Recapping what I missed
By Dan Kolko
Well, hello again, everyone.
I'm back after a nice two-week trip out of the country, and while I missed out on much of the holiday season while I was away, I hope all of you enjoyed some quality time with your families and got some good food in ya.
If you celebrate Christmas, I hope yesterday was merry and joyous. If you don't, I hope you enjoyed your Chinese food and a movie.
What did I miss on the Nationals front while I was away?
Well, not a ton, although the Nats did make one trade to bolster their middle infield depth within the organization, signed a couple of free agents to minor league deals and avoided a grievance hearing with one of their young stars.
The Nats and Bryce Harper agreeing on a two-year, $7.5 million deal won't count as much of an "offseason move," per se, because Harper was already under contract and the Nats didn't extend the length of their team control on the player. But it did allow both sides to avoid what could've been a messy legal situation and move on from their disagreement in terms of when Harper would be allowed to reach arbitration.
This was a good thing for both the Nats and Harper's camp.
The signings of reliever Heath Bell and third baseman Ian Stewart to minor league deals weren't huge stories, but both could pay dividends in 2015.
Bell has struggled in a big way in recent seasons, but most of us remember how dominant he was with the Padres just a few years ago. And Stewart adds a left-handed-hitting bench option to the mix - and a guy with experience playing third, second, first, and even some outfield.
Both veterans will compete for jobs in the spring, and both signings add depth to a club whose major league roster doesn't have many holes.
As for the trade, the Nats gave up Steven Souza Jr. and minor league lefty Travis Ott, and got back two prospects - shortstop Trea Turner (who can't join the organization until June) and righty Joe Ross.
I've read up on some of the fan reaction to this deal, and I was frankly a little surprised at how much negative feedback I saw. That's no knock against Souza, who really has blossomed as a player over the last couple of years, both in terms of his on-field ability and his maturity. He's a very talented player who will now have a shot to see what he can do in the bigs down with the Rays.
But in this deal, the Nats acquired their potential shortstop of the future in Turner, should Ian Desmond leave to free agency next winter. (If Desmond ends up re-signing with the Nats, Turner could potentially become a second baseman or center fielder in the future.) The Nats badly needed to improve their middle infield depth at the higher levels of the farm system, and they did that in this deal, while also adding a pitching prospect who scouts say could become a middle-of-the-rotation starter. And they got those two pieces without needing to ship off one of their regular contributors on the major league roster.
Souza has loads of ability, but he was blocked at the big league level in the Nats' organization. He wasn't getting playing time over Harper, Denard Span or Jayson Werth in 2015, and Harper and Werth have the corner outfield spots locked up for the next few years. The Nats valued Souza, but knew he held greater value for other teams out there.
You have to give to get when it comes to trades at this level, a concept that some people tend to forget at times. Yes, the Nats lost one of their top outfield prospects in this trade, but that was an area of strength for the organization. By acquiring Turner, the Nats protected themselves against Desmond leaving, while also improving a weakness within the minor league ranks and adding another promising young arm.
People are certainly allowed to have their own opinions on this trade, but I was just surprised to see the number of negative comments that I did.
There are still a few things on Mike Rizzo's to-do list this offseason, including finding another infielder, and continuing to bolster the bench and bullpen. And then there is the topic of contract extension talks with the crop of players who are set to become free agents next winter.
But progress was made over the last couple of weeks, even if not many big headlines came out of it.
The Nats and Bryce Harper agreeing on a two-year, $7.5 million deal won't count as much of an "offseason move," per se, because Harper was already under contract and the Nats didn't extend the length of their team control on the player. But it did allow both sides to avoid what could've been a messy legal situation and move on from their disagreement in terms of when Harper would be allowed to reach arbitration.
This was a good thing for both the Nats and Harper's camp.
The signings of reliever Heath Bell and third baseman Ian Stewart to minor league deals weren't huge stories, but both could pay dividends in 2015.
Bell has struggled in a big way in recent seasons, but most of us remember how dominant he was with the Padres just a few years ago. And Stewart adds a left-handed-hitting bench option to the mix - and a guy with experience playing third, second, first, and even some outfield.
Both veterans will compete for jobs in the spring, and both signings add depth to a club whose major league roster doesn't have many holes.
As for the trade, the Nats gave up Steven Souza Jr. and minor league lefty Travis Ott, and got back two prospects - shortstop Trea Turner (who can't join the organization until June) and righty Joe Ross.
I've read up on some of the fan reaction to this deal, and I was frankly a little surprised at how much negative feedback I saw. That's no knock against Souza, who really has blossomed as a player over the last couple of years, both in terms of his on-field ability and his maturity. He's a very talented player who will now have a shot to see what he can do in the bigs down with the Rays.
But in this deal, the Nats acquired their potential shortstop of the future in Turner, should Ian Desmond leave to free agency next winter. (If Desmond ends up re-signing with the Nats, Turner could potentially become a second baseman or center fielder in the future.) The Nats badly needed to improve their middle infield depth at the higher levels of the farm system, and they did that in this deal, while also adding a pitching prospect who scouts say could become a middle-of-the-rotation starter. And they got those two pieces without needing to ship off one of their regular contributors on the major league roster.
Souza has loads of ability, but he was blocked at the big league level in the Nats' organization. He wasn't getting playing time over Harper, Denard Span or Jayson Werth in 2015, and Harper and Werth have the corner outfield spots locked up for the next few years. The Nats valued Souza, but knew he held greater value for other teams out there.
You have to give to get when it comes to trades at this level, a concept that some people tend to forget at times. Yes, the Nats lost one of their top outfield prospects in this trade, but that was an area of strength for the organization. By acquiring Turner, the Nats protected themselves against Desmond leaving, while also improving a weakness within the minor league ranks and adding another promising young arm.
People are certainly allowed to have their own opinions on this trade, but I was just surprised to see the number of negative comments that I did.
There are still a few things on Mike Rizzo's to-do list this offseason, including finding another infielder, and continuing to bolster the bench and bullpen. And then there is the topic of contract extension talks with the crop of players who are set to become free agents next winter.
But progress was made over the last couple of weeks, even if not many big headlines came out of it.
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