With a couple exceptions, I want to pass on most of them.
I dont see this team truly competing until 2025. Wood, House, and Morales are nowhere near ready (of they ever will be). Still dont know of Gore and Gray can be good enough. Giant question marks across the diamond.
Who are we going to sign now that will be worth that money in 2025 and 2026?
Ohtani - 30 and on his second tommy john. You're paying 500+ million for, maybe, 3 years of decent pitching and a DH. Is he the best DH? Yes. Is he 300 million better than Yordan Alvarez? Nope
Yamamoto - Yes. I give him Gerrit Cole's deal and not even think twice. He's literally the only big free agent I'd be excited about
Snell - 31 with a huge walk problem, which basically makes him a 5 inning guy. You really want to give him 200 million?
Bellinger - Okay, 28. How much stock do you put into this season over the previous three? 200 million dollar gamble.
Montgomery- 31 and totally reliant on location and weak contact. Wont take much of a drop off for him to be a back of the rotation guy.
Chapman - 31 and hasnt posted an OPS over .800 since 2020. Dont really want to get locked up when we have two potential starters at 3B in the next three years.
Gray - 34. You will get, maybe, two good years. And you'll pay for four or five.
JD Martinez - 36 and can still hit. But Im betting he wants to go somewhere to compete. Rizzo will sign him to a one year deal in 2026 and then act surprised when he posts a .678 OPS.
E-Rod - 31 and dude is a head case. Hard freaking pass.
Shōta Imanaga - 30 and 5'10". Like .... I dont see him doing well in MLB
Stroman - 33. Back to back seasons with injury issues. Not a great sign for a 5'7" pitcher with middling stuff.
Hoskins - Probably the only short term candidate. I'd take him, but he's not going to be here when the Nats are competitive.
Candelario - 30 and fell off a cliff after the deadline. And we have viable candidates within a couple seasons. Dont really feel like getting locked up for four or five years.
Everyone else is kind if filler at that point. I'd be interested in Yamamoto and Jung-Hoo Lee, but Rizzo seems allergic to the Asian market.
Which one of these guys are we not talking about like we talked about Werth in 2015?
Hard to disagree with anything you stated in the post. I'm all in on Yamamoto. His K/9 will play even better with the undisciplined hitters he will face in MLB - I'd put him at 10.5K/9 next year. The hitters in the NPB may not be power guys, however they do have good plate discipline.
The Nats won't get Yamamoto - however I would be all in if they signed Yamamoto to a long term deal and gave Trevor Bauer a two year, $12M deal to help "reshape" his image. Bauer was impressed by Yamamoto last year in the NPB after Bauer struggled early and IMO, Yamamoto would garner most of the press allowing Bauer to fly a bit under the radar in DC (although every Me Too sheep and man hating woman in DC would protest a Bauer signing without knowing the full backstory).
Hoskins would be a nice piece to pick up and potentially build around in the short term. Bellinger is going to cost too much money - and something happened to him in LA for the Dodgers to give up on Belly. I would stay far away from him.
Rumor has it Glasnow is on the market. That would be the one piece other than Yamamoto that would be worth investing in presently - I would sell the farm to Tampa for Glasnow (especially if we could lock him up). We're not built for right now - however fans can be patient with what is developing in the Minors coupled with one big signing to wet our appetites.
Corbin Burnes will be a FA in 2025. Imagine Yamamoto and Burnes at the top of the rotation in 2025. That would take a lot of pressure off of Gray and Gore to pitch above their heads game in and game out.
Here's hoping our MIL talent pans out over the next few years or we're going to be looking up at the Braves and Phillies for a very long time...
