Fire Rizzo

[imref]

House never actually existed. I’m convinced.

[Slateman]

They still seem to draft and develop well. Better than the Nats in any event.

There are 25 teams that are better at drafting and developing than Rizzo.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Give it time.
This should have been their first title. The 2017 one should have been vacated. Would rather have the Nats be like Braves or even the Cards.

Cool, lovely story.  The Braves/Cards' GM over the past few years isn't available and the Astros' GM is.

[Natsinpwc]

Cool, lovely story.  The Braves/Cards' GM over the past few years isn't available and the Astros' GM is.

I guess I am not sure why this is being discussed. The owners are in the process of selling the team and nothing will happen until after that is done. And Click will have better offers anyway. Let’s sign Verlander and Trea and a couple others while we are at it!!

[Smithian]

Rizzo deserves much blame for the system cratering in the late 2010's. Will be up to him to convince the new owners his hands were tied and it wasn't just him taking his eye off the ball.

He also has to explain Corbin.

[Senatorswin]

I'll tell you how good Rizzo is, he can tell if a guy has a hitch in his switch and can't hit a curve ball just by the sound when the batter hits the curve. He doesn't even have to see it.

[GburgNatsFan]

I'll tell you how good Rizzo is, he can tell if a guy has a hitch in his switch and can't hit a curve ball just by the sound when the batter hits the curve. He doesn't even have to see it.

[imref]

seems like the winter meetings were useless.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

not sure this is worth its own thread, but there's a WaPo article today talking about 18 organizational hires on the biomechanics and data side, spread among the minors (player development), the team (pitching biomechanics), and the R&D operation.  A big push is to implement more effectively the HawkEye operation that tracks player movement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/28/nationals-rebuild-staff-data-technology/

At the end of this past summer, the Nationals outfitted six of their ballparks with Hawk-Eye systems: Nationals Park and team facilities in Rochester, Harrisburg, Wilmington, Fredericksburg and West Palm Beach. Hawk-Eye data, unique in its ability to track player movement, will be the top responsibility for the performance associate at each affiliate. The data also will be critical to how the three biomechanics experts function within the organization, with one joining pitching coach Jim Hickey, quality assurance coordinator Jonathan Tosches, and David Higgins, manager of major league strategy — all members of Manager Dave Martinez’s staff.

When the team began installing the Hawk-Eye technology, multiple members of the front office were worried about not having enough manpower to sift through the coming wave of biomechanical information. Beyond giving the Nationals fresh and current ways to develop their players, the partnership with Hawk-Eye adds them to a data-sharing network that spans much of the league, which Washington can use to evaluate opponents and possible acquisitions.

Before the 2020 season, MLB switched from TrackMan radar to Hawk-Eye cameras to collect data for Statcast. By opting for Hawk-Eye’s best available tech throughout the organization, the Nationals will have access to industry-standard ball-tracking information and cutting-edge player movement data for their biomechanics experts, analytics team, coaches and strength and conditioning staff.

Kind of remarkable they switched in 3 years ago to Hawk-Eye but waited this long to staff up to use it.

As the article points out, this may be a cheap way to dress up the organization before a sale.  The playing talent isn't there, but this at least makes them seem more sound on the modern player development side.

[Slateman]

I am Jack's utter lack of surprise

[imref]

Chelsea Janes
@chelsea_janes
If you had drawn up a worst case Nats five-year scenario entering Bryce Harper's free agent winter, I would say Harper and Turner in Philly, Scherzer as Met, Strasburg battling potential career-ending injury, and Soto long gone would be close to it. If not for the title in '19...

[raleighnat]

Chelsea Janes
@chelsea_janes
If you had drawn up a worst case Nats five-year scenario entering Bryce Harper's free agent winter, I would say Harper and Turner in Philly, Scherzer as Met, Strasburg battling potential career-ending injury, and Soto long gone would be close to it. If not for the title in '19...

Since the title (thank the blessed lord for that!), it has been a complete, unmitigated disaster.  For years I was a big Rizzo supporter, but to get where we are now is pretty disgraceful.

[Kevrock]

This team is impossible to root for. They are making the Commanders look good at this point.

[UMDNats]

Do people seriously think we were going to keep Max, Trea and Juan? Like all of them?

[Five Banners]

Do people seriously think we were going to keep Max, Trea and Juan? Like all of them?

Max did his job, it was fine that they could part ways with him. Trea didn’t have a Boras agent, seemed open to staying in this area, and they could’ve moved on that. And if they add Trea here longterm, they could’ve made a realistic bid for Soto. Give the ownership committee and the way they operated their share of credit for this.

[Slateman]

Meh, Harper is the only one that stings, mainly because he was willing to take a reasonable deal.

Turner is going to be 30 next year. 11 years, 300 million to a 30 year old. Pass.

[Natsinpwc]

Meh, Harper is the only one that stings, mainly because he was willing to take a reasonable deal.

Turner is going to be 30 next year. 11 years, 300 million to a 30 year old. Pass.

With Harper at his peak and Wheeler there for a couple more years and the other contracts added last year, the Phillies needed to go all in for the next 3-4 years.  They got Turner at a cheap AAV which will allow them to add pitching.  They just went through a decade of bad baseball so no one cares if they will be bad in five years.

[imref]

Do people seriously think we were going to keep Max, Trea and Juan? Like all of them?

I would have done everything to keep Trea and Soto, those are guys you can build around for the next five years though i'm excited about the haul we got for Soto.

[UMDNats]

Meh, Harper is the only one that stings, mainly because he was willing to take a reasonable deal.

Turner is going to be 30 next year. 11 years, 300 million to a 30 year old. Pass.

Yeah, the Bryce contract looks good now. Wish we kept him for that but if you gave me a choice of a Nats 2019 title or Bryce locked up and unknown success, I'll take the title.

[UMDNats]

We literally tried to lock up Trea before 2020 and he said no, bet on himself, then went on to have the 3 best seasons of his career. That happens sometimes.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The 11 years starting at his age 30 season is too long, but if it had started 2 seasons ago I would have been fine with it.  This was the offer we needed to make going into 2021. A Soto deal would have been tough, but his free agency doesn't start until our remaining big contracts have a year or two left.

No, the killer for a team on a budget is Corbin / Stras turning into pumpkins.  And Corbin deserves a 2019 asterisk.   

[imref]

Yeah, the Bryce contract looks good now. Wish we kept him for that but if you gave me a choice of a Nats 2019 title or Bryce locked up and unknown success, I'll take the title.

Yep. 2019 with Harper and no Eaton/Corbin would not have won a championship IMHO.

[Natsinpwc]

We literally tried to lock up Trea before 2020 and he said no, bet on himself, then went on to have the 3 best seasons of his career. That happens sometimes.

Once Harper left their wives plotted this all out. Including taking less money over a longer time.  So they could be neighbors for a decade.

[Slateman]

Yeah, the Bryce contract looks good now. Wish we kept him for that but if you gave me a choice of a Nats 2019 title or Bryce locked up and unknown success, I'll take the title.

Could have had both pretty easily.

[hotshot]

Do people seriously think we were going to keep Max, Trea and Juan? Like all of them?

Difference is when, say, the Mets lose a guy of the Max/Trea/Juan caliber, they bring in someone else just as good, possibly better. We've entered a new age of spending and owners not rich enough, or inclined to "invest" enough, are left in the dust.