The Former Nationals Watch (2023)

[imref]

The Dusty-Max dynamic was always fun to watch.  This, IMHO, is one of the greatest stories in Nats history:

Wednesday’s choice led him back to Max Scherzer. Baker explained a look in a pitcher’s eye can be indicative of his mound status, no matter what he says. That becomes trickier when the pitcher being addressed has two different colored eyes, the way Scherzer does.

“My plan was to take [Greinke] out, but I wasn’t really convinced of my plan,” Baker said. “Sometimes you look in the guy’s eyes and sometimes you listen to the catcher. Sometimes you do what you got to do. Sometimes, I remember one time I was going to take Scherzer out and I wasn’t sure. In Washington. He has two different colored eyes. One’s brown and one’s blue. Sometimes, you look in their eyes and they’re blinking and you can tell they’re rattled and a little bit nervous. And I asked Scherzer which eye I should look at. He told me the blue eye. So I looked at the blue eye. I left him in there and it worked.”

And a slightly more vulgar version from Janes:

Dusty, to Scherzer on the mound in the 7th: "Which eye you looking out of?" Scherzer: "The (freaking) brown one." Dusty left him in.

Scherzer, asked why he said the brown one: "It's the pitching eye."

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Dusty retires. I didn’t love him as Nats manager but I am very happy he got his ring last year, that man has had one hell of a career

I was in the camp of I would not have hired him (truth, I may have wanted Davey) but if I had hired him then I would not have fired him. I think he was a terrific regular season manager who was weaker the shorter the time he had to deliver on was. That is, terrific over 162, not good over 7, worse over 5, and horrible in a must win game. I give him props for working with Michael Taylor, who had a great offensive year to go with his D in 2017. I thought he did well with kids in 2016-17 while not burning out vets. Helped he had peak Daniel Murphy, too. I think he also handled the Desmond to Espinosa to Trea transition pretty well. That he had great teams in 2016 and 2017 but couldn't get out of the divisional round was a failure, but that should have been known as a risk going in. I don't think the guy ever won a game 7 in the playoffs. To me, he was better than I thought he'd be in the regular season. I would have liked him to have had the 2018 team.

[imref]

Nelson Cruz retires

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Josh Bell exercises his player option to sleep with the Fishes.

[imref]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/erick-fedde-drawing-interest-from-mlb-clubs.html

[JCA-CrystalCity]

New team by team ZiPS projections are soon to be coming out. Szymborski explained how he does it. In discussing how he looks at player comps in his projections, he gave as an example the top 50 4 year comps to Corey Seager. #1 on the list? Anthony Rendon 2017-2020.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/here-come-the-2024-zips-projections/

May G-d have mercy on his soul, or, in the case of a foot injury, his sole.

[Natsinpwc]

Turned on the Dominican League game on MLB TV. Emmy Romero is starting for one of the teams. 

[Natsinpwc]

Fernando Rodney is still pitching at 46 for Gigantes although I have not seen him. 

[welch]

Gotta get Gott: Trevor Gott was released by the Mets.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gotttr01.shtml

[imref]

Via onepursuittakes

Want an update on Paolo Espino?

He is about to win pitcher of the year in the Dominican Winter League

ERA: 1.87
Strikeouts: 32
WHIP: 0.92
FIP: 2.09

He’ll get a st invite somewhere.

[Natsinpwc]

Via onepursuittakes
He’ll get a st invite somewhere.

Mexican League.

[imref]

Fedde wins MVP for the KBO.  Guessing he also gets a MLC with a STI.

[imref]

Austin Adams signs a major league deal with the Mets. That was one that got away as he's been a serviceable reliever since we DFA'd him to clear a spot for...ugh...Dan Jennings.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/have-cutter-wont-travel-wade-miley-stays-put-in-milwaukee/

Joe Ross signs with the Brewers. Apparently, he got in 14 innings in the minors with SF and was averaging 96 on his fastball on 2-3 inning stints. Major league contract.

[welch]

Good for Joe.

[imref]

Fedde rumored to be down to Chicago WS or the Mets, for around 2/$10 million

[Natsinpwc]

Good for Joe.

Yep. But surprised he got a MLB deal.  No way he can be a full time starter for a whole year after missing so much time. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yep. But surprised he got a MLB deal.  No way he can be a full time starter for a whole year after missing so much time. 

the FG article says that he may end up as a multi inning reliever if he's not a mid-rotation starter. The velocity increase may stick if he's used in shorter stints. The article mentions that, for his career, he's right on MLB average FIP and ERA (adjusted for parks, etc...). His biggest problem, of course, has been health.

It'll be funny if both Ross and Fedde eventually work out as rotation regulars once they freed themselves of the Nats. Or maybe not so funny.

[welch]

It'll be funny if both Ross and Fedde eventually work out as rotation regulars once they freed themselves of the Nats. Or maybe not so funny.

More likely that Fedde, like Austin Voth, stumbles along as the same old 5 ERA starter we know.

Joe Ross, however, was never a bad pitcher. Never a failed 5th starter like them. If, and as, he gets healthier, Ross might be a long reliever, as the article suggests, and then a useful 4th or 5th starter.

[imref]

two years away from TJ doesn't portend well for a return to health. I'm sure they've checked him out though.

[Elvir Ovcina]

the FG article says that he may end up as a multi inning reliever if he's not a mid-rotation starter. The velocity increase may stick if he's used in shorter stints. The article mentions that, for his career, he's right on MLB average FIP and ERA (adjusted for parks, etc...). His biggest problem, of course, has been health.

It'll be funny if both Ross and Fedde eventually work out as rotation regulars once they freed themselves of the Nats. Or maybe not so funny.

Ross overall has a pretty similar delivery, build, and fastball to Devin Williams.  Ross gets hurt when he throws too many pitches and too many sliders.

If they can teach him that Thing (call it a circle change, call it a screwball, just hope you don't ever need to hit it), they've immediately got the best bullpen in baseball.  Unlikely?  Sure.  Insane?  Not really. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Ross overall has a pretty similar delivery, build, and fastball to Devin Williams. Ross gets hurt when he throws too many pitches and too many sliders.

If they can teach him that Thing (call it a circle change, call it a screwball, just hope you don't ever need to hit it), they've immediately got the best bullpen in baseball.  Unlikely?  Sure.  Insane?  Not really. 

Brewers is a great place for him then. He's an easy guy to root for.

[Senatorswin]

I guess I should of expected this. Bryce ( I don't want an opt-out) Harper and his agent Boras, are talking about a contract. They're saying extension but the article is talking more like it's a renegotiation. That's the word Dombrowski used when saying he's never done one with multiple years remaining. I don't think Boras is going to the Phillies and talking about what Harper's worth would be after the present contract is up.

[Natsinpwc]

I don’t think you can renegotiate MLB contracts.  Even upwards? An extension guarantees more money though.

[Senatorswin]

I don’t think you can renegotiate MLB contracts.  Even upwards? An extension guarantees more money though.

"Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he has never renegotiated a Major League contract with multiple years remaining on the deal. He declined Wednesday to discuss the possibility of an extension for Harper, or if it would be a priority."

I think you're right. These are Dombrowski's words. I think in effect it would be a renegotiation that's called an extension. In other words I don't think Boras is going to the Phillies and saying Bryce will be 38 when his present contract ends so here's what we think he'll be worth then. It sounds like Dombrowski knows they're going to try to make up for Bryce being the 24th highest player in MLB today.

Full article:

https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-2023-winter-meetings-summary