2012 free agency

[Evolution33]

they look pretty similar to me

http://www.fangraphs.com/comparison.aspx?playerid=7080&playerid2=225&playerid3=&position=P&page=0&type=full

Switch it to BB/9 and you get the idea. Buerhle has also average 6 2/3 innings a start while Lannan averages just over 5 1/3.

[Kevrock]

Not that it matters, but Oswalt is a blast to watch. Would prefer him.

[Evolution33]

My opinion is if the Nats want to spend money that giving $80 to $90 million over four or five combined years to Buehrle and Oswalt is better than giving over $100 million to CJ Wilson for six or seven years.

[Lintyfresh85]

My opinion is if the Nats want to spend money

Not to be cynical... but what gave you that impression?

[Gil1957]

Being a White Sox fan as well as a Nationals fan, I would not want to the White Sox to lose Buehrle, but going to the Nats would be better than anywhere else.  I haven't seen anyone mention that switching leagues should help Buehrle's numbers since at least twice he would face a pitcher and usually the #8 hitter in the NL isn't the same as a #8 hitter in the AL.

[Evolution33]

Not to be cynical... but what gave you that impression?

Reports by the national media.

[HalfSmokes]

Reports by the national media.

I just want to understand one thing- why are the same people who insist the front office never telegraphs a singe move the same people who believe reports we want to spend? (i'm not accusing you in particular, but it seems pretty prevalent)

[Squab]

I don't think there's any way we can know what the front office is thinking. All we really know is that Rizzo wants to add a front of the rotation starter and high obp CF right? But that being said, I think he'll make a splash somehow, either with a signing or a trade. The media likes to list the Nats as possible landing places for Wilson and Fielder but personally I doubt that'll happen. But again, we don't know, we just have to wait and see

[Evolution33]

I just want to understand one thing- why are the same people who insist the front office never telegraphs a singe move the same people who believe reports we want to spend? (i'm not accusing you in particular, but it seems pretty prevalent)

Every front office has controlled leaks. I don't know why the media all had Werth already in a Red Sox jersey last year and didn't even pay attention to the Nats, but maybe that was controlled too. It is hard to make sense of what we hear in the media since a lot of it is leaked by the teams themselves and they are trying to control the message and get a read from other teams. We probably never heard a thing about the Werth deal because the Nats felt if it was reported they were interested other offers would have increased and it already took 2 years and $40 million extra to get Werth signed.

With reports that the Nats want to spend coming from so many sources and different places perhaps it is true. I am not saying I know if they will or not, but they were seen scouting CJ Wilson and Rizzo said that LaRoche's job isn't safe. I don't know why the Nats would scout Wilson if they weren't planning on trying to sign him and it isn't a secret that he is going to cost money. As far as the LaRoche thing I don't think he has to worry about Morse as he can play left and Marrero didn't show much in his September call-up.

There are ways for the Nats to improve by spending money and ways without spending money, and I really don't know which approach they are going to take, but with so many different media members mentioning them as being in on every major free agent I tend to believe they want to spend and this isn't a year of 100 losses like it was when they tried to spend on Teixeira and they are also no longer such a terrible destination that they will have to give a player $40 million extra just to come to the Nats. I think this could be an off-season where if the Nats do try and spend some money they could be successful.

[spidernat]

With reports that the Nats want to spend coming from so many sources and different places perhaps it is true.

They've leaked that same report for the last 4 seasons.

[HalfSmokes]

With reports that the Nats want to spend coming from so many sources and different places perhaps it is true. I am not saying I know if they will or not, but they were seen scouting CJ Wilson and Rizzo said that LaRoche's job isn't safe. I don't know why the Nats would scout Wilson if they weren't planning on trying to sign him and it isn't a secret that he is going to cost money. As far as the LaRoche thing I don't think he has to worry about Morse as he can play left and Marrero didn't show much in his September call-up.

The only response I would have is giving fans the impression that they'll spend money and that they are tying buys a lot of goodwill. 

[Evolution33]

The only response I would have is giving fans the impression that they'll spend money and that they are tying buys a lot of goodwill. 

As seen by the post right above your I think it has bought more badwill than anything else. I think Spider is right that the Nats have leaked this report the last four years maybe not exactly in the pure cynical terms Spidey remembers. I think they only seriously tried for Teixeira but spending money now might be easier for the Nats as they are getting further and further away from back to back 100 loss seasons.

No one took it as a joke this past off-season when people predicted the Nats to lose 100 again, but what would happen if that was someone's Spring Training prediction this year?

[HalfSmokes]

As seen by the post right above your I think it has bought more badwill than anything else. I think Spider is right that the Nats have leaked this report the last four years maybe not exactly in the pure cynical terms Spidey remembers. I think they only seriously tried for Teixeira but spending money now might be easier for the Nats as they are getting further and further away from back to back 100 loss seasons.

No one took it as a joke this past off-season when people predicted the Nats to lose 100 again, but what would happen if that was someone's Spring Training prediction this year?

I'm sure they'd get laughed at. I may be the only one, but I'm hoping they don't go crazy spending. After having suffered for years with this team, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we have enough in house talent to have a steady stream of impact call ups for at least a few years. I've seen too many franchises in this town torpedoed by ill advised free agent signings and then have to restart with a new 'plan'. I'd rather resign our own players

[Evolution33]

I think the Nats are a #3 starter and a top of the order away from contending. They can do that by spending or by making smart trades and adding some lower priced free agents and hoping for bounce back years. The most important thing is to get better talent. Doesn't really matter how it happens just that it happens.

[blue911]

I'm sure they'd get laughed at. I may be the only one, but I'm hoping they don't go crazy spending. After having suffered for years with this team, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we have enough in house talent to have a steady stream of impact call ups for at least a few years. I've seen too many franchises in this town torpedoed by ill advised free agent signings and then have to restart with a new 'plan'. I'd rather resign our own players

That really isn't one of my biggest worries.

[Squab]

On Oswalt, Ben Goessling writes:

[he could be] ...a Type A free agent, meaning the Phillies would get the first-round draft pick of whomever signed Oswalt. The top 15 picks in the draft are protected from being lost in free agency, but the Nationals are slated to pick 16th. So they'll be in new territory this offseason, and if they're going to lose their first-round pick on a free agent, there are probably better places to use it than Oswalt.

Not sure about possibly giving up a first rounder for Oswalt for a couple years.

[Tyler Durden]

I agree that we should steer clear of the big money guys this year but we do need to continue to add pieces like another dependable starter and another hitter.  I'd be ok with it if they punted on adding another long term piece as the hitter and just went with another one-year solution in the outfield.  There doesn't seem to be too much available this offseason unless we overpay in a trade. 

Mark Buerhle and Coco Crisp, for example, would be solid additions.  Oswalt and DeJesus.  Maybe BJ Upton if we can sign him to an extension and we don't send out any of our top prospects and can pull of a trade like the Braves made for Bourn.

I'd prefer that to spending $100 mil on Reyes or Wilson.

[Slateman]

They should change the rule. You only give up your first round pick if you had a better record than the team you sign the free agent from

[Tyler Durden]

I doubt the Phillies offer arbitration.  He might make more than $16 mil in arbitration.  Ha.

[spidernat]

I agree that we should steer clear of the big money guys this year

Chief can you fix the echo in the forum? We seem to hear this every year.

[Vega]

I have no problem with going after big money guys. Ideally, we sign Reyes, Fielder, and Oswalt and do a deal with Lannan/Espinosa/Desmond to get Span/Upton.

[HalfSmokes]

Chief can you fix the echo in the forum? We seem to hear this every year.

The difference is this year we actually have the making of a good team that needs tweaks rather than over haul, as a skins fan you more than most should know what happens when a team wins the offseason every year with big signings

[Evolution33]

The difference is this year we actually have the making of a god team that needs tweaks rather than over haul, as a skins fan you more than most should know what happens when a team wins the offseason every year with big signings

Don't think the nats are quite ready to be a god team. Although I think Zeus would make a good pitcher and Ra a decent CF, but Coyote Trickster would simply make too many errors and have no defined position.

[Tyler Durden]

Chief can you fix the echo in the forum? We seem to hear this every year.

I think you're just hearing your own echo.  Ha.

[Tyler Durden]

I have no problem with going after big money guys. Ideally, we sign Reyes, Fielder, and Oswalt and do a deal with Lannan/Espinosa/Desmond to get Span/Upton.

If we had a $180 million payroll, we could do this.  If not, we can't do this and pay Zim and the rest of our own guys.