how successful will Martinez be here? Photo via wtop.com
Another week, another slow news week. So lets see what questions MLB Nats beat reporter Jamal Collier took.
Q: How will the Nats respond to the new coaching staff? They won so many games with the previous one, why wouldn’t management try and retain more of those coaches (besides Bob Henley)?
A: Well, lets take the 2nd question first. Because its a good one: why the heck didn’t the ownership group give Dusty Baker and his staff another shot? We have talked this to death of course, but to review: My opinion is that the ownership made an over-reaction/rookie mistake and and under-valued what Baker brought to the table. I don’t put the 2017 play off loss on Baker. Baker completely turned around the clubhouse after the Matt Williams debacle, and it made more sense from a roster transition stand point to make a staff change after 2018, not after 2017. But whatever.
I can’t see how a veteran team of professionals would respond badly to Dave Martinez in particular though; he was a player, he had accomplishments on the field that will speak to the vets, and he comes from a well respected staff in Chicago. But, sometimes you never know. Maybe Martinez comes in and is totally rah-rah and turns off the vets like Murphy and Zimmerman, which sends the clubhouse into a death spiral. Maybe he makes some bone-headed mistakes early with the pitching staff and turns off the two aces Scherzer and Strasburg. I don’t know if anyone can predict what will happen here. It isn’t like there was a huge obvious problem with the previous manager that they immediately get respite from; the prior staff by all accounts was respected and successful.
Collier mirrors what I said; we just don’t know what will happen.
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Q: What are the most realistic options to improve at catcher or do you see us sticking with Matt Wieters all season?
A: I’m going to ask a different question, because it relates here. Is the team willing to blow past the luxury tax threshold or not in 2018? Because if they’re not … then people need to stop asking about upgrading at catcher.
That being said … my take on his ownership group is that they still cling to the notion that you run a team like a business to a certain extent. And as a business owner, if you were in the hole for $10M in salary would you continue to throw good money after bad or would you just stand pat with what you have? Furthermore … Wieters is a Boras client and i’m sure Boras has already bent their ear about layering his client and effectively destroying his FA value. Plus, in case you’re clamoring for a trade for J.T. Realmuto, the Nats have already emptied the farm system, so any further prospect trades will be cutting deep. Would you give up Soto or Robles for a mediocre catcher? I wouldn’t. I’d just suck it up, play out 2018 with Wieters hitting 8th and learn from my mistake (and this is no hindsight is 20/20 statement; everyone knew Wieters was a bad signing when it happened).
So, for me, i’m guessing they stand pat.
Collier notes that Wieters is in better shape , but also notes the team is pursuing a better backup catcher option than the untested Pedro Severino.
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Q: For years we’ve seen Joe Maddon hit players such as Addison Russell ninth in the order behind a pitcher. With how dense the middle of our lineup is, could you see Martinez taking this approach with Michael A. Taylor or Trea Turner?
A: Well, the numbers are definitely there: batting the pitcher 8th definitely makes a difference over the course of a whole season. But it isn’t much of a difference. And you need a contact guy at the 9-hole to take advantage. Is Michael A. Taylor that guy? I don’t think so; I think Taylor is hitting 7th and Wieters hitting 8th all year, forcing the pitcher to the 9-spot with Eaton/Turner 1-2 in some combination. This lineup kind of writes itself.
Collier disagrees, thinking Taylor could be that “second leadoff” guy in the 9-hole behind a pitcher. Uh … have you seen how much he strikes out? He lowered his rate year over year and was still striking out 31.7% of the time in 2017.
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Q: Do the Nats have genuine interest in bringing Howie Kendrick back?
A: I’m sure they do; Kendrick filled a bunch of nice holes and hit so well that many were clamoring for him to play over Werth last post-season. But there’s no starting position for him, this team when healthy is stacked and he’d be riding the pine. So i’m sure he’s holding out for a starting role, trying to parlay his excellent 2017 into a full time gig. Maybe he fails and the Nats get him on a one-year pillow contract … but I doubt it, since he’s got more than just corner defensive capabilities.
Collier basically says the same thing I did, but with better quotes from Mike Rizzo.
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Q: At this point, what other offseason moves do you think would be necessary? More bench players? Adding another to the rotation? Bullpen help?
A: Rotation. Its all about the 5th starter at this point honestly. We can live with this bench: Severino, Matt Adams, Wilmer Difo, Brian Goodwin and a RH corner bat to be signed or discovered in spring training. I also think any additions to the bullpen mean difficult decisions given the options status of players this coming spring; the bullpen has basically has 4 guys signed to guaranteed contracts plus 3 guys who have no options left. Not much room for wiggling there.
So that really means two more moves at most. Do you want your 5th starter to be A.J. Cole? If not, we need an arm. Do you want your last bat off the bench to be Andrew Stevenson? If not, we need a Chris Heisey like character.
Collier agrees.