Long explains contract issue that briefly left him unemployed

Kevin Long was unemployed for about two weeks last fall, two weeks that confused a lot of Nationals fans and observers, given the hitting coach's strong reputation in the sport and success during three seasons in Washington.

Was Long really let go by the organization just as pitching coach Paul Menhart and third base coach Chip Hale were around the same time? And if so, how did he end up coming back to the Nats a couple weeks later and now find himself in West Palm Beach, Fla., preparing for his fourth season on the coaching staff?

What happened? Long explained his side of the story Tuesday, revealing it was a contract issue and not a desire by either party to go their separate ways.

Long, who previously served as hitting coach of the Yankees and Mets, was seen as major addition to Davey Martinez's staff when he was hired by the Nationals prior to the 2018 season and given a three-year contract. And when that deal expired last October, he assumed another comparable one would be offered.

"There were discussions going on, and we were talking about (how) my contract had expired," Long said during a Zoom session with reporters. "I haven't had less than a three-year deal in a long, long time. So that's what I was looking for, and those weren't out there. It's something I had to make a decision about."

The Nationals, citing in part the financial hit they took during the abbreviated, fan-less 2020 season, only offered Long a one-year deal to return. He felt he could do better than that, so the club granted him permission to seek offers elsewhere.

Throughout that interim period, though, Martinez was urging Long to come back to D.C.

"I called him for five straight days, trying to convince him to come back here and stay with us," said Martinez, who did replace Hale and Menhart on his staff with new first base coach Randy Knorr and new pitching coach Jim Hickey. "He does a great job with our hitters. I love him. He works really hard and gets these guys prepared and ready. I'm glad it worked out. But he did have an opportunity to go elsewhere, and he chose to come back. So I was happy that he's back."

Long did ultimately accept the Nats' one-year offer on Oct. 22, conceding the longer-term deal he used to get from teams wasn't going to be found this time around.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal, but it was one that I thought that was going to be available," he said. "And with COVID and the pandemic, it certainly affected that. But I'm very grateful that I'm here and happy that I'm back with the Nationals. It's business as usual."

Long spent the majority of his 30-minute session with reporters raving about members of the Nationals lineup, none more so than Juan Soto, who was a 19-year-old rookie in the hitting coach's first season here and now is among baseball's best players after producing a 1.185 OPS in 2020, the highest such mark posted by any big leaguer with at least 190 plate appearances since Barry Bonds in 2004.

The opportunity to continue working with Soto, Trea Turner and others was too much for Long to pass up, even if didn't come via his preferred contract terms. This was where he wanted to be all along.

"Absolutely. This was my No. 1 choice," he said. "You know what, I've built some relationships here and gotten close with a lot of guys. And again, we won a World Series with pretty much the nucleus of this club. So I'm very comfortable with D.C. I'm very comfortable with the Nationals organization. And couldn't be happier that I'm back."