Nationals sign Jayson Werth

[Lurker]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101205&content_id=16258252&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Nationals have agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth, who is getting a seven-year deal worth a reported $126 million.

The Nationals figure to have money to spend after losing free agent Adam Dunn to the Chicago White Sox. Werth will help replace Dunn's bat in the middle of the Nats' lineup.

[Greenranger]

I guess this means they'll be grooming Harper for either 1st or Catcher.

[Morrissey]

I guess this means they'll be grooming Harper for either 1st or Catcher.

What makes you say that? There is 3 outfielders. Nyjer Morgan, Willie Harris, or Roger Bernadina are not blocking Bryce Harper.

[JetPotato]

What makes you say that? There is 3 outfielders. Nyjer Morgan, Willie Harris, or Roger Bernadina are not blocking Bryce Harper.

This contract is mind boggling

[Morrissey]

This contract is mind boggling

The entire league is pissed off about this. They a$$ raped the market. Can't wait to see what a team like Baltimore gives Adrian Beltre. These teams have to beg players to go play for them. Apparently the Phillies best offer was 4 years/$66 million.... lol Nationals go and give him 7/$126. Genius!

[Greenranger]

What makes you say that? There is 3 outfielders. Nyjer Morgan, Willie Harris, or Roger Bernadina are not blocking Bryce Harper.

Willingham in left, Morgan in center, and Werth in right. All the talk coming out DC in the summer was he would be in right. Unless they don't extend Willingham and put Werth in left.

[Morrissey]

Willingham in left, Morgan in center, and Werth in right. All the talk coming out DC in the summer was he would be in right.

Come on dude.. there is a better than 70% they won't be on the Nats when Harper is ready. Willingham likely won't be a Nat this season. He's on the trading block.

[Greenranger]

Come on dude.. there is a better than 70% they won't be on the Nats when Harper is ready. Willingham likely won't be a Nat this season. He's on the trading block.

Harper may be ready this year, and I would like to see Willingham back, don't know if they do bring him back though, Nyjer Morgan is under contract until 2015, and Werth just singed on for 7.

[Morrissey]

Harper may be ready this year, and I would like to see Willingham back, don't know if they do bring him back though, Nyjer Morgan is under contract until 2015, and Werth just singed on for 7.

Nyjer Morgan will be turning 30 years old, you think the Nats are going to keep teneding him a contract until 2015? Unless he all of suddan becomes good...I doubt it. He's just a stop gap. He'll be a non-tenered candidate for the foreseable future. You don't owe him any money.

Harper will most def. won't be seeing the D.C. area any time soon. He's 19 years old. With very little experiance above high school ball. He'll come quicker than most prospects, I predict he'll see some action in late 2012.

[SenorGato]

Who knows how the contract will look in 7 years...which is how the Nats are looking at it...Werth is a good player, one of the better athletes in the league, and I think the general health of today's athlete is much more enduring than given credit for. If Ibanez can put up an .899 OPS at 37 then Werth just might be capable of being a decent player in his late 30's. The new park might hurt his HR power, but he's a doubles and triples guy anyway.

[Lurker]

dumb contract especially considering that werth is 31

[The Troll]

Congrats to the Yankees front office for now being off the hook for handing out the most insanely retarded contract of the offseason.

[Bugg]

This contract is mind boggling

Alderson went slightly batsh*t criticizing this contract. And while I readily suspect the Wilpons and other cheapskate teams are upset at the length and cash involved to a 31-year old corner Ofer, hard to disagree with Alderson here. Werth at 38/39 at the end of this is not going to be of any value at $18 million per. Carl Crawford should send Boras and Werth fruitbaskets for setting the market so high.

[GimmeShelter]

dumb contract especially considering that werth is 31

Agree. I take Adam Dunn any day over Werth and he woud have been cheaper to resign.

[Maxman]

I like him as a player but think that even 66 million would be on the high side. No way he lives up to this contract. Just brutal.

[CrazyCarl40]

Agree. I take Adam Dunn any day over Werth and he woud have been cheaper to resign.

Really? Werth is an above average defender, has a good arm, can hit for average and for power and has decent spped. Adam Dunn hits homeruns and strikes out a ton, is a terrible fielder, and is a clog on the bases.

The Nationals probably should have brough Dunn back and used the extra money from not signing Werth to fill other holes yes, but contracts aside, Werth is better than Dunn hands down.

[Morrissey]

As expected, Willingham is traded, to the A's....

[GimmeShelter]

Really? Werth is an above average defender, has a good arm, can hit for average and for power and has decent spped. Adam Dunn hits homeruns and strikes out a ton, is a terrible fielder, and is a clog on the bases.

The Nationals probably should have brough Dunn back and used the extra money from not signing Werth to fill other holes yes, but contracts aside, Werth is better than Dunn hands down.

Hands down?

Dunn for his money would have been a better resign than Werth and IS a much better hitter. Werth has hit 30 HR's once and chalk that up to playing in a bandbox. He has never driven in 100 runs and never hit .300. Werth receives accolades for leading the NL with 42 doubles last year......Dunn hit 38.

Adam Dunn has hit 38 or more HR's in 8 straight seasons and driven in over 100 runs in 7 of the 8. He also has a higher OBP, Slugging Pct and OPS. Dunn strikes out about 40 more times a year than Werth but more than makes up for it with his power. Werth has also only managed to stay healthy twice in his career.

Werth will be paid 20 mill from age 35 through 38. This was a horribe contract. Dunn is a given where Werth while talented, may be a product of a ball park and line-up as evidenced by his 9 road HR's last season.

They are also the same age so it is not like Werth is coming into his own at breakout age of 27 or so.

[Scott Dierking]

Hands down?

Dunn for his money would have been a better resign than Werth and IS a much better hitter. Werth has hit 30 HR's once and chalk that up to playing in a bandbox. He has never driven in 100 runs and never hit .300. Werth receives accolades for leading the NL with 42 doubles last year......Dunn hit 38.

Adam Dunn has hit 38 or more HR's in 8 straight seasons and driven in over 100 runs in 7 of the 8. He also has a higher OBP, Slugging Pct and OPS. Dunn strikes out about 40 more times a year than Werth but more than makes up for it with his power. Werth has also only managed to stay healthy twice in his career.

Werth will be paid 20 mill from age 35 through 38. This was a horribe contract. Dunn is a given where Werth while talented, may be a product of a ball park and line-up as evidenced by his 9 road HR's last season.

They are also the same age so it is not like Werth is coming into his own at breakout age of 27 or so.

I LOVE, absolutely LOVE these National League East squads giving overpriced contracts to what will be aging players.

So much CAN go wrong with the Phillies. At least they realize that their window is small and they are going ALL in. And if it goes wrong, it can go very wrong.

[Blackout]

I LOVE, absolutely LOVE these National League East squads giving overpriced contracts to what will be aging players.

So much CAN go wrong with the Phillies. At least they realize that their window is small and they are going ALL in. And if it goes wrong, it can go very wrong.

this is all very true

1-Howard commonly misses 10-15 games a year

2-Utley is no iron man himself

3-Hamels isn't a lock to be great

4-age will be a factor for the Roy's and Cliff.

[Greenranger]

Hands down?

Dunn for his money would have been a better resign than Werth and IS a much better hitter. Werth has hit 30 HR's once and chalk that up to playing in a bandbox. He has never driven in 100 runs and never hit .300. Werth receives accolades for leading the NL with 42 doubles last year......Dunn hit 38.

Adam Dunn has hit 38 or more HR's in 8 straight seasons and driven in over 100 runs in 7 of the 8. He also has a higher OBP, Slugging Pct and OPS. Dunn strikes out about 40 more times a year than Werth but more than makes up for it with his power. Werth has also only managed to stay healthy twice in his career.

Werth will be paid 20 mill from age 35 through 38. This was a horribe contract. Dunn is a given where Werth while talented, may be a product of a ball park and line-up as evidenced by his 9 road HR's last season.

They are also the same age so it is not like Werth is coming into his own at breakout age of 27 or so.

Take the bat out of Dunn's hand though and he's useless. Can't run the basses and awful defense.

[SenorGato]

Lee's just entering his prime man...he's easily got 5 really good years left....it's 6 and 7 that are the issue...by then you're getting what Mussina was at the end of his contract...which is still pretty damn valuable but not 25+ million valuable.

Oswalt's arm definitely has some wear and tear. He'll probably finish the year as merely their 4th starter. Hamels is a beast, and he's gonna be learning from a very similar lefty as well as Halladay and Oswalt. Guy's been "on the cusp" for years...had his 2nd best season last year...best K/9 of his career.

[T0mShane]

Alderson went slightly batsh*t criticizing this contract. And while I readily suspect the Wilpons and other cheapskate teams are upset at the length and cash involved to a 31-year old corner Ofer, hard to disagree with Alderson here. Werth at 38/39 at the end of this is not going to be of any value at $18 million per. Carl Crawford should send Boras and Werth fruitbaskets for setting the market so high.

Crazy contract? Yes. But until Alderson gets permission to spend a nickel of the Wilpon --cough-- fortune, he looks like a jackass criticizing anybody else. The Mets are a 70 win team as constituted and the Wilpons are broke as sh^t, apparently. Sandy should just shut up, imo. Ronny Paulino. MFer, please.

[Scott Dierking]

Lee's just entering his prime man...he's easily got 5 really good years left....it's 6 and 7 that are the issue...by then you're getting what Mussina was at the end of his contract...which is still pretty damn valuable but not 25+ million valuable.

Oswalt's arm definitely has some wear and tear. He'll probably finish the year as merely their 4th starter. Hamels is a beast, and he's gonna be learning from a very similar lefty as well as Halladay and Oswalt. Guy's been "on the cusp" for years...had his 2nd best season last year...best K/9 of his career.

Entering the prime of what? Lee has had one career year and one year under a 3. era. He has had injury history and had to be sent to the minors a few short years ago.

The Yanbkees should be glad someone "stole" him from them. "Touch" pitchers have a way of all of a sudden flaming out.

The Phillies now have some contracts that are going to make them irrelevant in a few years. They better get to winning now.

[SenorGato]

Entering the prime of what? Lee has had one career year and one year under a 3. era. He has had injury history and had to be sent to the minors a few short years ago.

His career...I'm not sure why you are treating 32 as old. Top pitchers, especially in the past 20-30 years, have performed very very well in their early and mid 30's.

Also, quit hating...The guy's topped 200 innings every year since '05 except '07, and he's been a top 5 pitcher in the league over the past 3 seasons...including dominant postseason performances. There's literally nothing pointing to this ominuous future you see except the fact that eventually he will have to decline because that's the natural order of things.

The Yanbkees should be glad someone "stole" him from them. "Touch" pitchers have a way of all of a sudden flaming out.

Really? No ifs ands or buts? So why's Andy Pettite still good?

The Phillies now have some contracts that are going to make them irrelevant in a few years. They better get to winning now.

I'm 100% certain that's the plan. Having a Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Oswalt rotation significantly boosts their short and possibly long term chances.

[neckdemon]

Crazy contract? Yes. But until Alderson gets permission to spend a nickel of the Wilpon --cough-- fortune, he looks like a jackass criticizing anybody else. The Mets are a 70 win team as constituted and the Wilpons are broke as sh^t, apparently. Sandy should just shut up, imo. Ronny Paulino. MFer, please.

gotta love yankees fan mentality.