year away from crisis mode, but i dont think Zimm wants to negotiate during the season, so the time is now, imo, to avoid crisis mode.

Anonymous said...

All in all, the Nats did well standing pat. Losing out on Buehrle was a mild disappointment, but it was the right thing to do. Four years is too much for that guy -- especially when you have Peacock et al waiting in the wings.

Having Buehrle around for a couple years while the young guys get a little more seasoning is one thing. Having him suck up roster space/money when they're ready for prime time is another.

On the other hand, we probably won't stop hearing about the Marlin's awesome Winter Meetings until Reyes misses his 80th game and Hanley pouts his way out of town, but I'm willing to wait.

gonatsgo said...

Can't blame Rizzo at all for not signing anyone this past week. Miami and the Angels blew everyone else out of the water. Almost all the other teams, not just the Nats have been quiet. I think they have all been waiting for those proverbial first dominoes to fall. Rizzo probably had a lot of serious discussions about possible deals that could happen in the next few months. Seeds have been sown. Now we wait - some more...

baseballswami said...

Regarding RZim -- I think he and his agent have a lot to be gained by him playing this next season fully healthy - a season which hopefully ends with a batting title, a gold glove, an mvp and a ring! Watch that price climb, folks - waiting can only help Ryan. People are starting to question his conditioning and his ability to play a full season. When he proves that , he can cash in.

Sunderland said...

swami, I'm with you. We fans may want the extension, but RZ may prefer to play another year before negotiations begin.

Just sayin' said...

baseballswami and Sunderland,

I might normally agree with your reasoning, but the thrust of something Zimmerman's agents said -- on the record -- the other day, suggested that they'd like to get the deal done this offseason:

"Ryan Zimmerman's camp at CAA says their attempts at securing an extension with the Nationals have been rebuffed..." (from MLBTR),

I would like to believe that once the offseason signings (or non-signings, as the case may be) are finished, the Nats would respond positively.

Anonymous said...

Carlos Beltran, 34 years old.
Career: .283/.361/.496 (missed large chunks of 2009 and 2010).
2011: .300/.385/.525 (142 games).

Giants have just indicated they will not try to re-sign him.

Two-year contract, joint option for a third?

Expectation: Werth moves to CF, Beltran takes RF until Harper comes up. If LaRoche is traded and Morse moves to first, then Beltran moves to LF. If LaRoche isn't traded, Beltran becomes the fourth OF.

DFL said...

With Europe's economy on the precipice and a possible new worldwide recession possible within the next two years, it might be that the smart baseball owners will rein in their spending.

Anonymous said...

They could have fallen into a trap!? Come on.

They did not fail at these meetings, it is not some sin to not have made any mvoe at this point -- but they did not succeeed by any means either. They should not feel good about themselves for not having made deals generally, for having kept their desperation in check.

The bottom line is that they are no better (or worse) on paper than they were when the meetings started, but other clubs in our Division are better. Rizzo and crew have more work to do and now in a few days less time. Pressure's on.

dfh21

John C. said...

Zimmerman's agents say their attempts at securing an extension were rebuffed, Rizzo says that they have had informal discussions already and that they want Zimmerman here long term. These two views are not necessarily inconsistant; it's quite possible that the agents submitted a pie in the sky request and the Nationals express concerns about Zimmerman staying healthy. So both sides agree to play it out. I'm certainly not concerned at this point.

dfh21, remember that while the Nationals are no better (or worse) on paper than they were when the meetings started, they are better on paper now than they were most of last season. The 2012 Nationals, on paper, will have better starting pitching with two more months of Zimmermann, four months of Strasburg and subtracting Livan Hernandez and Jason Marquis from the rotation (I love me some Livo, but he got hit hard a lot; Marquis's stats were puffed up by run support that Lannan and Zimmermann could only dream of). The offense, again on paper, will be better thanks to a full season of a healthy Zimmerman, a healthy LaRoche, and a Werth that should regress towards his career norms. And that's not even accounting for any improvement by Ramos, Espinosa & Desmond or any impact at all from Bryce Harper.

So, on paper, they are that much better than the team that went 80-81 in 2011. The Marlins are now somewhat better, although it remains to be seen how much better. The Phillies and Mets, on paper, have slipped a bit. The Braves haven't been very active but have (like the Nationals) room for growth just based on players developing and having dumped Derek Lowe.

Still two more months to Spring Training ...

The Fox said...

After looking back at the last 4 years of FA signings by the Nats I've changed my mine and decided that this meeting was a very productive.

2008 Paul Lo Duca 5 million
2009 Daniel Cabrera 2.6 million
2010 Willy Taveras 4 million
2010 Brian Bruney 1.5 million
2010 Jason Marquis 7.5 million
2011 Adam LaRoche 7 million

I've left Werth off the list 13 million seems like a lot for last years production but he was able to stay on the team and play which is better than all of the players listed. Adam Kennedy also was left off the list because he did also play but I find it hard to count either as a positive.

I'll give you Matt Capps but it was trading him that made the signing a real positive something you can't do unless you take the risk of actually signing a FA. Adam Dunn was a good sign but only after everyone else passed on him and for 20 million for 2 years it had to be seen as a bargain but maybe you can count 2 good FA signings in 4 years. I've probably missed a couple but none that really made any difference that I can remember.

So when you look at marginal FA it probably does not pay to sign them and it seems that FA signings are not the Nat's or Rizzo's strong suit and it maybe better that they just use the draft and make trades.

Anonymous said...

Uhmm well sometimes the best deals are the ones THEY DON'T make: Zach Grienke for way too many promising prospects a deal Ted Lerner wanted to pull the trigger on.

Buehrle doesn't disappoint me. John Lannan's ERA doesn't tell the story he IS FAR worse ... its reflected in his problems after the 4th inning. Advanced stats showed him to be the worst of the starters last year. And Davey didn't like what he saw. Okay?

But they still do have both Detwiler and Milone. Milone might just be better than Buehrle? You won't know unless you play him and find out.

The bad part of the meetings IMO was the loss of Bradley Meyers and Erik Komatsu (yes another possibility in CF ... ya just never know).

They should sign Oswalt and have done. And leave Werth in CF for the time being to give LaRoche a chance to make himself trade bait.

As far as left-handed starters well beyond the obvious in Detwiler and Milone I suspect we'll be seeing Solis, Purke and Rosenbaum before too much time passes and they still have Gorzelanny to provide that and long relief.

So, what is Buerhle? Another consistent 200ip guy who can show you how its done? A soft-tosser? I'd rather deal with TB and Oakland and their young, expensive-for-them power pitchers.

Rob Wilfong said...

The 2012 Nats may have stayed in neutral on paper at the meetings while the 2012 version of the Marlins got a ton better, but sticking with the theme of looking at future teams on paper, would you really like to be a fan of the Marlins or Phillies in the near-term future? The Marlins, within a few years, are likely to be overpaying for several players and have the added benefit of having knucklheads on roster to deal with. And their owner cannot be trusted. And the Phillies, unless they find even more revenue sources, are about to hit the bad side of a lot of long-term contracts. If you offered them the Werth contract, as-is, for the Howerad contract, I can't believe they wouldn't take it in a heart beat. The Mets are a new owner away from revival and the Braves seem to be in neutral with us.

Anonymous said...

@John C - Good Lord, I hope Werth doesn't regress - he can only do that if he's been performing ABOVE his natural level...

Anonymous said...

I've left Werth off the list 13 million seems like a lot for last years production but he was able to stay on the team and play which is better than all of the players listed.

Advanced stats show that Werth finished 4th on the club offensively ... after Morse, Zim, and Espinosa. Did you happen to see Espinosa's batting average there? Yet he managed to have a pretty decent rBBA. Zim's was pretty good it should have been better as well. Morse's was not far off of elite.

Was Werth's stats worth the money he was paid? Doubtless not but he has a very long contract and so a lot of time to prove his worth. It does seem as if the guy will do anything it takes. Let's hope his athleticism keeps him from an early decline ... something many fear in the case of Fielder.

Anonymous said...

No I much rather be a Nats fan who has never seen a winning team ever! Man we are so lucky we are not the Phillies or the Marlins.

Anonymous said...

The 2012 Nats may have stayed in neutral on paper at the meetings while the 2012 version of the Marlins got a ton better, but sticking with the theme of looking at future teams on paper,

Really? And you don't wonder why Pujols and Wilson declined a whole heck of a lot more money to go there and instead signed with Rizzo's old boss DiPoto in CA? The lazy, attitude laden infield of the Marlins now featuring both Reyes and Ramirez. And there's no Uggla to get in their face ... looks like it could be the Hindenburg casting a shadow overhead.

Anonymous said...

The bottom line is that they are no better (or worse) on paper than they were when the meetings started, but other clubs in our Division are better.

And you really thing an infield of Hanley Ramirez, Reyes, not to mention a disgruntled Logan Morrison in left field ... will work? ~smiles~ Dave Johnson is likely guffawing in his
sleeves looking at the Marlins ... again ask yourself why Pujols and CJ Wilson did not sign for wheel barrels of money? The no-trade clause? That's it? And you believe that ... hey do you still believe in Santa Claus?

Rob Wilfong said...

7:11 p.m.,

It's not 2007 anymore. Nobody is picking us to win the world series yet, but if I had to buy futures in our next decade or the Marlins' or Phils', I don't think it would be an easy choice.

Anonymous said...

The Nationals aren't better next year ... hmmm let's see:

Bryce Harper
Anthony Rendon
Tyler Moore
Derek Norris
Steve Lombardozzi

That could be heart of the Nats AAA team in 2012. And that's not improved? ~laughing~

Oh pitching?
Probably not as good as the position
players but lots of interesting lefties?

Hmmm?

Tommy Milone
Bradley Peacock
Sammy Solis
Matt Purke
Danny Rosenbaum

The Fox said...

Anonymous said...
Advanced stats show that Werth finished 4th on the club offensively ... after Morse, Zim, and Espinosa. Did you happen to see Espinosa's batting average there? Yet he managed to have a pretty decent rBBA. Zim's was pretty good it should have been better as well.

That's why I did NOT consider him a negative FA signing I left him at neutral with Adam Kennedy. I also did not list Marquis as negative for 2011. LaRoche may be a positive for 2012. I really hope he is but we will have paid him 14 million dollars to have one positive season.

As for Espinosa and Zimmerman both were drafted and Morse was a trade. This seems to be the best way the Nat's can improve their team. They should never again sign a FA as a starter or full time player at least that's what their past record shows.

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

One bat off the bench moving up I-95:

From the AP:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed outfielder Laynce Nix to a two-year contract.

Nix batted .250 with a career-high 16 home runs and 44 RBIs in 124 games for the Washington Nationals last season. He started 79 games, including 59 in left field, 12 in right field and six at first base. The 32-year-old Nix is a left-handed hitter.

The deal was announced Thursday night.

Anonymous said...

The reason some people think that players sign or don't sign with other teams on this board I find amazing.

Conspiracy theories for why Buehrle didn't sign with the Nats and Pujols and CJ Wilson didn't sign with the Marlins because it’s going to be a zoo or something like that really?

Buehrle is going to make 12 million more guaranteed dollars.

The Angels have a real owner and a much much better team than the Marlins. They also are in a 4 team division which makes it easier to make the playoffs. Also CJ Wilson is no better than their No 3 starter and Pujols fits like a glove on that team because they need a firstbaseman and he will be able to play in his twilight years as a DH. I saw where CJ Wilson was offered more money by the Marlins but he is from Southern California which probably also helped. I never saw a figure give for Pujols but if it was more I doubt it was wheel barrels full.

I don't really care about the Marlins and I doubt they will win the division however I do think they have improved themselves but its arguable how much.

Sorry if it sound like I'm busting on you but most signing by players come down to money, chance to win and living close to home. If you can find anywhere that Pujols or CJ Wilson or a reputable reporter says they didn't sign with the Marlins because it was going to be too crazy there I'll say I'm wrong.

FS said...

Thanks for the hard work Mark.

BinM said...

Calling the Winter meetings a failure would be a bit of an overstatement; A dissapointment yes, but not a failure. Rizzo had a couple of clearly stated goals (a proven mid-rotation inning-eater, and a CF/leadoff-type hitter) in mind that weren't immediately achieved, losing Buerhle (goal #1) to the Marlins.

With a little over two months left between now & Spring Training, hopefully he was able to set enough things in motion to get those goals met, and pick up a few bench bats as well before the end of March. The International market (Darvish / Aoki from Japan, and Cespedes from Cuba) is opening up, and trades are always possible. I'll bide my time until late February before saying that this off-season was a success or failure.

NatsLady said...

Co-sign on the thanks to Mark Z. for traveling to Dallas... (and I assume, leaving Mrs. Z to care for baby Z)...

Me, I'll wait until Sept. 2012 to declare the off-season trade/FA acquisition strategy a success or failure.

With the 3rd place finish, the pitchers, the farm system and the $$ given to Werth, the Nats are, IMO, in the mid-range of teams. The question is, when do you open up the pocketbook big-time to make the step to serious contention.

1) You have to be within a few players;
2) The right players have to be on the market (as was remarked, the FA for pitchers is thin this year, but projects much better for next year);
3) You have to have money available.

All these factors say to me--be careful on over-committing funds this year. Next winter may be the time to make the big splash.

UnkyD said...

Hmmmmmm...Beltran...hmmmmmmmm

Anonymous said...

The question is, when do you open up the pocketbook big-time to make the step to serious contention.

1) You have to be within a few players;
2) The right players have to be on the market (as was remarked, the FA for pitchers is thin this year, but projects much better for next year);
3) You have to have money available.


I think the Nats may be in a unique position relative to this. This is kind of the approach JimBo took trying to move them into contention. The problem was he didn't really understand how to build a farm system. Whereas Jocketty does. The Nats are now doing an even larger repair job than Walt Jocketty had when he took over the Reds. But something strange happened ...

The Nats ended up with some very high draft picks. At the time this occurred the Nats had the wealthiest owner in major league baseball who it appears understood the concept of using highly talented controllable youth to win. He broke the bank on high-end draft picks, was willing to for free agents under 30 with a high ceiling like Grienke and Texiera. The lone exception was the veteran needed to ride herd on the youngsters and for that they apparently selected Jayson Werth because of his athleticism and projected ability to play well in his declining years. The other fixture hopefully will sub-30 Ryan Zimmerman.

But, suddenly the Nats have NO ROOM? They had to lose two excellent prospects in Erik Komatsu and Bradley Meyers because they have so many now ... and some are close to the majors.

Where do you put : Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Lombardozzi, Derek Norris ... not to mention Milone, Peacock, Solis and Purke. Plus they really are just getting started with Strasburg, Zimmermann, Detwiler, Desmond, Espinosa, Ramos ...

Lots of very high end talent close to major league ready. The smart move is to wait and see because the talent level is so high. The farm system isn't yet deep but it's getting overgrown at its pinnacle. You don't give an over 30 veteran 4,5,6,7 years (exception being Werth) when you have that high end surplus.

They really are just one or two players away. And that Nats want young which is harder and more expensive to acquire in trade.

But, there still is Prince Fielder and he does fit their profile almost to a "T" ... except for the Adam Dunn/Dmitri Young profile ... which has to concern the organization.

Anonymous said...

Uh OH ... Solis had elbow soreness after his last start in the AZ Fall league. The Nats have sent him to Dr. Lew Yocum.

Seabiscuit said...

Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder Fielder


OK? Are we done now?

John C. said...

@John C - Good Lord, I hope Werth doesn't regress - he can only do that if he's been performing ABOVE his natural level...

Regression to the mean is a principle in statistics is the idea that if you have an outlier result the next measurement will be close to the norm. Regression can be either positive or negative; direction is solely determined the path to the norm from the outlier.

Thus, in Werth's case "regression" would be an increase in performance :)

Anonymous said...

2012 bench: Willie Harris, Mark DeRosa, Jesus Flores, Rick Ankiel, Harry Chester

Starting CF: Aoki (sp?)

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

That's Harry L. Chester
; )
Yanno, as much as we loved Willie Harris, I think they have to do better than that.

J. P. said...

The Nats have sent him to Dr. Lew Yocum.

As long as they don't send him to Dr. Nick...

natsfan1a said...

I thought it was Harry S.T. Chester?

Sec 3, My Sofa said...

That's Harry L. Chester
; )

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

The L stands for "Lefty."

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

There's also Harry O, but I wouldn't go there--the constant voiceovers in the dugout annoy the other players.

Tcostant said...

Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish Darvish

Anonymous said...

So why cant the Nats call the Yanks and say, in a total salary dump, we will take all of AJ Burnett's 2 yrs/33M contract, as long as they include Brett Gardner. The Yanks can just sign Beltran for a couple years to replace. We get the CF we want and Burnett is only on the books for 2 yrs and can get back to the NL where I believe he would be more successful.

Post a Comment