I just cannot believe what a futz up they pulled with Aoki. This was one of those cases where you put in a $5MM bid just to prevent the Mets or Braves from stealing him.
I differ with a few of you that say this is simply a case of LAC. This is more Nats are incompetent than cheap. Essentially, this guy's negotiating rights sold for 1/2 a WAR. Does anyone not think he's a half a win upgrade over Bernie? This guy would have been a cheap starter. Sure, take Nippon Baseball stats with a grain of salt, and there was a drop off last year, but he is not old and Japanese baseball is still better than AAA. Even Akinori Iwamura had 2 good years with the Rays before injuries that accompany age led to a decline (kicked to the curb too by Zorilla ). This would have been cheap, so I don't think LAC is the right word.
we get it ... you and PA don't think the Lerners Are Cheap.