2021-2022 Offseason Discussion/Signings/Trades/Rumors

[Slateman]

Bernadina was our White Whale. Then Harper.

[Five Banners]

Bernadina was our White Whale. Then Harper.

 Then pre-freak injury Eaton

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Bernadina was our White Whale. Then Harper.

Mind you, I'm hoping that Robles can somehow become merely a slightly below average hitter and not a black hole in the batting order, sucking in all the hitters around him into hopelessness.  HR every 35 PAs, maybe walk 7-8% of the time, keep the Ks around 21-22%, with more GBs to use his speed.  Either that, or Thomas proves he's not Michael Jackson in CF (wearing a glove on one hand for no apparent purpose).

[Slateman]

Mind you, I'm hoping that Robles can somehow become merely a slightly below average hitter and not a black hole in the batting order, sucking in all the hitters around him into hopelessness.  HR every 35 PAs, maybe walk 7-8% of the time, keep the Ks around 21-22%, with more GBs to use his speed.  Either that, or Thomas proves he's not Michael Jackson in CF (wearing a glove on one hand for no apparent purpose).

Its not his glove, he just gets poor jumps and runs below average routes. This is also reflected in his stolen base percentage. In the minors, he had a 65% success rate. Similar rate in the majors. While stealing bases isn't entirely based on speed, he should be significantly more successful if you believe the metrics of his sprint speed. Some of this is knowledge, but it just seems like he gets poor jumps out of the box and on fly balls.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Its not his glove, he just gets poor jumps and runs below average routes. This is also reflected in his stolen base percentage. In the minors, he had a 65% success rate. Similar rate in the majors. While stealing bases isn't entirely based on speed, he should be significantly more successful if you believe the metrics of his sprint speed. Some of this is knowledge, but it just seems like he gets poor jumps out of the box and on fly balls.

There's actually a site that dumps Statcast data out there and quantifies some of this:  https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outfield_jump

It pretty much tracks with the above (and also seems to match the eye test for most of the guys it tracks).  Short story is Thomas is a tad slow off the mark and runs terrible routes; Robles is also slow off the mark but runs somewhat better routes. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

There's actually a site that dumps Statcast data out there and quantifies some of this:  https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outfield_jump

It pretty much tracks with the above (and also seems to match the eye test for most of the guys it tracks).  Short story is Thomas is a tad slow off the mark and runs terrible routes; Robles is also slow off the mark but runs somewhat better routes. 

With Thomas, any difference / hope in his routes and jump in LF?

With Robles, it sounds like some of his spectacular looking catches are due to his bad jump making the ball on the fringe of his make up speed and route.  The outfield version of groundball stopped by a diving Jeter.

[welch]

Probably not, unless he gets a Werth-type long-term deal.  The 2011 team was pretty awful, even after we signed Werth.
Ramos C
Morse / LaRoche 1B
Espinosa 2B
Desmond SS
Zimmerman 3B
Nix LF
Ankiel / Bernadina CF
Werth RF

Rotation: Lanan / Livan / JZ / Maquis / CMW

Our bullpen that year featured H-Rod.

The 2011 team was a .500 team, a sign that the Nats were almost ready. With Strasburg returning and after the trade for Gio, they could compete with anybody. They were bringing Detwiler along.

The relievers were Storen and Clippard, plus sprinting Todd Coffey and Silly-hat Sean Burnett. The Nats did not depend on HRod. That team also had Stammen.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/2011.shtml

[Elvir Ovcina]

With Thomas, any difference / hope in his routes and jump in LF?

With Robles, it sounds like some of his spectacular looking catches are due to his bad jump making the ball on the fringe of his make up speed and route.  The outfield version of groundball stopped by a diving Jeter.

Hard to know.  This level of data wouldn't tell you.  If there's something in particular he struggles with - like balls over his head, especially - then sure, that'd get way better in left.  But there are also things that can be worse in the corners. 

I haven't seen him enough to really have much opinion, but to me he just looks like he doesn't have enough range across the board to play CF decently.  If that's the case and it's not a specific thing, he'd be better in a corner just because there's less ground to cover. 

[imref]

Via mlb.com’s Francys Romero

Source: Cuban LHP Andy Marlon Pérez (21) will sign with the Washington Nationals when a new international signing period opens January 15.

[zimm_da_kid]

Via mlb.com’s Francys Romero

Any scouting reports or video available?

[imref]

via https://www.archysport.com/2021/12/cuban-players-win-contracts-with-mlb-teams/

Pérez is a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher born in Havana who made his debut in the Cuban National Series with a fleeting participation in the team. Industrial. He traveled to the Dominican Republic in 2019.

“Along with Cristian Vaquero, they will be the two Cuban prospects who will join the ranks of the Nationals,” added the journalist.

According to Romero, “Andy Marlon has an excellent corner and a fastball that could increase in speed and movement. He was one of the best pitchers in Cuba in the children’s and youth categories ”.

[Smithian]

Bernadina was our White Whale. Then Harper.

Was Bernadina the first Michael Taylor or was Taylor the second Bernadina?

Guy who crushed it as a #4 OF then struggled with consistent starts.

[NatsAllThe Way]

Was Bernadina the first Michael Taylor or was Taylor the second Bernadina?

Guy who crushed it as a #4 OF then struggled with consistent starts.

  I wanted to like Roger A. Bernardina too.

[imref]

he made a lot of spectacular catches over the years:

[JCA-CrystalCity]

he made a lot of spectacular catches over the years:

Shark 1.0

[Mattionals]

What are the odds the Nats do something dumb like sign Greinke?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

What are the odds the Nats do something dumb like sign Greinke?

IF they sign him, it'll be under $10 million for a year.  Basically, this year's Lester. 

[Slateman]

Yea, signing Grienke at under 20 mil isnt dumb. Dumb would be Kris Bryant

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Apparently he's still playing, sort of:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bernadina

  I wanted to like Roger A. Bernardina too.

[imref]

Hmmm https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/12/teams-that-want-to-dump-salary-should-contact-the-nationals.html

[Slateman]

I'd still like to get bullpen help. Or at least try.

Maybe Richard Rodriguez, if MLB and the MLBPA can agree in s tackier/grippier baseball. Keone Kela will be coming off TJS midway through next season. I'd take a shot, maybe a one year deal for 1.5 mil and a mutual option for somewhere between 5-7 million in 2023.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/12/josh-bell-looks-like-a-trade-candidate-for-the-second-straight-offseason.html

Bell wasn’t part of that midseason sell-off, but there figures to be a bit more interest around the league after his strong play down the stretch. He’s now entering his final year of club control, and the Nationals don’t seem to have a plausible path to contention next season. It’s not clear Washington wants to entertain a multi-year rebuild — with Juan Soto under club control for three more seasons, there’s not much time to dawdle — but Bell’s ticketed for free agency next winter anyhow. Trading him coming out of the lockout wouldn’t be a sign of a longer-term rebuild so much as a recognition of their unlikely contention status in 2022.

...

At a projected $10MM arbitration salary, he’s not going to bring back a return as strong as Oakland would get for Olson or New York would recoup for Voit. There’ll be teams in the Freeman/Olson markets who don’t land those stars, though. The upcoming collective bargaining agreement may introduce a universal designated hitter, leaving some National League clubs looking for another bat. Some of those teams figure to see Bell as a viable alternative to the market’s costlier options. Given the Nationals’ current competitive situation, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he’s donning a different uniform for the third straight year come Opening Day.

[Slateman]

The trade value target for Bell is what the Cubs got for Rizzo.

[Mattionals]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/12/josh-bell-looks-like-a-trade-candidate-for-the-second-straight-offseason.html

It's obvious that literally no writer has any insight to what the Nats plan to do. Trade Bell now when he has limited value? Only makes sense in a swap for a bad contract 1B.


So writers are taking shots in the dark. Full rebuild? Sure why not. Partial re-tool? Yea, that's the ticket. Pereniall cellar dwellers again? Yea, this team is totally back to Montreal and will spend like the Pirates!


Man, this is the coldest stove thanks to the lockout, and that means the most shot in the dark "news".

[Natsinpwc]

It's obvious that literally no writer has any insight to what the Nats plan to do. Trade Bell now when he has limited value? Only makes sense in a swap for a bad contract 1B.


So writers are taking shots in the dark. Full rebuild? Sure why not. Partial re-tool? Yea, that's the ticket. Pereniall cellar dwellers again? Yea, this team is totally back to Montreal and will spend like the Pirates!


Man, this is the coldest stove thanks to the lockout, and that means the most shot in the dark "news".

It would make more sense to me to hold on to Bell and see how the season goes; can always be flipped at the deadline.  You really leave Soto all alone as a power guy if you trade him.  As you say, wth the lockout there is no real news so writers looking for something to write.