tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post1731474089285280451..comments2023-10-17T10:45:07.796-04:00Comments on FJB: Repeat after me: the Nationals Are Sellers, the Nationals Are SellersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-40200809976270082512010-06-21T14:39:59.210-04:002010-06-21T14:39:59.210-04:00Also agree to sell if the return is good. Only of...Also agree to sell if the return is good. Only off limits players are SS, Storen, Zim, Zimm and Desmond. I think that Willingham should return some quality; productive player with moderate pay with 18 months of team control, but the market will decide if I am right. Hopefully Rizzo is at least listening to people. As for Dunn though, I doubt that he brings back quality. My plan for him would be to tender him arbitration - if he takes it, great, I get a 1 year deal for a player that should still be productive; if not, 2 high picks into a stacked draft. Capps and Clippard should also bring back value.<br /><br />But I would selectively buy too - if there was a player that you expect to positively contribute for the next few years that is being dumped for salary reasons (ie minimal return), then I would buy. Yes, Oswalt, I am talking about you.Wallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01557557989122256161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-2592939228910297742010-06-21T14:19:07.406-04:002010-06-21T14:19:07.406-04:00There is still a lot of season left. The delimena...There is still a lot of season left. The delimena is starting pitching. Slumps are part of baseball. These will end. My beef is with Nyjer, whose pulled a Nook Logan this year. I'd let Willie Harris and Levan go. Bring up Pete Orr. Send Lannan down. And keep Willingham and Dunn. Put Baradino in one or two spot and sit Morgan down and Morse in right. Forget about pitching to contact. The umps won't give us the call. And spend some money on a real second baseman and a power hitting right fielder until Harper comes along.DCJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16929486318000835845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-18689348723119503852010-06-21T11:44:50.342-04:002010-06-21T11:44:50.342-04:00In reality, despite all the media frenzy at the tr...In reality, despite all the media frenzy at the trade deadline most teams are neither buyers nor sellers, but rather they stand pat. Which is as it should be. And which is as the Nats should be and probably will be this year.TBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16985413477143165605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-62902697270598990532010-06-21T11:17:01.379-04:002010-06-21T11:17:01.379-04:00These are solid arguments, but there is one perspe...These are solid arguments, but there is one perspective on which I'd like to hear your opinion. It seems to me that the front office has to be thinking about trying to be decent next year and contend in 2012 if they are going to have any hope of resigning Ryan Zimmerman to keep him in the fold after 2013. They need the revenue from frequent sell outs and they need to convince Zim they are serious about winning it all. Signing Dunn (and to a lesser extent Willingham) to an extension helps in that process. They have Strasburg under team control for longer, but that's an issue there as well.<br /><br />I'm just not convinced that Dunn can be traded for player(s) who, even if they pan out, will help us win soon enough to have the trajectory we need. If you can unload Guzman, great. But I'm not so sure about Dunn. His performance this year certainly does not suggest a severe drop in skill over the next several years.Section 222https://www.blogger.com/profile/17106128453333996193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-81989534954587617492010-06-21T10:45:55.314-04:002010-06-21T10:45:55.314-04:00Didn't the D-backs opt to not offer arbitratio...Didn't the D-backs opt to not offer arbitration to Dunn because they knew he would take it? If the goal is to take advantage of type A then we would have to hope Dunn doesn't want to stay here. I knew all along that the Nats should never have been buyers unless the price and player was good for the Nats but I don't forsee Guzman getting traded for a Oswalt... I wouldn't realistically anticipate a playoff run until Strasburg is allowed to pitch 200+ innings a year so it would seem like 2012-2013 would be good years to anticipate the playoffs. Next year being a more competitive .500. Like James Bjork said, I'd take a 65 win season for 75 or even 81 win season if we got a good return on veterans this year.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09103563799517218955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-24366419133696084602010-06-21T10:20:54.846-04:002010-06-21T10:20:54.846-04:00I agree with Steven about the value in the Nats...I agree with Steven about the value in the Nats' regression back to earth, in snuffing out notions of adding Oswalt and the like.<br /><br />I agree more with other posters, though, that rentals to contending teams (specifically Dunn) don't get the yields they used to- such that compensation draft picks compare favorably. If Rizzo gets a truly stud prospect, then yes, bite the bullet.<br /><br />And as before, count me among the fans who would rather watch a tolerable 75-win team, than endure a 65-win team on the *chance* that some prospects in trade might actually pan out.James Bjorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12300788103065851752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-48421849147920771232010-06-21T09:29:38.548-04:002010-06-21T09:29:38.548-04:00Again the real issue isn't to sell or not, but...Again the real issue isn't to sell or not, but to sell at what level. I agree a firesale would be counterproductive, just lowering th value to the product you DO have. <br /><br />Like the Soriano non-trade it's difficult if not impossible for outsiders to judge return on value for deals that don't happen and the "We should trade Dunn & Willingham for top end starters" is nice, but not realistic.<br /><br />Would you trade Willingham for Madison Baumgarner or Michael Bowden? Of course, but what about another teams equivilent of Jordan Zimmerman or Ross Detwiler....or Brad Meyers?<br /><br />You can drive yourself crazy worrying about this, so I will root for my team and our players and IF they get traded for a solid return great, but until then I'll just hope Dunn, Capps & Willingham are Type A FA when their contracts end. Much simpler and less morally confusingUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06460478739235992651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-27528392948998938922010-06-21T09:22:00.247-04:002010-06-21T09:22:00.247-04:00"Willingham and Dunn are both free agents by ..."Willingham and Dunn are both free agents by 2012, so to keep them you have to say you want them more than let's say Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder."<br /><br />--------<br /><br />Yes and no. You have to say you want Dunn and Willingham more than you'd want Fielder or Gonzalez AT THE PRICE THEY WILL COMMAND. You also have to assume that we can have those guys if we want them. There's a limited quantity of those guys, and it's no sure thing that even a market offer would get them (though it helps that the Yankees are set at first base, and the Bosox can be set there is they play Youkilis at first).John O'Connorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014476389355562158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-63845121427052088672010-06-21T09:00:09.778-04:002010-06-21T09:00:09.778-04:00Willingham and Dunn are both free agents by 2012, ...Willingham and Dunn are both free agents by 2012, so to keep them you have to say you want them more than let's say Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109288910583404941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-89694185093260996492010-06-21T08:43:59.065-04:002010-06-21T08:43:59.065-04:00I could agree with you about Dunn and/or Willingha...I could agree with you about Dunn and/or Willingham if there was any reason to believe that they could get something of real, as opposed to notional, value in exchange for them. <br /><br />But there's very little evidence that this is the case. "Sellers" usually wind up getting maybe 40 cents on the dollar. In the Nats' case that means that we would send our one true power-hitting threat for someone else's Chris Marrero. Since we already have one of those how does acquiring another make this tram better over the medium-to-long haul? When you throw in Dunn' defensive limitations, the likelihood of getting something of real value goes down further. <br /><br />The other thing is that you have made it clear that you are a "contend or rebuild" kind of guy: for you, winning 75 instead of 59 games isn't that big a deal. For many of us, it's the difference between enjoying baseball here in DC and having to tune out the local team so as to not let their ineptitude ruin the game for us.Robertohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09639740561105744622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-27903354915263042202010-06-21T08:34:13.443-04:002010-06-21T08:34:13.443-04:00Steven,
On cold, hard logic, I'm with you. Ho...Steven,<br />On cold, hard logic, I'm with you. However, this season of competence is like a drink of water for someone who's been in the desert. And trading away Dunn, Willingham, and/or Pudge would make the present that much worse. And unless they're trading for someone who can help in 2011 (rather than 2012, 2013 and beyond) losing Dunn and/or Willingham would really harm their chances of contending in 2012. <br /><br />Just a thought.Kevin Ruschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00246278523767750179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-57124655135272050532010-06-21T08:16:12.490-04:002010-06-21T08:16:12.490-04:00@Nate--I meant to say "by 2012," the yea...@Nate--I meant to say "by 2012," the year after next, when Willngham hits FA and the year they hit 32 and 33 respectively. Good catch though.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109288910583404941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-69911049532651386252010-06-20T22:42:49.202-04:002010-06-20T22:42:49.202-04:00The Nats should be sellers. The Nats should be se...The Nats should be sellers. The Nats should be sellers.Dave Nicholshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05310191107811609232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-2219040854095572372010-06-20T22:36:41.036-04:002010-06-20T22:36:41.036-04:00Dunn will be 31 all next season, Willingham 32. Yo...Dunn will be 31 all next season, Willingham 32. You've got a generous strike zone for mid-30s.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967066946860270813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-56482570532654070682010-06-20T21:44:49.387-04:002010-06-20T21:44:49.387-04:00I couldn't agree with you more Steven!I couldn't agree with you more Steven!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09103563799517218955noreply@blogger.com