Not being in on Santander for $90M feels like a huge middle finger to the fans. He was an easy fit here, switch hitting power, moves Young to 4th OF, late inning defensive replacement and pinch runner role. 29th in payroll is an embarrassment in a market like DC.  They really need to sell the team if they have no willingness to pay for a competitive product. Maybe we need a “sell the team” chant at the the upcoming hot stove, just the Pirates fans did.

I also worry that the Stras handling might make FAs less willing to sign here. They can solve that of course, but it means overpaying. If so, that’s a cost they saddled themselves with by being cheap jerks.

Yes. It's possible that the Nats just aren't viewed as a one piece away team by the top FAs so they will need to spend stupid money to land a Bregman/Santander, but more likely they just aren't bidding.  It's one more year of "Let's see the kids fill holes." The downside is that Gore, Garcia, and Abrams are gone or signed to FA contracts before the window opens.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/blue-jays-to-sign-anthony-santander.html

can opt out after 4 years, BJs can void opt out by adding a year. No $ figure yet.

The deal is for more than $90MM, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Per Alexander, Santander is actually guaranteed $92.5MM with the ability to get to $110MM, though the deferrals will lower the net present value somewhat. The specifics of those deferrals aren’t publicly known.

my dislike for Harbaugh is he's a whiny little turd. He whined about a spread formation the Pats ran against him where the tackle was split lie an H back on the line (and covered by a wideout) so his team lined up with a DB over the phony slot guy. He then called up the Colts about the balls that were soft due to the cold. That's the genesis of the Ballghazi investigation that led to Jimmy G and later Jacob Brissett's starts in the 1st 4 games before the Pats 5th super bowl win. I'm always happy that everyone associated with that farce has had no post-season success since then