Thoughts on last week's Adams and Milone signings

If I've learned nothing else in 13 years on this beat, it's this: The best way to ensure the Nationals make some offseason news is to go on vacation.

It has happened before, and it happened again last week. While I was soaking up the sun (and watching the Capitals blow a sure-win over the wretched Coyotes) with my family in Arizona, the Nats went and signed two free agents: Matt Adams and Tommy Milone.

These weren't major moves, not in the least. In Milone's case, it's actually a minor league contract. But the Adams signing certainly was significant, and the Milone signing could be one of those sneaky, under-the-radar moves that ends up being more significant than you think at the time.

Adams' signing is particularly interesting, because the Nationals essentially decided to pick him over Adam Lind to be their left-handed, backup first baseman in 2018. The two are very similar players, and they had an almost-identical price tag. The Nats declined a $5 million option on Lind after the season, instead paying him a $500,000 buyout. And then they signed Adams for $4 million, with another $500,000 in potential incentives.

So why Adams over Lind, who did such an impressive job last season? The most obvious answer is age. Adams is 29; Lind is 34.

Not that there isn't reason to believe Lind can continue to be a very productive hitter. But as we know, the mid-30s can be a dangerous time for position players, who can suddenly fall off a cliff one day and never rediscover their prior form.

Again, that's not to suggest that's going to happen with Lind in 2018. But Adams would seem to be a safer bet.

He has significant starting experience, as well, having started 132 games at first base for the 2014 Cardinals. And, believe it or not, he owns a career Defensive Runs Saved rating of 14 as a first baseman (as opposed to a -5 rating in the outfield).

Adams hits for power, he mashes right-handed pitching, he has a career .315/.342/.555 slash line as a pinch-hitter and he has postseason experience. He seems like the ideal player to back up Ryan Zimmerman.

Then again, we already know Lind was the ideal player to back up Zimmerman last season. You better believe folks will be closely watching and comparing both lefty sluggers in 2018, trying to decide if the Nationals picked the right guy.

Milone, meanwhile, returns to the organization that drafted him way back in 2008 and gave him his major league debut in September 2011. The left-hander wound up as part of the four-player package that was sent to the Athletics a few months later in exchange for Gio Gonzalez. (Fun fact: The Nats eventually re-acquired three of those four players in Milone, A.J. Cole and Derek Norris, with only Brad Peacock having yet to return to D.C.)

Milone has bounced around since, making 108 major league starts for the A's, Mets, Twins and Brewers. He has enjoyed more success than you might have thought, owning a career 45-36 record and 4.37 ERA despite being a pitch-to-contact guy who only strikes out 6.5 batters per nine innings.

The Nationals aren't counting on big things from the 30-year-old, but he fills a significant need for this organization, which has a serious dearth of rotation depth. That's especially true from the left side of the mound, with only 2017 first-round pick Seth Romero a legitimate left-handed pitching prospect in the entire organization.

If something happens to Gonzalez in 2018, or if the Nationals find themselves needing to summon a starter from Triple-A Syracuse, they could do a lot worse than Milone.