Rizzo Renewed by Marky Mark & the In-Laws

[Slateman]

Turning chicken you know what into chicken salad.

I just think it will be tough in the NL the next few years.  Dodgers.  Phillies for another 2 years maybe.  Braves will get their guys healthy.  Brewers although they don't want to pay and lose guys.  DBacks. 

It's funny because we were all saying how many teams were in the wild card race in the NL.  Now seems DBacks and Padres have locked up spots and Braves/Mets for the last spot. 

I mean, at the deadline, the NL WC had six teams within 2.5 games of each other. Three within 2 games of the last WC spot. Was really competitve, hence why deadline was a seller's market.

[Natsinpwc]

I mean, at the deadline, the NL WC had six teams within 2.5 games of each other. Three within 2 games of the last WC spot. Was really competitve, hence why deadline was a seller's market.

Was fools gold for most of the teams. Thank goodness the Nats didn’t get hot and become a buyer. I had noted back then that a couple teams would get hot. DBacks I thought.  Didn’t think the Padres would. Thought it would be the Cards.

[rileyn]

Rizzo has to be fired before the draft, right?  How can ownership possibly allow him to select the #1 pick with his track record?

[Slateman]

Rizzo has to be fired before the draft, right?  How can ownership possibly allow him to select the #1 pick with his track record?

Ownership doesn't care. And at this point, there is no way you could get a GM and scouting staff in place before the draft

[imref]

Rizzo has to be fired before the draft, right?  How can ownership possibly allow him to select the #1 pick with his track record?

there isn't a GM in baseball who wouldn't have selected Dylan Crews #2 in 2023.

[rileyn]

there isn't a GM in baseball who wouldn't have selected Dylan Crews #2 in 2023.

Langford was seriously debated by all of us.  Elijah Green?  Seaver King?  Seth Romero?

I don't care, let James Wood make the pick if we can't hire a GM and staff in time, but to let Rizzo make the pick and then turn him over to this staff........what we even doing here?

[varoadking]

Langford was seriously debated by all of us.  Elijah Green?  Seaver King?  Seth Romero?

Let's not forget...Carter Alswinn Kieboom...

[IanRubbish]

Rochester is 10-27, Wilmington 10-23.  Harrisburg is holding around .500 with a big and lucky boost from a 10th rounder, Phillip Glasser.

Rizzo never adjusts, he just keeps failing by overspending on rentals, retreads, and lottery tickets to make up for poor drafting and development.  Gets next to nothing for them at the deadline, drafts more high round players based on physique, speed, and whoever gives him a man crush, those players disappoint, leading to more underperforming rentals, lottery tickets, and power pitchers who can't find the strike zone or stay healthy.

Yes, this is the worst owner in MLB, but Rizzo makes things even worse by not coming up with a strategy to manage the low budget.  I don't think someone else can turn this team into a consistent winner with this awful ownership, but they can at least try something different.  Not like Rizzo's failures cost nothing.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

I don't know? This just seems like the SnyderSkins now. You can hire and fire everyone but the real problem in the building can't be removed. Nothing improves until the Lerners sell. I badly want Davey gone but I know its just shuffling deckchairs. This team will never win with Mark owning the team. Whatever GM or Manager you have will be working with one arm tied behind their backs at all times.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I don't think Marc really owns a controlling interest that lets him say FU to the Tenenbaums and Cohens. That, and there's no interest in the team from the next generation so there's no successor to Marc.

The only way this works out is if they sell, and I don't think Marc wants out. OTOH, he's going to lose control if the Cohen and Tenenbaum stake is bought out by one person, like Leonsis.

[aspenbubba]

I don't think Marc really owns a controlling interest that lets him say FU to the Tenenbaums and Cohens. That, and there's no interest in the team from the next generation so there's no successor to Marc.

The only way this works out is if they sell, and I don't think Marc wants out. OTOH, he's going to lose control if the Cohen and Tenenbaum stake is bought out by one person, like Leonsis.

I'm not sure that Mark owns the team outright or even 51% along with the minority shareholders. Teds' wife Anette could be the owner of the shares and not his children. Anette's will more than likely provides for the shares to be passed down to her children upon her passing.

[imref]

Revisting the Soto trade:

https://www.talknats.com/2025/05/21/a-quartet-of-major-leaguers-from-a-singular-trade-with-3-playing-like-all-stars-and-1-is-a-new-call-up/

General Manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that Robert Hassell III is being called up as an injury replacement. Hassell will join CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, and James Wood to form a quartet of players from the Soto trade to play for the Washington Nationals. That would just leave Jarlin Susana as the final player from the trade who has not made it to the ‘show.’ While Hassell’s future impact at the MLB level is unknown, we know that FanGraphs has Abrams, Wood and Gore as the Top-3 most valuable players on the Nats’ team combining for +5.1 WAR. If this trio can minimally stay on their current pace, each would be All-Star candidates. Extrapolate that +5.1 WAR for a full season, and you’re looking at a +16.9 WAR for that triumvirate.

Besides the Dodgers, no other team has an offensive 1-2 combo like Abrams and Wood. And Gore leads all of baseball in strikeouts (84) as well as the highest K/9 rate (13.4). While Abrams was an All-Star last year, his numbers are better now. Wood leads all players aged under 23 in OPS as well as several other offensive categories.

[IanRubbish]

Revisting the Soto trade:

https://www.talknats.com/2025/05/21/a-quartet-of-major-leaguers-from-a-singular-trade-with-3-playing-like-all-stars-and-1-is-a-new-call-up/

The problem is there's not much of a supporting cast around them because the drafting and development has been abysmal.  While San Diego obviously lost out in this trade, they're 8 games over .500, have a young player (Jackson Merrill), whose OPS is even higher than Wood's and Abrams', are in a likely 4th straight winning season, have one of the best bullpens, and are #2 in avg attendance, ahead of the Yankees.  The Padres have done fine in spite of the trade, while the Nats still aren't winning with Wood, Abrams, and Gore all up, and Susana not healthy and throwing lots of ball fours.  I hope Hassell does well, but I can't think of another time in history when a team traded one of the best hitters in the league with 2.5 years left until free agency.  The fact that it hasn't been enough to get the team to even .500 tells you something.

[IanRubbish]

The Padres also have their two best young hitters, Tatis and Merrill, locked up until 2034.  Meanwhile, Gore is gone after '27 and Wood after '30, with both being Boras clients.  So the window of opportunity has been eaten into by the years of mismanagement and underspending.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

the other aspect of the Soto deal for SD is they got some nice pieces back from the NYY when they dealt him with 1 year left before FA. A good rotation piece plus guy who was useful as a catcher last year.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I hope Hassell does well, but I can't think of another time in history when a team traded one of the best hitters in the league with 2.5 years left until free agency. 

Arozarena? Wil Myers? some of those TB deals. 

[IanRubbish]

Arozarena? Wil Myers? some of those TB deals.

Arozarena had a .712 OPS when the Rays traded him. Wil Myers had a .614 OPS when he was traded. 

[Slateman]

Arozarena? Wil Myers? some of those TB deals. 

I mean, neither of those are even close

[JCA-CrystalCity]

He had a .712 OPS when the Rays traded him.

sure he was down. Soto was off too when he was dealt. There was no dispute both of those guys were among the best hitters in baseball when dealt. (we can skip Myers, but IIRC he was coming off a nice year or two in TB).

[IanRubbish]

sure he was down. Soto was off too when he was dealt. There was no dispute both of those guys were among the best hitters in baseball when dealt. (we can skip Myers, but IIRC he was coming off a nice year or two in TB).

There’s no dispute that Arozarena is nowhere near Juan Soto.  But you have a point, Buddy Biancalana might have also been let go before FA.

[Slateman]

sure he was down. Soto was off too when he was dealt. There was no dispute both of those guys were among the best hitters in baseball when dealt. (we can skip Myers, but IIRC he was coming off a nice year or two in TB).

Arozarena was 29 when he was dealt. Myers had one season of low .800s OPS. They aren't really comparable to Soto.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Arozarena was 29 when he was dealt. Myers had one season of low .800s OPS. They aren't really comparable to Soto.

of course the age and the like are different. My point is great hitters do get traded with multiple years of team control, which was what Ian brought up.

Look, on reality street, I don't think there's ever been a deal to match Soto's trade. That's why the return was so high. That doesn't mean it wasn't a good deal for the Nats. Gutsy deal all the way around. It didn't win SD a pennant let alone a world series, but the package they got back from the NYY replaced some of what they gave up, they had depth at SS (so much so they moved Merrill to the OF even after the trade) and mostly could afford the price they paid.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

FWIW, last night's line up had 1 draftee in it - Lile.

4 came from the Soto deal, 1 each from trading Thomas (Tena), R Garcia (Lowe), and Scherzer/Turner (Ruiz).

1 MLB free agent (Bell), 1 International amateur free agent (L Garcia).

Among the subs, Call was a waiver claim, Rutledge was a draftee, Brzykcy was an undrafted college FA in 2020, and Chafin was the another FA.

[Kevrock]

Did our scouting and drafting staff ever recover from that mass firing a couple years ago? Do we still have one of the smallest front offices in MLB? Genuinely curious.

[welch]

Did our scouting and drafting staff ever recover from that mass firing a couple years ago? Do we still have one of the smallest front offices in MLB? Genuinely curious.

I thought it, and the entire staff, had been built back. But that's my impression. Can't remember seeing numbers or how the staff are now spread around.