{"id":13155,"date":"2017-02-20T07:53:49","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T12:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13155"},"modified":"2017-02-20T07:53:49","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T12:53:49","slug":"nats-option-status-for-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=13155","title":{"rendered":"Nats Option status for 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Robinson<\/a>

Robinson is facing an options squeeze this spring. Photo via minorleagueball.com<\/p><\/div>\n

When the team signed\u00a0Adam Lind<\/strong>, it put a shot across the bow of\u00a0Clint Robinson\u00a0<\/strong>for more reasons than one: yes Lind and Robinson are basically the same player, Lind now has a guaranteed contract … and Robinson has no more options.<\/p>\n

So, who else on the Nats is facing an options crunch?<\/p>\n

I’ve uploaded my trusty “Options Tracker” for our entire 40-man roster here<\/a>; i’ve got the players categorized by their options status. \u00a0Here’s a summary:<\/p>\n

Category 1:\u00a0Vets who can refuse demotion<\/strong> (5 or more years of service): 12 of our projected 25-man roster now fit into this category. \u00a0Jose Lobaton<\/strong> (who last year was in the “no options left” status) joined this club in 2016, passing 5.000 years of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Player<\/th>Service Time post 2016<\/th>First Added to 40-man<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Werth, Jayson<\/td>13.102<\/td>Nov 2002<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zimmerman, Ryan<\/td>11.032<\/td>Sep 2005<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scherzer, Max<\/td>8.079<\/td>May 2007<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gonzalez, Gio<\/td>7.162<\/td>Aug 2008<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Strasburg, Stephen<\/td>6.118<\/td>Aug 2009<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perez, Oliver<\/td>12.144<\/td>Feb 2003<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kelley, Shawn<\/td>7.128<\/td>Apr 2009<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Murphy, Daniel<\/td>7.019<\/td>Aug 2008<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lobaton, Jose<\/td>5.138<\/td>Nov 2008<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Heisey, Chris<\/td>6.042<\/td>Nov 2009<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drew, Stephen<\/td>10.038<\/td>Jun 2005<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lind, Adam<\/td>9.058<\/td>Sept 2006<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Category 2: Players with options Available but who are entrenched on the 25-man roster<\/strong>: I count 8 players here, though we’ve been shocked before when a seemingly solid 25-man roster guy got optioned suddenly (Drew Storen<\/strong>,\u00a0John Lannan<\/strong>). \u00a0 Interestingly only\u00a0Tanner Roark<\/strong> never got optioned after coming up, even as he struggled after getting replaced in the rotation in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Player<\/th>Service Time post 2016<\/th>First Added to 40-man<\/th>Option Years Used<\/th>Options left?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Harper, Bryce<\/td>4.159<\/td>Aug 2010<\/td>2011, 2012<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rendon, Anthony<\/td>3.130<\/td>Aug 2011<\/td>2012, 2013<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Roark, Tanner<\/td>3.055<\/td>Aug 2013<\/td><\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ross, Joe<\/td>1.094<\/td>June 2015<\/td>2015<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Treinen, Blake<\/td>2.065<\/td>Apr 2014<\/td>2014<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Turner, Trea<\/td>0.135<\/td>Aug 2015<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Norris, Derek<\/td>4.102<\/td>Nov 2011<\/td>2012<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eaton, Adam<\/td>4.030<\/td>Sept 2012<\/td>2013<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Category 3:\u00a0\u00a0Players with Options Available, jeopardizing 2017 25-man roster status<\/strong> – I see 3 guys here who I’m still projecting to make the 25-man roster right now, but who have options flexibility and could easily get dumped back to AAA. \u00a0Probably the most likely of this is with\u00a0Trevor Gott<\/strong>, who we’re kind of expecting to lose out to someone like NRI\u00a0Vance Worley\u00a0<\/strong>at the back end of the bullpen. \u00a0Or perhaps not if he beats out the option-less Romero (see below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Player<\/th>Service Time post 2016<\/th>First Added to 40-man<\/th>Option Years Used<\/th>Options left?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Taylor, Michael<\/td>2.010<\/td>Nov 2013<\/td>2014, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gott, Trevor<\/td>0.145<\/td>June 2015<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Glover, Koda<\/td>0.051<\/td>July 2016<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Category 4: Players with\u00a0Options almost guaranteed to be used in 2017<\/strong> – 14 of the guys on our 40-man are all guys with less than 1.000 years of service time and who are nearly locks to burn an initial option and start the year in the minors. \u00a0I suppose that could change if\u00a0Brian Goodwin<\/strong> beats out\u00a0Michael Taylor<\/strong> for the last OF spot, or if there’s a loogy injury and\u00a0Matt Grace<\/strong> is pushed into action. \u00a0I also suppose that\u00a0A.J. Cole<\/strong> could beat out Worley and others for the swing-man spot in the MLB bullpen… but honestly Cole’s value is more as a starter insurance policy stretched out in AAA than languishing in the MLB bullpen, lugging around the candy bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Player<\/th>Service Time post 2016<\/th>First Added to 40-man<\/th>Option Years Used<\/th>Options left?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cole, AJ<\/td>0.092<\/td>Nov 2014<\/td>2015, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grace, Matt<\/td>0.145<\/td>Nov 2014<\/td>2015, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Goodwin, Brian<\/td>0.044<\/td>Nov 2014<\/td>2015, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Difo, Wilmer<\/td>0.110<\/td>Nov 2014<\/td>2015, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Martin, Rafael<\/td>0.080<\/td>Apr 2015<\/td>2015, 2016<\/td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Severino, Pedro<\/td>0.094<\/td>Sept 2015<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kieboom, Spencer<\/td>0.006<\/td>Nov 2015<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voth, Austin<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bautista, Rafael<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Marmolejos, Jose<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Read, Raudy<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Skole, Matt<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cordero, Jimmy<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2015<\/td>2016<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adams, Austin<\/td>0.000<\/td>Nov 2016<\/td>none yet<\/td>3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Lastly, the critical Options Analysis for 2017: Category 5:\u00a0Players with No Options Left<\/strong>: 3 guys this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Player<\/th>Service Time post 2016<\/th>First Added to 40-man<\/th>Option Years Used<\/th>Options left?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Robinson, Clint<\/td>2.028<\/td>Nov 2010<\/td>2011,2012,2013<\/td>0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Solis, Sammy<\/td>1.084<\/td>Nov 2013<\/td>2014, 2015,2016<\/td>0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Romero, Enny<\/td>1.072<\/td>Nov 2012<\/td>2013, 2014, 2015<\/td>0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Lets take these guys one by one:<\/p>\n