Kuzul

The Cubs signed Carlos Pena yesterday to a one-year, $10 million deal, reducing the Nationals’ potential first base replacements by one.

Now that both Pena and Lance Berkman have signed, we have a better sense of the market for first basemen—and who the Nationals should go for.

Carlos Pena helped the Rays turn things around in their 2008 run to the World Series, but he has never been as good. He has declined every year since his breakout 2007, when he hit .282/.411/.627 with 46 HR.

Two of his core skills—drawing a walk (14.9 percent BB rate in 2010) and hitting for power (28 HR last year, even hitting below .200)—have stayed constant, but his batting average has imploded. From 2008 on, here is the trend: .247, .227, .196.

Yes, last year Pena didn’t even hit .200. Though Pena’s decline in average appears to be due to an abnormally low BABIP (.250 in 2009, .222 in 2010, versus .279 career average), it’s hard to bank on a turnaround when so many teams are starting to invest in their defenses.

Mike Rizzo was apparently interested in Pena, probably because he had a similar skill set to Adam Dunn plus good defense. In a November interview, Rizzo said “We’ve been Carlos Pena guys here. He fits what we’re doing. He’s one of a handful of guys that would give us what we’re looking for.”

Still, Pena is, right now, a lottery ticket. He could be a nice addition for the Cubs, or he could hit below .200 and be benched by June. Maybe it’s better the Nationals didn’t sign him.

Right now, the Nationals need more solid investments. We might be able to tell a story in which the Nationals are a good team next season—Jordan Zimmermann looks like the ace he can be, Danny Espinosa replicates his numbers from the minors and goes 20-20, Jayson Werth stays healthy and belts 35—but it’s not a sure bet. We’ve already got our lottery tickets.

What are our options?

(1) Adam LaRoche

–Bill Ladson reported today that LaRoche is the Nationals’ next most likely target now that Pena is gone. In that piece, LaRoche commented that he would listen to offers from the Nationals.

-LaRoche is as consistent as you get, hitting exactly 25 HR each of the last three seasons and contributing between 1.7 and 2.6 wins. His career line of .271/.339/.488 would be very solid in the 5 or 6 slot.

-LaRoche will only be 31 next season, putting him in the prime of his career. This means there is little likelihood of a drop-off.

-LaRoche plays better defense than Dunn, playing at about league average over the past three seasons, with 2010 being his best defensive season.

-Last season, LaRoche signed a one-year deal for $6.5 million with the D-Backs. After having a slight down year (.261/.320/.470), he will probably be available for a similar price.

(2) Derrek Lee

-Although he has not been mentioned in talks with the Nationals, teams with similar needs—including the D-Backs, Orioles, Athletics and Padres—are all looking at him. If Lee is willing to move to Baltimore, you have to assume he’d consider DC—especially after the Werth deal demonstrates their commitment to winning.

-Lee is not as consistent as LaRoche, but he has more upside. In the past three years, he has hit 20, 35 and 19 HR. That means, at minimum, the Nationals are getting another 20-HR bat. Bill James projects him to be a little better next year: .278/.365/.475 with 23 HR.

-Derrek Lee has the best defense of anyone the Nationals are considering. He has won three Gold Gloves (2003, 2005, 2007) and has ranked as above average in fielding stats each of the last three seasons.

-Although it may sound trite, Lee does bring veteran leadership. He has been to the playoffs four times (with the Marlins, Cubs and Braves) and won the World Series with the Marlins. I’ve also heard he’s a really good guy.

-In terms of a contract, Lee will probably cost around the same as Lance Berkman—$8 million for one year. He has a similar pedigree—former All-Star who is entering his twilight—and put up similar numbers last year to Berkman (Lee: .260/.347/.428 versus Berkman: .348/.368/.413).

(3) Mike Morse

-Morse is already under team control and proved he is ready to step into a larger role after a big year last season. A former Mariners prospect, Morse will already be 29 next season but has never been given a full season of at-bats in the Show. Other late bloomers like Dave Roberts, Raul Ibanez and Phil Nevin have gone on to have several productive seasons despite not earning full seasons of playing time until they were at least 28.

-Morse already has pretty decent career numbers. Over 162 games, he has hit .291/.353/.456 with 14 HR and 23 2B. Although the HR total is a little low, that triple slash line would be comparable to both LaRoche and Lee.

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The baseball world is still whining and complaining about Jayson Werth’s seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

Let ’em whine, I say.

For some reason, the Nationals just can’t placate anyone, so why try? For years, the team has been slapped about because they refused to spend millions of dollars on players who wouldn’t help them become a contender.

Now the team thinks they are close enough to contending that they give a very good player $18 million a year and what happens? Those same people whine and complain that the Nationals pushed the pay scale up for the remaining free agents, costing other teams millions of dollars.

Let’s be clear: I don’t care about all the other teams. And why should I? They didn’t much care about us while they were beating our brains in on the field, filling up our stadium with their fans and mocking us off the field.

If the Mets or Angels or whoever have to pay a few million more for Carl Crawford because of the Nationals, I say that’s great.

There is no doubt that the Nationals overpaid for Jayson Werth. A couple of analysts on XM Radio said that the team gave Werth two more years and $4 million more per season than any other team; they were negotiating against themselves.

They were right but couldn’t be more wrong.

The Nationals couldn’t have signed Werth by giving him one more year at $1 more than the next closest team. No, they had to obliterate the competition and they had to do it fast. There is no doubt that the dollars and years of the contract were the absolute minimum it took to get Werth to Washington.

The only scenario that would make this a bad contract would be if this was the only contract that Washington signs this offseason. But the timing tells me that’s not going to happen. The team announced the signing on Sunday, before the winter meetings even began. This was a signal to free-agent players and their agents that the team was open for business. If a player wasn’t certain that the team was committed to winning, they are now.

Some random thoughts, in random order of course:

• Though I love Josh Willingham, now is the time to trade him. Though he isn’t Nick Johnson-fragile, he is close. The team could get two prospects in return and if they move Mike Morse to left, they wouldn’t lose much in the way of offense. Morse’s 2010 numbers (.289-15-41) works out to .289-32-90 for an entire season. No, I don’t think he’ll hit that well but he’ll hit 25 homers and drive in 80 runs easily.
• Many are upset that manager Jim Riggleman said that Nyjer Morgan was going to be the team’s center fielder next season, but really, 2010 was his first bad year. Prior to last season, Morgan averaged .303/.362/.391 with 42 stolen bases over a 162-game season. The team can afford to give him another chance with Roger Bernadina in reserve should he falter.
• I would much rather have Adam LaRoche at first the next couple of seasons than Carlos Pena. Last season, LaRoche batted .261-21-100, typical numbers for the 30-year-old. Pena, on the other hand, has seen his numbers decline each of the last four seasons.
• I hope the Nationals re-sign Chien-Ming Wang. He has said he’ll return if no one else offers him a major-league contract. He was too good over his career (and looked good during the Instructional League last fall) not to take one more chance. And while they are at it, here’s hoping the Nationals sign Brandon Webb too.
• Reports out yesterday morning hinted at a “Tyler Clippard and Ian Desmond for Matt Garza” trade. Garza, just 26, went 15-10, with a 3.91 ERA for Tampa Bay. The Nationals are deep in the bullpen and have Steve Lombardozzi ready to take over at second while Daniel Espinosa would return to his natural position, shortstop. I’d do it in a heartbeat.

I have little doubt that the Nationals will end the week a much-improved team, one that perhaps will be good enough to play .500 ball next year. That’s .500 ball without Stephen Strasburg. Imagine what they might be able to do with him in 2011.

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Jayson Werth officially left the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday when he signed a massive seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Some are questioning whether or not this was “Werth” it for the Nats.

Aside from Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth is the best outfielder on the market. More importantly, Werth will help shape the winning culture that Washington Nationals’ management is trying to build.

The Nationals lost Adam Dunn, as expected, to the Chicago White Sox. This didn’t sit well with the Nationals’ players, though. Ryan Zimmerman recently spoke out against letting one of the top free agents walk.

Washington needed to fill the big void he left. Werth will be able to do just that.

Werth is a very good outfielder, but more importantly, a great hitter. Last season, he hit .296 with 27 HRs, 85 RBIs and 106 runs scored. He also had 46 doubles and 13 stolen bases. Werth will be able to make sure pitchers can’t simply pitch around Ryan Zimmerman, one of the game’s best third basemen.

Perhaps the gaudy deal was too much. Really though, this is what the Nationals need to do. Washington has been a laughing stock for years now. They were a “bottom of the barrel” team. Now, their future is as bright as arguably any team in the majors.

This team has reinforcements on the way. With Jordan Zimmermann returning late last year from injury, along with Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg on board, the Nationals have one of the best young cores in baseball.

Although Stephen Strasburg will miss the entire 2011 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, we have seen players come back from the surgery and regain their superstar form.

This was a move the Nationals had to make. They could not let themselves stay at the bottom of the MLB forever. The Nationals are positioning themselves for a run at the NL East crown. Jayson Werth is just another important piece to their puzzle.

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Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford would love to give you a hug or at least send you a thank you card because what you did for his new contract isn’t something he can put into words.

Although, the stupidity of the Washington Nationals should be worth something to Crawford as well because if it wasn’t for the team in the nation’s capital, Crawford wouldn’t be looking at nearly the amount of money that he’ll command now.

We found out over the weekend that tIhe Nationals had signed the former Philadelphia Phillies’ outfielder to a seven-year $126 million contract. The most surprising thing about this deal was the fact that it was kept almost silent. With the social media available these days, that’s almost impossible and unheard of.

Before you look at Werth’s deal as the standard bearer, there’s a rumor floating around that the Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez have agreed to an eight-year $161 million extension. But, there’s another story out that says the extension for Gonzalez will be seven-years for $154 million.

Money has gone crazy and baseball’s winter meetings are less than a few hours old. Werth gets $126 million, Gonzalez looks to be getting $161 million and Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford are still out there and available.

We are still yet to see two of the biggest contracts get signed.

But let’s stick with the deal the Nationals signed. I honestly didn’t think the Nationals would do something like this. Why sign a guy for that many years who is 1) over 30 and 2) end the contract two years shy of his 40th birthday?

Didn’t they learn anything from the Chicago Cubs and outfielder Alfonso Soriano? Anything at all?

Let’s not forget, this is the same Washington Nationals team that rushed pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg up to the big leagues so the fans would have something to look forward to.

Sure, he shined in his debut, and sure, there were plenty of sportswriters who were a blubbering mess when they talked about him, almost in the same way as teenage girls do when they talk about teeny bopper Justin Bieber.

It’s all well and good if you want to show off a little and boast that you have a guy who can throw 103 miles per hour consistently. I’m happy for the Nationals that they have a kid like that.

However, when it was time to shut him down, the Nationals didn’t want to do it. They were selling tickets and making money. He was their cash cow, no way were they going to do the right thing and shut him down for the season.

They were playing for nothing. Not a playoff spot, not a wild card spot, nothing. Yet they continued to run him out every fifth day until, surprise, Strasburg succumbed to the work load and had to undergo Tommy John surgery which will force him to miss the entire 2011 season.

Congratulations Washington. Was that worth it?

Let’s talk about former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford who might get the biggest offseason contract of any player out there.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and a few other teams have big-time interest in this young outfielder, and for good reason. In 2009, he hit .307 with 19 home runs and 90 runs batted in. Not only that, but he’s a solid defender for any team looking to fill a hole in their outfield.

So if Werth gets $126 million, Gonzalez is apparently at $154 million, could Crawford be looking at a contract worth upwards of $170-$180 million or more? The other question is, who is really ready to pony up that kind of dough and for how many years?

Last, but certainly not least, is the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.

The top two teams that are involved in trying to lure Lee to their team are the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. There are going to be other teams in the running, but none that can match the two that I previously mentioned.

For the Rangers, it’s the draw of enjoying the guys he played with and has already been on the record of saying that he would love to be a part of the team next year. Not only that, but he’s within driving distance of his home in Arkansas.

As far as the Yankees go, it’s all about money and championships with them. If he signs with New York, it will be because they offered him either more years or more money per year than the Rangers.

If you’re either team, how much is this left hander, with plenty of playoff experience, worth to you?

We’re only through one day of the winter meetings with more moving pieces still to come over this week. I’m curious to see what kind of stupid money is thrown around this week, or will we not see two of the bigger contracts signed until after the holidays?

I won’t take anything away from Jayson Werth, I’ll just say congratulations and I hope you can live up to what they expect from you for the next seven years.

If not, most people will forget all about it. At least those outside of Washington D.C. Besides, there’s more pressure on a young teammate of yours than there is on you. 

I doubt very highly that Nationals’ general manager Mike Rizzo came to the winter meetings hoping to be mocked. But, he accomplished just that. Congratulations to you as well Mr. Rizzo.

The winter meetings are something that all of us baseball fans look forward to. We want to know when our teams are making a move and who they are interested in.

But, even the biggest Nationals fan said the following after hearing of the Jayson Werth deal. “Wait, we gave how much to who?!”

So now that Werth is a member of the $100-million club, I may as well send members-only jackets to Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford. It’s just a matter of time before they join it as well.

Salary cap anyone?

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The Nats overcompensated for the recent loss of Adam Dunn to the White Sox by signing Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal for $126 million. That’s $18 million a season.

The most optimistic reactions I’ve seen say they only overpayed by $8-10 million, but it’s still a lot of money to give someone who’s only really been playing full-time for three years and is already 31. I mean, this is what I expected Carl Crawford to get, since he has been the face of a franchise for almost a decade. Werth has been the third- or fourth-best hitter on the Phils for three years (Howard, Utley, Rollins’ MVP year, Werth).

In terms of offense, this makes up almost exactly for the loss of Dunn. Dunn had more power, but Werth has more speed. The big difference is on defense. While Dunn is terrible in the field, Werth is above-average as a corner outfielder. He’s also played some center, where he’s passable.

You’d be surprised how much of a difference good defense makes. After I first wrote this, I went back and checked the WAR (Wins Above Replacement) numbers from fangraphs, and was startled to see the difference between Werth and Dunn.

Werth’s WAR last 3 years:

2008: 5.1
2009: 4.9
2010: 5.0

Dunn’s WAR, last 3 years:

2008: 1.1
2009: 1.2
2010: 3.9

Before Dunn switched to 1B, a position he is merely “not terrible” at, he was nearly giving up as many runs in the outfield as he was producing with the bat. His net value was basically the same as Ian Desmond or James Loney’s.

Once he switched to 1B, however, Dunn’s offensive contributions shined–but they still didn’t match Werth’s total package. In terms of overall value, Werth is better than Dunn. We should see a significant improvement in next year’s team.

I’m not sure that he is worth signing for three more years at $4 million more a year than Dunn was. What could make this signing worthwhile is the addition of a decent bat at first.

Over the last three years, Adam LaRoche has been about a 2-win 1B (WAR: 1.7, 2.6, 2.1).

Although 2010 was a down year, Carlos Pena has a better 3-year average, and can also probably be counted on for about 2 wins (WAR: 4.0, 2.8, 1.0).

Derrek Lee might be another good option, given that he has been worth at least 2 wins each of the last three seasons, and might experience a bounce-back (WAR: 3.2, 5.2, 2.0).

Werth plus any of these guys–Pena, LaRoche, or Lee–is a better combination than Dunn and Bernadina. If they follow up on the Werth signing, the core of their lineup could all be guys who can hit 20 home runs—Zimmerman, Werth, Pena/LaRoche/Lee, Willingham.

That’s a respectable core, though it’s certainly not going to support a poor pitching staff.It’s too bad the Nats missed out on Javy Vazquez, because a pitcher like that, who can give you 200 IP with at least a 4.00 ERA (and might even have a star season like he did in Atlanta), addresses the team’s bigger need.

What does our rotation look like for next year? Jordan Zimmerman, Yunny Maya, Jason Marquis, John Lannan, Livan Hernandez. I see a whole lot of question marks and No. 4-5 guys. And since it’s been such a tough market for finding pitching help this winter, most of the guys they might have targeted have already signed elsewhere. Signing Werth is not a terrible move, because they needed to replace Dunn, but it is a lot of money and probably limits their reaching for a No. 2-3 starter.

As a baseball analyst, I’d probably grade this move a C+.

They probably spent more money than they needed to, but they addressed a need for more offense.

As a Nationals fan, I’d probably grade this move a B-.

They gave up a lot of money, but they showed they are trying to put a good product on the field. I hated losing Dunn, because, as a fan, I’d grown attached to that Will Ferrell-y face.

But when a new stadium is half-empty at every game Strasburg didn’t pitch, you know you need another draw—and that’s what Werth can be.

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The Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract. I have one question…why?

I mean, if you’re going to dish out that type of a contract to an outfielder, why not give it to a younger and more athletic Carl Crawford?

Werth will be knocking on the door of the 40-year-old club when this contract is up, and he’s had one really good season (in 2009) and two good seasons (2008 and 2010).

In fact, prior to 2008, Werth had only played in 100 games once (102 in 2005 with the Dodgers).

Sure, Werth helped the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2008 World Series championship, and yes, he did hit 36 home runs in his first All-Star season in ’09. But has he really shown that he’s worth (no pun intended) $126 million at age 31?

The Nationals are a team that is looking to finally gain some respect in the league. Since the team came to Washington from Montreal, it has finished higher than fifth in the NL East once…fourth in 2007. 

But they now have a core group of young players, highlighted of course by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Phenom Stephen Strasburg underwent Tommy John Surgery late last season, but his return will only make the Nats more fearsome. Bryce Harper will be in the big leagues in no time. Ian Desmond is blossoming into a star shortstop.

They are now a team to be reckoned with, and Werth will certainly add some pop to that lineup. 

But I do believe that Crawford would have been a much better fit, for probably around the same number of dollars.

It is possible that Crawford did not wish to sign with the Nationals, but I would hope the Nats at least kicked his tires before handing out such a large contract to Werth.

MLB.com reported that the Mets’ new GM Sandy Alderson is just as shocked as I am. 

“It makes some of our contracts look pretty good,” Alderson quipped. “I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington.”

Granted, the Mets dished out a large contract to Jason Bay in last year’s offseason, and he had a dismal 2010. But if anything, that only proves the point of handling free agents with caution.

Winning is the name of the game, but this is by far the largest contract, both in years and dollars, that the Nationals have ever given out, and I just hope for their sake they didn’t give it to the wrong outfielder.

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The Washington Nationals made a torpedo like splash when they signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a 7 year $126M deal. 

This shows two things:

1) They got money

2) They are committed to building a winning team ASAP.

That being said there are other fish in the pond worth netting. Werth was the most expensive catch but the others should come with a modest price tag. 

Here are the free agents that the Nationals should sign to fill their holes.

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When I saw the latest MLB news was that ex-Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth had signed with the Washington Nationals, I ran right to my computer to Google the truth.

To my utter disbelief, it was true. Werth signed with the Nationals for the next seven years and $126 million dollar paycheck.

Werth had many options as one of the coveted free agents this offseason, with teams like the Red Sox, Angeles and his own Phillies in the mix.

So, signing with the not-going-to-win Nationals was shocking—until you saw the price tag and remember he hired a new agent named Scott Boras.

Moving from the Phillies, who won the 2008 World Series and four straight NL East titles, to one that finished in last place in 2010 with a 69-93 record and has yet to have a winning record since 2003 makes absolutely no sense for three reasons.

1) Playing for the Nationals and your chances of even getting in playoff contention is slim. Hope rolling in dollar bills can make up for having to play everyday and losing consistently.

2) From the franchise’s prospective, it makes no sense to spend that money on a 31 year old that made $2.5 million in 2010.

What a way to piss off all the other teams the day before the Winter Meetings, especially Los Angeles Angels GM Tony Reagins, who must be ready to kill Boras and the Nationals, along with every other GM in baseball because prices just went up.

3) For Werth, a lesson will be learned because playing 162 games for a losing ball-club, who will have an empty park, is worth no amount of money. Werth was an All-Star as a Philly too. Remember that Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg is out for the entire 2011 season and that was the only time fans showed up.

This reeks of Scott Boras. Boras tends to get his players to go for the green instead of where they can utilize their skills. Yes, it usually means less of a payday, but gaining personal achievements to be a tad less rich is a no brainier.

Boras brainwashes his clients that the better deal pays more, as if the team that is showing Werth the money appreciates his value more.

It couldn’t be further from the truth, as Boras is looking for himself. Boras gets the bigger payday at what price because his job is done, it’s the player who has to weather the consequences.

Teams, like the Nationals, have to offer players, such as Werth, a reason to take such a professional step down and bring their talents to a losing team.

Werth lead the National League in 2010 with 46 doubles, 27 homers and 85 RBIs.

Guess that speaks volumes about Jayson Werth’s goals, as he is playing for a paycheck and it won’t be easy at all.

One person is going to reap the Boras benefits is free agent Carl Crawford, who is having a party as we speak.

Werth just made him a richer man and one that will get paid from a contending club like the Los Angeles Angels and don’t count out the New York Yankees either.

Werth is going to miss being a superhero in Philadelphia, playing in an always filled Citizens Bank Park but most of all he will miss being an athlete on a winning team.

As a Yankee fan, I was am happy that Werth is not a Red Sox or an Angel.

Now Jayson’s worth just became irrelevant in the world of baseball, which is a darn waste of a fun player that now no one will watch.

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Well, first off, I haven’t seen any of the details of Jayson Werth’s brand spanking new $127M deal with the Washington Nationals. And I’m not about to say anything about the demise of baseball after another deal that is likely to be seen as a disaster.

In fact, I think there should be some kind of celebration! After all, while most average fans like me rightly consider ourselves much smarter than whatever general manager represents our favorite club, a deal like this only confirms what we already knew. I don’t know about you, but that’s a GREAT feeling!

Werth is going to be taking a lot of heat for this deal. Maybe not right away, but in 2012, when he’s hitting .249 with one home run at the All Star break and Stephen Strasburg is 5-7 with a 1.53 ERA after losing his third straight 1-0 decision, there might be some Nats fans starting to get just a tad impatient. 

If Werth turns out to be a dud like his former mates Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell, the market for Phillie outfielders who become free agents just might dry up.

We shouldn’t be blaming Werth or even everybody’s favorite agent Steve Boras for this. After all, nobody (as far as I know) was holding a gun to anybody’s head.

Really, the worst part of this deal is that the Nationals have not only tied their future to one player, but they have basically crippled their organization as far as making other improvements to the team.

Barring disaster, in a few years they will have over $50 million a year invested in three players (Werth, Strasburg, and Bryce Harper) and will have to round out their roster by filling it out with a bunch of castoffs and misfits (I know that worked for one team this year, but there’s a reason the term “castoffs and misfits” doesn’t describe most World Champions).

Bottom line is, like the Rockies on the heels of their massive deal for Troy Tulowitzki, the Nationals will have very little flexibility in the next several years. Like our current World Champion San Francisco Giants, it might well take four to five years after their big mega deal expires before they can become competitive again.

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Jayson Werth, one of baseball’s top free-agents, is coming off the best season of his career. The 31-year-old outfielder hit .298 with 27 homers, 85 rbi’s and a .388 on-base percentage.

Those numbers are solid, but certainly not worth the money the Washington Nationals just gave him.

How much money exactly? Over the next seven years, Werth will make $126 million. ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported, “The Nationals offer to Werth was so far above everyone else that Boras didn’t even ask other interested teams if they wanted to match it.”

That’s called overpaying.

When news broke on the deal, Stark said, “The words I’ve heard most so far [from those at the Winter Meetings]: ‘stunned’ and ‘shocked.’” Others at the Winter Meetings, like Stark, were flabbergasted.

Seven years, four more than Washington had previously given a free-agent, and $126 million, $4 million more than the Nationals were bought for in 2002. All of this for a guy who wasn’t even the best player on the Philadelphia Phillies; he wasn’t even one of the top 10 players in baseball.

Starting pitcher Barry Zito received this exact contract in 2006. Since, he has gone 40-57 with an ERA near five as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

Then, two weeks later, outfielder Vernon Wells signed the same deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since, he has reached base a measly 32 percent of the time and has averaged only 20 homers per season. Werth could be down the same road.

But that’s not my reason for mentioning Zito and Wells, though the decline in production is telling. When those two were signed, they were in their mid-20s. Werth is turning 32 in May. Zito was 27 when he signed; Wells was 26.

Though neither Zito or Wells has lived up to the contract (as if anyone could swinging a bat or throwing a ball), their respective teams had reason to believe the longterm deals were ones worth giving.

But this amount of money and years thrown at Werth, is just pure idiocy.

I get that the Nationals wanted to make a big splash. They, just like the Boston Red Sox when they traded for Adrian Gonzalez, wanted to make up for their inability to sign Mark Teixeira two years ago.

Yet, to be aggressive in this sense is hard to fathom. I can somewhat understand giving a 26-year-old such length and money. But Werth is no spring chicken, even only started to receive regular playing time at 28.

This startling move crosses Werth off the Red Sox list of desired free-agents, among other teams’ lists. Now, Werth’s other suitors can turn their attention to Carl Crawford, the other top outfielder on the open market, if they so desire. But, with this deal given to Werth–this astronomical, incomprehensible, and ill-advised deal–the price for Crawford, two years younger and far more versatile, just skyrocketed.

The dollar in baseball just changed drastically, and certainly not for the better.

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