2023-24 Off-Season Discussion

[imref]

I suppose if I link twice to the same article, we might as well post it twice .

By the way- has anyone heard anything about Blankenhorn?

sorry. Got buried behind the cj Abrams arguments. Anyone know his fielding percentage?

[imref]

Joey Votto?

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/latest-on-joey-votto.html

[Senatorswin]

Joey Votto?

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/latest-on-joey-votto.html

I hope not.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Joey Votto?

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/latest-on-joey-votto.html

i saw that. A Votto signing would be Pudge 2.0, without the ring. mentors the hitters. I mean, Darnell Coles or Joey Votto - who would you listen to?

[imref]

there's no reason not to take a flier on Votto if he's cheap next year. Best case is we flip him to a contender for a prospect before the deadline. It's not like we have anyone else beating down the door to play DH and provide some LH power.

[Senatorswin]

2024 should be lets find out what we have. Who to keep, who to get rid of. Let Meneses play every day at first base. If he fails we know we need to move on. Let's see what we have in Millas, Pineda, Adams. Let's see if Jacob Young, Garrett, and Robles are keepers.

We don't need a 40 year old guy that's trying to hang on taking up at-bats. Even if he plays well, a big if, he wouldn't get us anybody at the trade deadline that would make a difference.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'll differ with you on the last point. A well-performing Votto on the last 2 months of a 1 year contract would be valuable to almost any contender that can give him at bats at DH or 1st.

As for Robles, he's not on the 2025 team. If he does not perform well, then we don't need to bring him back, especially if one of Crews / Wood /Pinckney / Hassell / Young is ready. While no one is claiming they'll all work out,  it would be more of a surprise if none does. If Robles is performing well, then he is either traded or hits the market as a free agent. One thing for sure is Robles is not a keeper beyond this year on this team.

[Senatorswin]

Except for 1 year Joey hasn't been productive since 2017 and he's 40 years old now. We will have to disagree on somebody giving up something for him if he plays decent for the first half, which is unlikely he would do anyway. You would have a better chance of Robles having a good first half and trying to get something for him.

[Slateman]

If Votto wants to come here, sure.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Except for 1 year Joey hasn't been productive since 2017 and he's 40 years old now. We will have to disagree on somebody giving up something for him if he plays decent for the first half, which is unlikely he would do anyway. You would have a better chance of Robles having a good first half and trying to get something for him.

kind of hit a wall after 2021. I agree with you on the bold, by the way. if we are looking for a short term tradeable lefty bat, I'd say Rosario or Belt (or Pederson) would be more likely to pay off at this point than Votto. But if he is showing a decent rebound, we would get something.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

oh, on another note, has there ever been a more boring Nats off-season than this one?

[Slateman]

oh, on another note, has there ever been a more boring Nats off-season than this one?

I dunno, what was it like between Alfonsio Soriano and Jayson Werth?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I dunno, what was it like between Alfonsio Soriano and Jayson Werth?

there was Dunn, and there was sign prince fielder. Also speculation about Teixeira.

[Senatorswin]

oh, on another note, has there ever been a more boring Nats off-season than this one?

No. It seems Rizzo is in a wait and see mode.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Between those unicorns and the generational draft of Aaron Crow there was much to drink about

there was Dunn, and there was sign prince fielder. Also speculation about Teixeira.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Of course, our hatred of Felipe Lopez drove a lot of posts, too. Not to mention our love for the great American that was Willie Harris.

[welch]

I remember a time in there when the Nats wanted to sign Zack Greinke...whether trade of FA, I don't remember. Cranky Greinke sniffed, turned up his nose, and said he would never play for such a bad team as the Nats.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/desire-to-win-now-kept-greinke-from-joining-nationals/2011/03/22/ABA2NPFB_story.html

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Bowden was good at the deck chairs on the titanic kind of moves. Mentioned in the underrated thread the deal that acquired Willingham from the Marlins, along with Scott Olsen, for Bonifacio, Smolinski, and Dean in 11/08. These deals at least gave us something to talk about

In looking back at the '08-'09 season, we added Adam Dunn at $8 million as a FA plus traded minor leaguers and roster fringe for Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham, adding another $5.75 million (less if you count Bonifacio at MLB minimum). That's at least $13 million in offseason spending. The 2024 team is short of that by about $9 million.

[IanRubbish]

That's at least $13 million in offseason spending. The 2024 team is short of that by about $9 million.

Good data point.  As much as it was maligned, the '09 team had a comparable runs scored-runs against/pythag W-L to last year's team. 

[BigMeech]

I remember a time in there when the Nats wanted to sign Zack Greinke...whether trade of FA, I don't remember. Cranky Greinke sniffed, turned up his nose, and said he would never play for such a bad team as the Nats.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/desire-to-win-now-kept-greinke-from-joining-nationals/2011/03/22/ABA2NPFB_story.html

It would've been a trade + extension according an article I read a few minutes ago to refresh my memory on the topic.  Greinke used his no trade clause because he wanted to go to a team that was in a "win now" mode after spending seven years playing in Kansas City, which I totally understand from his POV.  And I think this was in 2010, when the team was still really bad and was a year away from the team showing some signs of potential during 2011.

In the universe that the deal gets done and we give Greinke the extension that he wanted, do we still sign Scherzer a few years later?  I remember being 16 at the time and being pissed that we didn't acquire Greinke, but with hindsight, if it would have resulted in us not having the money to spend on Scherzer, I would consider it a win that we didn't trade for him.

Who would we have given up anyway in the deal?  I'm trying to think about who was in our minor league system at the time and I'm drawing a blank.  No way Strasburg would've been included in the deal, right?  Maybe Drew Storen? 

[aspenbubba]

It would've been a trade + extension according an article I read a few minutes ago to refresh my memory on the topic.  Greinke used his no trade clause because he wanted to go to a team that was in a "win now" mode after spending seven years playing in Kansas City, which I totally understand from his POV.  And I think this was in 2010, when the team was still really bad and was a year away from the team showing some signs of potential during 2011.

In the universe that the deal gets done and we give Greinke the extension that he wanted, do we still sign Scherzer a few years later?  I remember being 16 at the time and being pissed that we didn't acquire Greinke, but with hindsight, if it would have resulted in us not having the money to spend on Scherzer, I would consider it a win that we didn't trade for him.

Who would we have given up anyway in the deal?  I'm trying to think about who was in our minor league system at the time and I'm drawing a blank.  No way Strasburg would've been included in the deal, right?  Maybe Drew Storen? 

I could be wrong but I think the signing you should refer to was Gio Gonzalez and not Scherzer.

[BigMeech]

I could be wrong but I think the signing you should refer to was Gio Gonzalez and not Scherzer.

We traded for Gio and only paid him $42 million for an extension. I was referring to the rumored $100 million extension for Greinke should the deal have gone down.  With $100 million committed to Greinke, do we still give Scherzer $210 million a few years later?  Maybe it depends on how long Greinke's extension was for, but I can't see the Learners dishing out an extra $210 million to Scherzer with Greinke already getting $100 million and a future extension with Strasburg to worry about.

[HalfSmokes]

No. It seems Rizzo is in a wait and see mode.

He's in no budget and no tradable assets mode

[Natsinpwc]

He's in no budget and no tradable assets mode

Yup.  Shopping at the Dollar Store. 

[imref]

Nats announce that they have hired Sean Doolittle as a pitching coach.