2023-24 Off-Season Discussion

[machpost]

The team is hosting a hot stove event Saturday afternoon at Nats Park. Hopefully someone brings up the issues in this article.

[Slateman]

Only question we need to ask is if ownership's priority is still selling the team

[Five Banners]

The team is hosting a hot stove event Saturday afternoon at Nats Park. Hopefully someone brings up the issues in this article.

Question one: between you and the ownership committee, who is most responsible for approaching absolute zero on the Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit scales simultaneously as far as stove temperatures?

[Senatorswin]

It's been an uneventful off-season to say the least, but I really don't think they should of signed anybody at this stage of the rebuild. It's time to find out what you have this season and when you find out who comes through and who doesn't go from there.

[Senatorswin]

There's a really good article in TalkNats about the Nats TV revenue and why aren't the Nats labeled a small market team. It says the Phillies for example get $64 million a year more in local TV revenue which pays for Harper and Turner with $12 million left over. It says the Orioles were the 4th most profitable team in baseball last year but are labeled a small market team. The fact the Nats aren't cost them the number 1 pick last year.

https://www.talknats.com/2024/01/20/the-nats-really-are-a-small-market-revenue-team/

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Question - "How would you compare your approach to off-season trades and free agency from 2021-now and the 2007-2010 period?"

[Senatorswin]

Question - "How would you compare your approach to off-season trades and free agency from 2021-now and the 2007-2010 period?"

Back in 2007-2010 they didn't have assets that could bring in good prospects so the only alternative was to sign the Adam Dunn's of the world and hope to get lucky in a trade. Since 2021 they had Scherzer, Turner and Soto, guys they probably couldn't resign anyway, who could bring in quality prospects. Now they have to find out what the prospects can do. Next off-season it will be the time to fill in the blanks.

They did sign guys like the Candy man, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell in the hopes of flipping them. I think those were good signings for that period except maybe Cruz but I don't think now is the time to even sign those type guys.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Back in 2007-2010 they didn't have assets that could bring in good prospects so the only alternative was to sign the Adam Dunn's of the world and hope to get lucky in a trade. Since 2021 they had Scherzer, Turner and Soto, guys they probably couldn't resign anyway, who could bring in quality prospects. Now they have to find out what the prospects can do. Next off-season it will be the time to fill in the blanks.

They did sign guys like the Candy man, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell in the hopes of flipping them. I think those were good signings for that period except maybe Cruz but I don't think now is the time to even sign those type guys.

it seemed in 2007-2010, there were many more deals for marginal gains. We've been talking about the Guzman for Roark and the Langerhans for Morse deals, as well as the Capps for Ramos. Those were trade deadline deals, so more the equivalent of Lester for Thomas and Candelario for Herz. Still, the Bonifacio for Willingham and Olsen seems like the deal we aren't doing now.

[HalfSmokes]

Question - "How would you compare your approach to off-season trades and free agency from 2021-now and the 2007-2010 period?"

They cared in 2007-2010

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The silence and the lack of activity is kind of becoming the story this offseason. The WaPo has not run a story on the Nats since 1/15, over a week. That was on the international signings. They ran another on the avoided arbitration settlements on 1/11, and one on 1/2 that dealt with funding for stadium improvements.

[imref]

The silence and the lack of activity is kind of becoming the story this offseason. The WaPo has not run a story on the Nats since 1/15, over a week. That was on the international signings. They ran another on the avoided arbitration settlements on 1/11, and one on 1/2 that dealt with funding for stadium improvements.

it does seem like it has been a quiet offseason for everyone except the Dodgers and the Yankees.

[Five Banners]

The silence and the lack of activity is kind of becoming the story this offseason. The WaPo has not run a story on the Nats since 1/15, over a week. That was on the international signings. They ran another on the avoided arbitration settlements on 1/11, and one on 1/2 that dealt with funding for stadium improvements.

It definitely seems to be an interest killer, compounded by the very real possibility that the lull doesn’t just mean the delay in signing someone here but that it’s just taking that much longer to make it clear that nothing’s happening this year — which, in itself may just be another delay in revealing that the current ownership committee may not be that concerned about the product on the field versus other priorities

[HalfSmokes]

The biggest offseason story (really the only one that got more than a day's worth of coverage) concerns whether or not we'll let our former star retire gracefully or force him to pretend to rehab for something he is physically incapable of ever doing.  It's really more sad than anything

[Five Banners]

The biggest offseason story (really the only one that got more than a day's worth of coverage) concerns whether or not we'll let our former star retire gracefully or force him to pretend to rehab for something he is physically incapable of ever doing.  It's really more sad than anything

And if as some have speculated it’s MLB that put on some pressure to not let that happen, they need to leverage that into something proactively done on the team’s behalf related to the consequences of the masn mess. And if MLB does nothing, then just go ahead and get it settled.

[Natsinpwc]

And if as some have speculated it’s MLB that put on some pressure to not let that happen, they need to leverage that into something proactively done on the team’s behalf related to the consequences of the masn mess. And if MLB does nothing, then just go ahead and get it settled.

Not sure what you mean.  They need to comply with the Strasburg contract per the CBA.  MLB was just clarifying that because of speculation on the internet that somehow the Lerners were going to get out from under some of the deal  The only pressure appears to be the Lerners on the Strasburg camp.  Self inflicted wounds by the ownership.  Enter into a bad contract and then act like it was not your fault.

MLB should force some closure on the MASN situation but looks like that won’t happen. Only thing to hope for is both ownership groups realize it will help them sell their teams. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

what exactly is open in the MASN dispute?  We've got a thread on it, but I think they have settled the first two resets and now are in the 3rd. Is it determining the 3rd reset, or is that done later?

[HalfSmokes]

Not sure what you mean.  They need to comply with the Strasburg contract per the CBA.  MLB was just clarifying that because of speculation on the internet that somehow the Lerners were going to get out from under some of the deal  The only pressure appears to be the Lerners on the Strasburg camp.  Self inflicted wounds by the ownership.  Enter into a bad contract and then act like it was not your fault.

MLB should force some closure on the MASN situation but looks like that won’t happen. Only thing to hope for is both ownership groups realize it will help them sell their teams. 

That’s a lot of nuance that I doubt most casual fans care about. Personally, the message I get from this off-season is that ownership is done even pretending to care about the product on the field

[JCA-CrystalCity]

After the Gallo signing, is there any doubt that there's some sort of salvage job last legs 5th starter candidate / long man on the way?

[Five Banners]

After the Gallo signing, is there any doubt that there's some sort of salvage job last legs 5th starter candidate / long man on the way?

Why not try a reverse Ankiel with him?

[Slateman]

After the Gallo signing, is there any doubt that there's some sort of salvage job last legs 5th starter candidate / long man on the way?

Uh .... thats Trevor Williams

[aspenbubba]

After the Gallo signing, is there any doubt that there's some sort of salvage job last legs 5th starter candidate / long man on the way?

Well I was hoping that Rizzo and ownership were waiting until the start of ST to acquire some talent. This is worse than the Dickerson signing.  I believe I was wrong. I’ll stick with a 65 win season MAYBE.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Uh .... thats Trevor Williams

we need a pair. The next Corey Abbott / Wily Peralta

[Slateman]

we need a pair. The next Corey Abbott / Wily Peralta

Jackson Rutledge, Thad Ward, Joan Adon

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Jackson Rutledge, Thad Ward, Joan Adon

you win.

[GataNats]

Well I was hoping that Rizzo and ownership were waiting until the start of ST to acquire some talent. This is worse than the Dickerson signing.  I believe I was wrong. I’ll stick with a 65 win season MAYBE.

Not worse than Dickerson.  This guy actually has a defining skill