Nationals Arm Race

"… the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same – pitching.” — Earl Weaver

“Free Detwiler” campaign finally fulfilled

37 comments

This is maybe the last time i get to recycle this shot of Detwiler. Photo Haraz Ghanbari/AP via federalbaseball.com

This is maybe the last time i get to recycle this shot of Detwiler. Photo Haraz Ghanbari/AP via federalbaseball.com

Got back from a meeting late thursday (aka the last day of these crazy 2014 Winter Meetings) and saw that one of the longer serving Nationals players in Ross Detwiler was reportedly traded to the Texas Rangers for two minor leaguers.  Not sure who broke the story but I got it from Mark Zuckerman.

The return, per this USA Today story, is INF Chris Bostick and RHP Abel de los Santos.

Others in the Nats blogosphere have done the research on these two; no need to rehash it here.   Short version: both guys played 2014 at high-A Myrtle Beach, where presumably the Potomac staff gave plenty of insight.  Bostik is a 2B and de los Santos is a reliever with big K/9 numbers.  By all reports Bostik is a fringe top 10 Rangers prospect and de los Santos is a sleeper.   Neither is a 40-man roster guy, leaving the Nats with a vacancy for the moment.

Honestly, I think this is a good move for both player and team.  I was somewhat worried the team would non-tender Detwiler rather than sign up for the $3-$3.5M he’d earn in arbitration.  I would be too; his role on the team as last-man-out-of-the-bullpen can pretty easily be filled by any one of a number of rubber-armed veterans available on veteran-min contracts of $750k-$850k, or more than happily by one of our spare 40-man starters slated to pitch in AAA in 2015.  Thanks to Jim Bowden‘s roster-moves in 2007, Detwiler blew through his options and service time far before he should have (per Zuckerman’s article, Bowden made a hand-shake deal to call up Detwiler in his draft year … a decision that has handcuffed the team with Detwiler for years.  Now his options status is someone else’s problem.

At the same time, I do think that Detwiler can be a serviceable starter in this league, as his 2012 season showed.  He just needed a shot, and that shot evaporated in this organization.  So he gets a chance in an org that really, really could use him.  He projects as being part of the 2015 opening day Texas rotation right now, behind Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Nick Tepesch.  However Texas has two other good starters coming off serious injuries (Matt Harrison had spinal fusion surgery in June and Martin Perez had TJ in May), so Ross will have to work to keep his spot if these regulars come back healthy.  But that’s more opportunity than he was going to get in Washington.

Was this a good return?  Probably, considering that I thought he was a non-tender candidate.  Two high-A->AA prospects in positions of need works for me.

37 Responses to '“Free Detwiler” campaign finally fulfilled'

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  1. He’s off to a better place. I hope we don’t have to face him in the World Series.

    Andrew R

    11 Dec 14 at 9:25 pm

  2. Farewell, Det, and best wishes. We’ll always have Game 4.

    The return seems fine for a guy very close to being non-tendered. Rizzo’s track record for finding arms buried in other systems is well above average, and this guy’s K’s are impressive. It will be interesting to see if the Nats keep him in relief or give him another chance as a starter. He hasn’t started since 2012, though.

    Bostick provides some much-needed middle infield depth in the mid-minors. He’ll have a long way to go to become a major leaguer, but he seems to have good gap power. Luke thinks he’ll repeat A+ with Renda, who has no power but is more polished, ahead of him at AA.

    KW

    11 Dec 14 at 9:34 pm

  3. The trade reinforces that Det was never going to be even in the seven deep for the rotation. So for those who bemoan it, recall that he was off the playoff roster and could not arguably have made the 25 man.

    With that said, I am pleased that the Nats kept their powder dry otherwise and wish they had done so on Det was well — for now. The great shuffling of talent that the winter has seen will not give way to urgency among teams once Shields and the remaining starting pitchers are off the markets. The “seller” trade teams have sold. Some “buyer” teams have met their needs, some not. Det might have brought greater yield if they waited till January.

    As the winter progresses, and less options available for other teams trying to upgrade, the Nats’ cupboard and stockpile will help them get the yield they are hopefully insisting on. Again, even for a QO pick, the yield should be at a certain level; and, one year of any or all of of these players may mean a World Series. So Rizzo is wise to be deliberate.

    As for the return, deLos Santos brings competition to the bullpen and closer spot in A+-AA. If he repeats A+, it will be because the number of arms graduating from Potomac to Harrisburg beat him out. And there are many arms going up and coming back.

    Bostick slots in with Difo at Potomac, because Renda and Perez are a level above them. The next step in the pipeline will sort itself out fast enough. He’s young, and Ryan Sullivan likes what he has seen, though.

    forensicane

    12 Dec 14 at 5:47 am

  4. It’s worth raising that one wonders whether this Bostick trade means that Difo is ticketed for SS this year.

    forensicane

    12 Dec 14 at 5:49 am

  5. Difo played 70 games at SS last season and 66 at 2B. There are multiple possible explanations for this: a) the organization wants to keep options open considering the potential SS/2B flux at the MLB level; b) the team needed flexibility to get playing time for other prospects; or c) the team doesn’t see him as good enough at SS to play there on the MLB level. If he is a potential MLB SS, I’d have him playing there every day, but maybe that’s just me. If Difo is at Potomac with Bostick, he figures to be at SS.

    KW

    12 Dec 14 at 6:37 am

  6. Difo is infinitely more valuable at SS … if he can handle the position, with Desmond likely taking off, that’d be a great way for him to move forward. Bostick from what I read was tried at SS and couldn’t cut it so seems to be stuck at 2B.

    Todd Boss

    12 Dec 14 at 8:46 am

  7. This guy from Baseball Prospectus is insistent that Difo profiles as a 2B: http://www.masnsports.com/byron-kerr/2014/11/baseball-prospectus-nats-top-prospects-no-10-wilmer-difo.html. Drat.

    KW

    12 Dec 14 at 9:28 am

  8. Not related to Detwiler, but I thought this was an interesting tidbit:

    Also from Kubatko, the Orioles have interest in bringing back old friend Nate McLouth, though not at his current $5MM (plus a $750K buyout of a 2016 option) price tag. The Nationals are willing to eat part of that salary to move McLouth, Kubatko adds, but the Orioles will wait to see if he is released for the time being.

    Nats want to move McLouth? wow; maybe that means the nats want to carry both Souza AND Taylor in 2015. Can’t really do that with McLouth under contract.

    Todd Boss

    12 Dec 14 at 2:49 pm

  9. I think it’s more likely that they’d pick up a veteran lefty bat like perhaps Swisher (getting CLE to pick up a chunk of salary).

    Andrew R

    12 Dec 14 at 2:51 pm

  10. OK, I’ll resist using the all-caps button and try not to scream about even the thought of giving the O’s a discount on ANYTHING after the MILLIONS out of which they’ve screwed the Nats over the MASN deal. (Sorry, couldn’t completely resist.)

    Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I have no love for McLouth or his over-priced contract. Perhaps he’s still young enough to bounce back, but last year was painful. But why do I have this fear that we’d trade him and get Lombo in return?

    Anyway, Taylor HAS to play every day right now, to cut down on that strikeout rate, so he would seem likely ticketed for Syracuse. Swisher wouldn’t be worth it unless the Indians were paying the whole deal. I keep saying Jaso or Vogt from the A’s, or perhaps Skole would actually get a shot.

    KW

    12 Dec 14 at 4:14 pm

  11. I can’t see a deal for McLouth. If his medicals are good, he’s a decent ticket for a bounce back season and fills a role (LH bench bat) for which the Nationals have no obvious replacement. Considering their record with LH bench retreads (Stairs, Dobbs, etc) I think I’d stay with McLouth, thanks. He can at least play defense, run the bases and draw the occasional walk.

    And of course if his medicals aren’t good, no one is going to take him. So there’s that.

    John C.

    12 Dec 14 at 4:24 pm

  12. Todd Boss

    12 Dec 14 at 4:52 pm

  13. Kerzel is also parsing the McLouth rumor: http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2014/12/thoughts-on-the-nats-possibly-sending-mclouth-up-the-b-w-parkway.html. He’s generally positive about keeping him. On the flip side, he mentions that the Nats might release him, which I find nuts. If they didn’t eat $1M on Hairston, they very likely won’t eat $5.75M on McLouth. And there’s no real reason to trade him at a discount.

    Todd, if you’ve got time for other thread ideas, it would be interesting to look at the status of the pitching market. Nearly all of the second-tier guys have signed, and they seem to have set a pretty favorable standard to get a Fister extension done at a reasonable level and length (no one got more than four years). Meanwhile, I wonder if Boras has left Scherzer on an island as nearly all the big-money teams have shot their wads.

    KW

    12 Dec 14 at 6:09 pm

  14. McLouth will be a decision after spring training. He was acquired for a combination of speed/power/defense and veteran presence.

    His bat speed was slow and he ultimately needed shoulder surgery. LaRoche stunk up the joint his first year with the Nats, also with a bum shoulder. I cannot envision any basis to risk on another lefthanded hitter who profiles as McLouth did coming into the organization. Unless McLouth shows, in spring training, that he cannot cut it.

    The insurance policy will be plucked off the waiver wire or free agent wire. Perhaps it will be Ichiro, perhaps someone else. But I cannot see Rizzo selling low, and McLouth doesn’t get any lower than he is right now.

    As for the Difo projections, there is no basis for rushing Difo up two levels, especially if they want to have him concentrate on one position. Difo may profile better right now as a 2B, but he is less limited at SS than Bostick. And folks’ appreciation for him at 2B is based on his being viewed as an exceptional 2B, not an exceptional SS — as opposed to a poor shortstop.

    Bostick-Difo at Potomac give the Nats plenty of quality at A+ while Renda and Perez deservedly have the opportunity to show whether they can make the leap at AA. By midseason, all four will show more of their ceiling.

    This is similar to the catching pipeline, in which Severino is the fair haired prospect at AA but some like Kieboom, who is older and at A+, even more. And right behind Kieboom is Raudy Read, who has only shown signs of being the real thing and gets overlooked for all of the attention given to Jakson Reetz.

    forensicane

    13 Dec 14 at 10:58 pm

  15. The other, perhaps remote possibility, is a late career resurrection of Jason Martinson. He has a history of very poor first year performance and then mastering a level. But he is also has big power, nice stolen base ability, and this year showed very strong defense for the Senators. He can play 3B and I hope he get the at bats to take off in another go round with the Sens. But he is aging and so the Nats may cut him loose when all is said and done.

    forensicane

    13 Dec 14 at 11:02 pm

  16. Skole seems ticketed for AAA and for 1B there. The organization has made room for him and the OF in Syracuse reckons to be Goodwin/Taylor/Kobernus, unless Kobernus is back to 2B to team with Burruss at SS. Cutter Dykstra could go at 2B or 3B. I suppose we can expect filler to plug the several holes at Syracuse with the attrition of so many key bats (Souza, Laird, Moore, Hood, Solano, Perez).

    Now that the meetings are over and there has been so much roster shuffling, and so many players on the market for non-tender and free agency, this is a good time to DFA Sandy Leon and try to sneak him through. Like Detwiler, he will not be on the 25 man. Unlike Detwiler, he does not have trade value.

    40 man at 39. And with rosters still shuffling, some intriguing players are coming up.

    forensicane

    13 Dec 14 at 11:10 pm

  17. One other point. Perhaps the biggest point.

    It is impossible for the Nats to define their direction for 2015 and beyond until they have resolved who and how they are going to sign their pending free agents. They had no intention of signing Detwiler, who wanted a new role elsewhere, and he is gone.

    What we know – As far as I am concerned, every remaining major pending free agent wants to stay with the Nats. No one is looking to leave for geographic or other reasons. This, of course, shifts the burden back to the club of what it is willing to do to keep those players here.

    What is also means is that the team’s direction depends entirely on whether it WANTS to keep those players here.

    As far as I am concerned, Rizzo used the winter meetings to diligence what the potential return would be for the players with one year left, gauged against the value of keeping them long term (and to a lesser degree, keeping them for a year and then losing them with a qualifying offer). I don’t but any of those “win now with this crew or it gets broken up, talk. The brass is deciding to either sign players, or trade them, and those decisions are best informed by gauging what the market will bear, particularly based on players the Nats actually want for themselves – which as I have said before, are either long term high ceiling players (Miller) or superstars undervalued.

    Let’s drill down a bit.

    Zimmerman – The team wants to keep him and knows what it will take. The team also knows what return it can expect, either in a straight Zimm for xx, yy deal or a “blow the roof off” type of Blue Jays-Marlins reprise deal. The team also knows that as Shields and Scherzer come off the market, the price for Zimmerman and Fister goes up.

    Fister – Unless his agent is a damn fool he should gauge his market by what it takes to sign Zimmerman. No way will Fister sign before Zimm. This is the team dilemma. Fister is theoretically less sexy, but more skilled than Zimm and has no injury history. That makes this an interesting dilemma. His threshold with the Nats may actually be higher than his threshold would be on the open market. And of course, sets the threshold for Stras. I still think the team wants to sign Fister, because they can still trade him and Zimmerman down the line if they underperform as players like Giolito, Cole, and others force the issue of a chance in the big leagues. And if Zimmerman and Fister live up to expectations, then the ascent of the youngsters spells the end of lesser luminaries like Gio Gonzalez. Really, if the team has three #1 or #2 caliber starters, and two others, and Gio and Cole and others appear to be dominant forces with #1 or #2 potential, of course, the team will deal even a #3-4 type Gio or even Tanner Roark – who would bring tremendous yield!

    Desmond – The team will want to sign him because the replacements are not yet available, and because he is a veteran leader. And, because they have now learned there is no way they will get adequate value for him (unless they have a “blow the roof off deal coming.” Forget the “demand-suppy” considerations. The supply has dried up and the Nats are not getting adequate offers for the hole they would create by trading him.

    I find the discussions with Seattle puzzling and a decoy…why would a team with a surpplus of capable shortstops and middle infielders be trying to get Desmond? Why, as part of a three team deal of course. You leak the detail to poke Desmond, who obviously wants to stay in DC.

    I think Desmond will sign, and I think he will be the first to sign, again, unless there is that “blow the roof off” deal coming. I keep thinking about Tulowitski and the Rockies connection to the Nats.

    Span – It’s a risk to trade him before knowing that Souza can handle a full time gig. But unlike the previous players noted, he is not going to get a QO, he is a top-value commodity at his position, and he is replaceable in the lineup (Rendon) and i the field (Harper). So I am not so sure that Span is not part of some creative thinking — see below.

    Clippard – Gone. There is no way the Nats will make a QO, and he is replaceable enough on a team that has to clear payroll and can clear plenty with him. So they are not getting the offers they want — there are a couple of ways to deal Clippard – in a package with minor league talent, which is highly valued, even in a package with Span. That is a hell of a package that could get any desired trade target that the team REALLY wants to add to a stable nuvcleaus without extreme makeover.

    Or, Clippard could get dealt, alone, for a package of minor leaguers. But he’s gone.

    So, the Nats just have to figure out what pieces they need. IF and when Desmond is resigned, that question is substantially answered. Unlike the others, there is no need for the team to trade to replace any of the others in question.

    So if Desmond signs, the trade targets at the major league level will be

    1. 2B or 3B to join Desi and Rendon
    2. Closer who is better than Clippard or Storen would be (in which case Storen would be part of the deal)
    3. AA-AAA minor league star prospect talent with power in the infield, outfield, or catcher (there is a pitching glut). The team needs star insurance policies for Ramos, Zimmerman at 1B, Michael Taylor, Harper, Souza, even a signed Desmind. Basically, everyone except Rendon (who could get hurt and then everything changes).

    So I see Desmond signing because that will have an impact on the trade picture, unless the mega deal is coming, pending physicals and talent cross checking.

    Then I see Zimmerman signing for the same reasons, and the decision on Fister will essentially be made simultaneously. As for Strasburg, a decision to sign Fister may mean a decision to trade Strasburg for a super package and piece, if only because he gives two years of control, star power, and may get the “bowled over” kind of return that the team was unable to get for the other two. That’s an easier deal to do once Zimmerman and Fister are officially under team control.

    Again, I think the team is proceeding prudently in its pace, with the above considerations in mind.

    forensicane

    14 Dec 14 at 5:16 pm

  18. To clarify – “The team also knows that as Shields and Scherzer come off the market, the price for Zimmerman and Fister goes up.”

    That is, the price they can ask in a trade – inventory for top starters is shrinking and this afects what other teams will be willing to trade as they size up how ready they are for 2015 and their goals to compete.

    forensicane

    14 Dec 14 at 5:19 pm

  19. I agree that Clippard is gone … although likely after this season unless he is inserted into a trade packet to solve a need. But he isn’t likely to move the needle much on a trade, since he’s expensive and only has one year of team control remaining. Which is why I think he likely stays.

    This is also because I think the short term payroll issues are overblown. I’ve seen no sign that the team feels the need to keep payroll in 2015 at a level that requires them to jettison players like Clippard.

    John C.

    14 Dec 14 at 7:27 pm

  20. The issues with trades, particularly for the one-year-remaining guys, are getting adequate return, and return that can help NOW. Prospects are great, but the Nats are on the verge (we hope), and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to give up Clippard for a couple of A-ball guys. That said, of the one-year players, Clippard would seem the most expendable, both because of the emergence of guys like Barrett and Treinen and because Clippard projects to earn a king’s ransom for a non-closer.

    I don’t think they get a Zimmermann deal done, at least not this offseason. I do think/hope they sign Fister. Those are two completely different salary and length ballparks. As I noted above, nearly all the second-tier hurlers on the market have signed. One could argue that Fister is a bit better than second-tier, but he’s closer to second than first, so maybe 1.75-tier. The basic outlines of the second-tier contracts are that no one is getting more than four years, and most are getting three or less. McCarthy got 4 at $12M AAV, Santana got 4 at $13.5M AAV, or something like that, but those are the only four-year deals that come to mind.

    Those numbers have to be good news for the Nats in relation to Fister. I’m sure they don’t want to go longer than four years, both because of his age and the looming Harper extension by that time. I wouldn’t think they want to go more than $14-15M per. Conceding that he’s a little better than Santana and McCarthy, that’s right where you are. So 12(arb yr)-15-15-16 = 58.

    I don’t think the Nats HAVE to re-sign Fister, but he would help assure the bridge to the next generation if Zimmermann and Strasburg do leave. And who was the only guy who stared down the MadBum in the playoffs and didn’t flinch?

    KW

    14 Dec 14 at 8:08 pm

  21. KW, I’m not following you on Fister. He is far better than McCarthy and Santana. I think it takes 4 yrs $75-80mm or perhaps 5 yrs and $90-100mm to get it done with him. Not saying I wouldn’t do one of those deals compared to going 50% higher for JZ or SS.

    Andrew R

    14 Dec 14 at 8:41 pm

  22. There aren’t a lot of good comps for Fister on the market this year. But I’m hoping the market as it is will be in the Nats’ favor on this. I’d go up to $75M for four years to keep him, but 80/4 or 100/5 makes him a $20M pitcher, and I don’t think he’s that (unless people start bringing up the dreaded Homer Bailey comp). I’m sure the Nats don’t want to go five years, both because of Fister’s age and because of the Harper contract. (Although I’m sure there would be a fifth-year option.) You could go 15 (arb yr)-18-18-18 = $69M.

    Fister left no doubt in his NatsFest comments that he wants to come back, unlike Zimmermann. His seems like a deal that can get done and not break the bank. If money wasn’t an object, I’d prefer to keep Zimmermann, but is he worth twice as much as Fister? Probably not.

    KW

    15 Dec 14 at 5:15 am

  23. I am closer to Andrew R’s thinking, although I can’t quite see him as a $20m/yr guy. I think Fister is clearly above Santana and McCarthy, but at the same time, those were ‘good’ contracts for the Nats because they set a reference point for a floor. I am sure Fister and the Nats are waiting to see where Shields signs, since that will create the band for him. I expect Fister will get something a notch below Shields.

    I also would be fine going to 5 years with him, since he isn’t a guy that needs velo to succeed, which is the main culprit for aging pitchers. If Shields signs for 4 years and an option, with < $100m guaranteed, I think 5/$80m should get it done. I'd sign that in a heartbeat. If the kids ultimately push him out of a job, that would be a tradable contract.

    Wally

    15 Dec 14 at 8:33 am

  24. Rosenthal says the Nats offered JZ and Desi to SEA for Miller and Taijuan Walker, and SEA refused. I am glad that didn’t happen, I would have been disappointed in that return. Not a big fan of Walker.

    Wally

    15 Dec 14 at 11:22 am

  25. Not a fan of Miller, either: 221/288/365. That 2014 line looks a lot like 219/283/351, which would cost the Nats nothing since it belongs to Espinoza.

    Looks like the Yanks are ponying up for Headley, so the INF options are rapidly shrinking, barring a trade. I’d prefer Lowrie over overpaying for Cabrera, and I don’t like Drew under any circumstances.

    KW

    15 Dec 14 at 12:30 pm

  26. Per above post, the team signed big lefthanded hitting 1B Clint Robinson. AAA. Now they can have more flexibility with Skole’s development, play Skole some at 3B in AAA as well when Robinson is at DH.

    forensicane

    16 Dec 14 at 7:01 am

  27. And now Lowrie’s off the board, although I wouldn’t have paid 3/23 for him, either. I assume Cabrera is looking for a comparable deal. Boras may offer the Nats a one-year bone with Drew, but I’m not convinced that he’d be any better than Espinoza right now. Other than the potential Miller trade, there haven’t even been many rumors about where the Nats have been looking, and the pickin’ is getting slim. I guess Descalso is still out there.

    By the way, the Nats do have an open 40-man slot after trading Det.

    KW

    16 Dec 14 at 12:58 pm

  28. I misspoke there; Cabrera is probably looking to get the same amount as Lowrie, but over two years. But it’s hard to justify $11M per or so for him. With Lowrie, the Nats may have been OK with the annual price but likely didn’t want to go three years.

    KW

    16 Dec 14 at 2:07 pm

  29. Whomever the Nats are targeting is not on the market. Nothing has been lost. Cabrera is a fall back option of a fall back option. Let him go to the Gints.

    forensicane

    16 Dec 14 at 3:48 pm

  30. I agree on letting Cabrera go, to the Giants or whomever. Descalso just signed with the Rockies, also no great loss. I still have fears of Drew, though, because of the D-Back and Boras connections. Give me Espy over Drew any day, particularly if he’d go RH-only.

    I’ve lost track of who else is still out there. Rickie Weeks, I guess; if he’d take half the $11M he got last year, I’d think about it. Espy is so much better defensively, though.

    You’re probably right that we’re looking at a trade, but they’re not a lot of good candidates there, either. I wonder what it would take to get Brian Dozier from the Twins.

    KW

    16 Dec 14 at 6:20 pm

  31. Twins are desperate for pitching. Treinen and Difo? Maybe have to swap out Cole instead of Treinen. If that got it done, I would think hard about doing it. Dozier is a good player with 4 years of control left.

    I have the feeling that Rizzo is close to doing something. No idea what, but I’ll be surprised if we make it to Jan without something reasonably big: either a 2b or something involving one of the big FAs-to-be.

    Wally

    16 Dec 14 at 9:30 pm

  32. Tons of buzz about the Nats being involved in the Rays-Pads negotiations about Wil Myers. Souza’s name seems to be heavily involved. One source says Zobrist isn’t, or Longoria. Haven’t seen any mention of Jace Peterson of the Padres. If those guys aren’t involved, I’m not sure who would be who could help the Nats right away. If it’s not someone who can help right away, why give up Souza?

    In Rizzo we trust, I guess. Maybe there’s a starting pitcher involved, another Gio/Fister type deal.

    KW

    17 Dec 14 at 5:09 pm

  33. Sounds like Souza and Travis Ott for Joe Ross and Trea Turner (as a PTBNL). I don’t see what it adds this year, but I guess they swapped Souza for a middle infield option in a year or two.

    Don’t love it for us.

    Wally

    17 Dec 14 at 6:38 pm

  34. So sad to see Souza go. Being minor league player of the year sure does give one job insecurity in the Nats organization, that’s for sure.

    Rizzo certainly makes things interesting, though. Never thought I would have the thought that, “with this trade, the Nats open things up for Tyler Moore (not that they have, either).”

    More trades coming. This has the feel of the next step of a bigger plan.

    I’ll keep my powder dry till Todd lays out the thread.

    forensicane

    17 Dec 14 at 8:09 pm

  35. I’m trying to digest all of this. I hate losing Souza. This seems like a deal we were forced to make because of neglect of the middle infield, a subject I brought up during the draft discussion.

    That said, it seems like pretty good return: two first-round draft picks, including a pretty high-profile SS prospect in Turner. However, he won’t be able to join the Nats until June 2015 because of rules about trading draft picks. If Turner produces and is ready for 2016, this is golden. If not, the Nats will be in the rent-a-SS market this time next year. Either way, re-signing Desmond just became much less likely.

    The Nats’ scouting of pitchers is pretty darn good, so expect some value from Ross. As for 2015, though, there’s still no one to play 2B, after a lot of sound and fury.

    Good luck to Souza. He seems like a great kid and has persevered to get where he is. He’ll always own one of the most memorable plays in Nats’ history. As much as Myers has faded, Souza may make the TB folks forget him quickly.

    KW

    17 Dec 14 at 8:32 pm

  36. I was looking forward to seeing Souza’s power this year. He didn’t hit well in his brief call up, but he crushed those two dingers (and a foul ball I saw in person against the Mets). I’ll have to try to catch some Rays games on MLB.tv.

    And I don’t think it necessarily means Desi is gone. They could still sign him if it is reasonable, and slide Turner (if he keeps progressing) to 2B when he is ready. But it does give them an option if he leaves (although 2016 would be far and away a best case, I think).

    As for Ross, I defer to Rizzo’s eye for pitching. The Fangraphs guy seems to think he is a reliever, but he also is young with good athleticism.

    So it seems like Rizzo is creating prospect options for the future, which I guess means we go to battle in 2015 with mostly the same team? Hopefully there is an extension under the Tree for at least 1 SP.

    Wally

    17 Dec 14 at 8:50 pm

  37. New posted so we could move the Souza discussion there…

    Todd Boss

    17 Dec 14 at 10:02 pm

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