What those minor league contracts really mean

More than a few eyes were raised in recent weeks when the Nationals signed a succession of guys who play center field to minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training. To be honest, the Nats usually wait a little deeper into the offseason before this news trickles out, and they routinely make a formal announcement only after all of their signings of this kind are in the fold.

To recap, the Nats have inked Reed Johnson, Chris Heisey and Logan Schafer - three veteran types - to such deals. Now, if you're wondering whether this means a lack of confidence in incumbent Michael A. Taylor or backup Matt den Dekker, or a hint that there may be a deal involving Taylor or den Dekker in the offing, let me put your mind at ease.

Johnson, Heisey and Schafer are basically depth players for spring training, and possibly beyond. It costs the Nationals very little to look at them during camp and Grapefruit League games, and they can use the opportunity to either work their way onto the 25-man roster, get a job at Triple-A where they're only a phone call away in case of an injury or impress another club who might be interested in their services. Low risk on the team's side, possible high reward for the players. In baseball, that's a win-win for everyone.

Taylor will go into next season as the starting center fielder. General manager Mike Rizzo has said as much in interviews, though the Nationals hope he'll cut down on his strikeouts, bump up his on-base percentage and be able to use his blazing speed more to his advantage. The home runs he hits are a nice perk, but the Nats have always envisioned Taylor as a multiple-threat player, someone who can hurt the opposition with his bat, legs and glove.

den Dekker, who rode the shuttle between Triple-A Syracuse and Washington last year, will presumably slide into Taylor's previous role as the main backup in center (if not, the Nats would have extended the $15.8 million qualifying offer to Denard Span instead of letting him test free agency). He slashed .253/.315/.485 in 55 games, showing a little pop at the plate. He's a left-handed bat off the bench on a team that's full of right-handers. And he holds his own defensively, which is a plus in a bench guy.

So why are the Nationals bringing back Johnson, who appeared in 17 games during an injury-marred 2015, mostly as a pinch-hitter? And why did they sign Heisey, a veteran of six major league seasons who's considered a good glove guy and doesn't really hit much, and Schafer, whose resume closely mirrors Heisey's?

Every team wants a good fourth (or fifth) outfielder, particularly a club with an aging and sometimes injury-prone Jayson Werth manning left field or a player like Taylor still working to prove himself. Taylor will need the occasional day off this season, and even an MVP like Bryce Harper can use a respite now and again (though I wouldn't want to be manager Dusty Baker telling Harper he's riding the pine). Even in spring training, the regulars can't play every inning of every Grapefruit League game - do you really want Werth shagging fly balls in the eighth inning when the Nats are on the wrong end of a 15-3 blowout? - and the Nationals don't like to make their veteran starting field players ride the buses for every long road trek in March.

Should someone get hurt once the season starts, there's a natural line of succession created when those minor league signings stay within the organization (though some have an opt-out clause that allows them to pursue another opportunity). Say Taylor crashes into a wall and his balky knee swells up - that means den Dekker slides into center for a few games while Taylor recuperates. But if the injury is more serious, and necessitates a stint on the disabled list, den Dekker takes over in center while the Nationals will need to pluck someone from Syracuse as a fill-in. If Johnson, Heisey or Schafer are still in the organization, maybe they get a call-up and function as a reserve outfielder, pinch-hitter or defensive replacement for a couple of weeks.

Good clubs are keen on competition, and even though it's assumed that Taylor and den Dekker would break camp on the 25-man roster, what happens if one of them has a horrible spring? Veterans have a way of keeping both established major leaguers and young players alike just enough on edge - in a good way - to bring out their best. And if another club sees something it likes, maybe a small deal nets the Nats something in return. At the very least, it creates showcase opportunities for both player and team.

There area a lot of other reasons to sign a guy to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. Early in the Grapefruit League schedule, there are a lot of innings to cover, and you don't want to stretch your starters or your relievers too much too soon. So a guy who might just be an arm to pitch the eighth or ninth innings suddenly has a chance to impress the brass. When only pitchers and catchers are in camp, you need enough catchers to handle six bullpen sessions at a time; it's not unusual to see promising young backstops and receivers at the tail ends of their careers working with an established pitching staff.

When spring training starts in about 10 weeks, there will be a bunch of guys in the Nationals clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium who stand no realistic chance of heading north for opening day. But every guy that's lockered up is there by design. Remember last spring, when Dan Uggla and Clint Robinson were in camp? Everyone thought Uggla's career was over and Rizzo was just doing an old pal from from his Diamondbacks days a favor, or that Robinson was just happy to be around a bunch of major leaguers and playing for the chance to draw a Triple-A paycheck. Well, both were on the big club at the start of the regular season. Uggla spent most of the year in D.C., save for a DL stay, and Robinson morphed into a reliable pinch-hitter, decent first baseman and credible corner outfielder.

The signings of guys like Johnson, Heisey, Schafer and lefty reliever Sean Burnett aren't the last minor moves with potential major ramifications the Nats will make this offseason. And sometimes, those seemingly small moves can pay significant dividends.