We have to transition from this fear of sacrificing the future for the present that made sense when we weren't winning. Flores wasn't getting the job done with the bat or defensively. Suzuki may or may not get the job done with the bat but he is a defensive stud and sacrificing Freitas (a catcher who was hopelessly blocked in this organization behind Ramos, Flores, Solano, and even Leon) is a win now move that really needed to be made. Put another way, Freitas was never likely to be the difference between us winning a championship or not but Suzuki could be this year.
I'm not saying Frietas could be the key to the championship this year...not even next year, as he was in High Class A ball. I don't think Leon is that good, and Flores struggles (not only defensively but offensively as well), but to trade away 2 top prospect catchers within a year? That concerns me. Not only that, there needs to be the understanding that when Ramos comes back he IS the starter. Another huge issue I have is the amount of money Suzuki makes in order, to essentially, be a backup catcher.
He makes $5 million this year, over $6 million next, and in the option year at $8 million. He gets this salary and he's not even in the top 10 catchers in the league. Cleveland's Carlos Santana (who will be moved to 1st within 2 years to bring up our young Vietnamese catcher) (and who is one of the better C's in the league) doesn't even make $3.5 million until 2014. (Then $6 mil. in '15, $8.25 in '16, and $12 mil. in '17).
He gets overpaid to be an average catcher at best. Not only that, this should stay Ramos's job when he returns.
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/washington-nationals/kurt-suzuki/http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cleveland-indians/carlos-santana/Not only that, but they'll need to focus on resigning Ramos as well...
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/washington-nationals/wilson-ramos/
