Zimmerman endorses rebuild, contemplates his future

Ryan Zimmerman knows what it's like to be part of a rebuild. Even if the specific details have faded from his mind over the last 12 years, the longest-tenured player in Nationals history remembers taking the field every night in 2009 on a 103-loss club that featured only a handful of players who would actually stick around long enough to be part of the club's first division title three years later.

But what Zimmerman - and the Nationals, by extension - experienced this week was completely foreign. Yes, they're about to start another rebuilding effort. But they're doing so after their first true sell-off since their first draft pick was a young, All-Star third baseman.

That made the events of the last few days odd for Zimmerman, even if he does endorse the move by general manager Mike Rizzo.

"At the deadline, we've kind of been adding instead of subtracting. We've never really had to go through anything like this," he said Saturday during a Zoom session with reporters. "It's part of it, and once we got back into (the division race) and then didn't play well for that two-week stretch, I think it's the right move to make. And all those guys, obviously besides Trea (Turner), their contract was expiring after this year. So you have to do what you can and get something for them. That's obviously what they did."

It's a bitter pill to swallow for Zimmerman, who chose to return after opting out of the shortened 2020 season in hopes of being part of another Nationals team that reached October. Instead, he's now looking at two months of less-meaningful baseball for a team that is going to be focused far more on the future than the present.

In many ways, it's similar to what Zimmerman went through early in his career, when he was the young star the Nationals decided to build around. He suffered through back-to-back 100-loss seasons, and saw teammates come and go before a solid core finally came together in 2012 and created a decade of contention.

Now, he's wondering how long it will be until this franchise's next core group is established and makes another run.

"I've known Riz for a long time," he said. "And I haven't talked with him at all, so speaking for myself ... I have a harder time seeing Mike sit around and not make this team competitive. That's kind of what he's always been. I know there is going to be a lot of open money on the books, after this year, after all this stuff, too. You guys know Mike as well as I do. He doesn't really like to sit around and not do much. So I wouldn't put anything past him."

Rizzo pointed out Friday he believes the organization is starting out from a far more advantageous position than it was in when he became GM in 2009. And first on the list of reasons why is Juan Soto, already one of the sport's biggest stars at 22, and the player the Nationals will now try to build their next winner around.

Zimmerman understands the pressure Soto now faces as the designated "Face of the Franchise," an unofficial title he held long ago but essentially ceded to the likes of Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and now Soto in more recent years. And he understands the organization would benefit greatly from locking him up as soon as possible and not risk losing him to free agency after the 2024 season.

"You're going to have to do something, or at least try to do something, with that guy. He's a special player," said Zimmerman, who twice agreed to long-term extensions to remain in D.C., perhaps settling for less money than he would've received on the open market. "Obviously, he's one of the best players in the game. I couldn't really imagine a better person to build around than somebody like that."

Will Zimmerman still be around by the time any of that happens? He's playing on a one-year, $1 million deal and has maintained all along he'll re-evaluate his situation at the end of each season, deciding whether he wants to return or retire.

Asked Saturday about his future, Zimmerman said he hasn't made up his mind yet, but did acknowledge the events of the last few days - and Rizzo's intentions this winter - will factor into the decision.

"One hundred percent it has something to do with it," he said. "I think first is how my body feels and if I still want to put the commitment in to prepare and be ready to perform. I think that's number one. That along with where my family's at on it. And then if it's not number two, it's pretty close: Whether you have a chance to win and what the roster's going to look like, sort of the trajectory of the organization.

"I don't think that's a secret. You play to win. And like I said, this doesn't mean we're not going to be good for the rest of this year or next year. There's plenty of talent here for the rest of this year, and then like I said a couple times, there's going to be plenty of options depending on what they want to do this offseason. They're going to have more money to do things than they've had in years. It's hard to sit here right now and, obviously, talk about myself, but I think more importantly talk about where the organization's going to go."