2018-2019 Offseason Moves

[varoadking]

Agreed.  If he's looking for a pillow contract in place he's comfortable in, then I'd offer him 1 year, $6-8MM.  This lets Ross be a multi-inning reliever this year and keeps Fedde and Crow in the minors.  That's OK starting depth. I think he can do better than the money I'm talking about, but I'd give him that.

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Without having another durable starter it gets very worrying. If (when) one of Strasburg, Corbin, Sanchez miss time, you need to fill 2 spots with Fedde, Ross, Voth, McGowin, Nuno, etc.

Yea, I think it's all moot because we are likely looking more at minor league free agents as starting pitching depth versus what Gio will get, but as much as Gio was frustrating...you at least were going to get 175+ innings out of him.  He took the ball every 5th day with results ranging from good to mediocre.  That's realistically about as good as any team hoped for out of their #5. 

[Expos]

Without having another durable starter it gets very worrying. If (when) one of Strasburg, Corbin, Sanchez miss time, you need to fill 2 spots with Fedde, Ross, Voth, McGowin, Nuno, etc.

The same can be said for any team.

And it's highly unlikely that we have 2 starters on the DL at the same time.

[HalfSmokes]

And it's highly unlikely that we have 2 starters on the DL at the same time.

I feel like we have two starters on the dl at the same time almost every year

[varoadking]

I feel like we have two starters on the dl at the same time almost every year

Seems like all the time...

[Elvir Ovcina]

The same can be said for any team.

And it's highly unlikely that we have 2 starters on the DL at the same time.

When two of those starters are Strasburg and Sanchez, neither of whom has managed even 30 starts in any of the last four seasons, it seems rather likely that there would be a second starter out at the same time.  You're talking about dudes who each miss a month of each season on a regular basis.  If you take them each missing 1 month of a 6-month season, you're expecting to have one of them on the DL literally a third of the time, assuming their annual DL stints don't overlap.   Add in the fact that the two primary candidates for #5 are both also perpetually injured, and you really heighten the possibility. 

Roark and Gio weren't tremendously effective all the time - or even most of it, last season at least - but one thing they both did was take the damn ball every fifth day.  That's something in short supply in DC right now.   

[aBaltoNat]

Who in the hell is Sanchez?

[varoadking]

Who in the hell is Sanchez?

http://www.wnff.net/index.php?topic=37172.0

[mitlen]

http://www.wnff.net/index.php?topic=37172.0

aB is two hours behind us  ....

[hotshot]

Yea, I think it's all moot because we are likely looking more at minor league free agents as starting pitching depth versus what Gio will get, but as much as Gio was frustrating...you at least were going to get 175+ innings out of him.  He took the ball every 5th day with results ranging from good to mediocre.  That's realistically about as good as any team hoped for out of their #5.

They always seemed to me to try to get one inning too many from Gio, ending in disaster and negating the previous serviceable innings he had provided.

[mitlen]

They always seemed to me to try to get one inning too many from Gio, ending in disaster and negating the previous serviceable innings he had provided.

The WNFF GDT standard was/is, "When Gio starts talking to himself, pull him."     The manager was always an inning behind.

[varoadking]

The WNFF GDT standard was/is, "When Gio starts talking to himself, pull him."     The manager was always an inning behind.

Some speculation is that we'll be saved playing his shrink this year:

https://districtondeck.com/2019/01/30/washington-nationals-gio-gonzalez-reunion-seems-pretty-unlikely/

[sixthree175]

Some speculation is that we'll be saved playing his shrink this year:

https://districtondeck.com/2019/01/30/washington-nationals-gio-gonzalez-reunion-seems-pretty-unlikely/

I don't know who Blake Finney is -- what gives him that idea that Gio is "fan favorite"?

[Natsinpwc]

I don't know who Blake Finney is -- what gives him that idea that Gio is "fan favorite"?

I read that and laughed. People are saying...

[Air Desmond]

Roark “took the damn ball every 5th day” and gave his team a chance to win. I’ll agree with that. Sometimes he’d get rocked, but he usually kept the game manageable. He could also pitch past the 5th inning.

The same can’t be said for Gio. You could count on a few things when Gio would start. There would be no pace. He would walk a tightrope. The bullpen had to be on alert early. There are a lot of culprits for the Nats postseason failures. Gio is at the top of that list.

This current rotation is the best the Nats have had since 2014.

[hotshot]

The WNFF GDT standard was/is, "When Gio starts talking to himself, pull him."     The manager was always an inning behind.

That was indeed a "tell." If we could see that, why couldn't the manager?

Another tell was when he went to trying to "nibble" around the edges of the plate 100% of the time (instead of his usual 75%). The hitters all knew it and multiple walks ensued. He drove me crazy -- and I generally have always really liked junkballers (going back to Eddie Lopat, Connie Marrero and, much more recently, the great Livan).

[Natsinpwc]

That was indeed a "tell." If we could see that, why couldn't the manager?

Another tell was when he went to trying to "nibble" around the edges of the plate 100% of the time (instead of his usual 75%). The hitters all knew it and multiple walks ensued. He drove me crazy -- and I generally have always really liked junkballers (going back to Eddie Lopat, Connie Marrero and, much more recently, the great Livan).

I was always amazed at how upset Gio would get given how long he has been in the league. I think managers see it but are reluctant to go to the pen when he had only given up a run or two. 

[varoadking]

I was always amazed at how upset Gio would get given how long he has been in the league. I think managers see it but are reluctant to go to the pen when he had only given up a run or two.

Craig Counsell had him figured out...

[Natsinpwc]

Craig Counsell had him figured out...

I notice they haven't signed him. 

[Slateman]

Craig Counsell had him figured out...

You mean Derek Johnson, who was their pitching coach last year.

[Natsinpwc]

You mean Derek Johnson, who was their pitching coach last year.

Rumor was he left because of discord with Counsell. So maybe he wanted Gio to stay in and Counsell overrruled him. 

[Expos]

Heyman lists us as one of the teams interested in Kimbrel.

Yes please.

[aBaltoNat]

aB is two hours behind us  ....

Bahahahaha

I completely forgot we signed his sorry ass. I was thinking someone auto corrected Scherzer to Sanchez and everyone was playing along.

That was a good laugh.

And yes, two hours and two months apparently!! 

[bluestreak]

Nats win arbitration case against Michael A. Taylor. He will make 3.25 million this year. I think this means he’s gone in some way or the other.

[varoadking]

Nats win arbitration case against Michael A. Taylor. He will make 3.25 million this year. I think this means he’s gone in some way or the other.

He was really stoopid for not taking that deal at the outset.  I agree...as Hawk Harrelson would say..."He Gone!"  But maybe that's what he wanted anyway...he's got no future here...