Offseason Update: Nov. 7, 2015
Well, perhaps it was too much to expect a bevy of Nats to appear in the AFL for a third straight game, so yesterday there were none in Salt River’s 5-4 loss to Scottsdale.
TRANSACTION UPDATE
Minor-league free agency has begun, and while BA has yet to release its compilation, here’s what I’ve culled from MiLB.com:
- RHPs – Bruce Billings, Juan Gutierrez, Tim Alderson, Paul Demny
- LHP –Richard Bleier
- IF –Cutter Dykstra
- OFs –Tony Gwynn Jr., Theo Bowe
- C –Dan Butler
Now for the annual reminder that this is not necessarily a reflection of the value the organization places on the players, but the reality that players are effectively indentured servants for seven seasons after they’re drafted. For some, this is their only chance to go elsewhere without the stigma of having been released.
On to the final affiliate review…
SYRACUSE CHIEFS
After fielding a contender in 2014, it was a reversion to the mean in 2015 – a team stocked with veterans that could be easily passed through waivers or lost if need be. The Chiefs had the second-oldest collection of bats, the third-oldest set of arms. Neither were particularly good, with the offense averaging 3.69 R/G and the defense yielding 4.06 R/G against league averages of 3.97 R/G.
Like last year (and the year before, and the year before that…), the true prospects are few; basically, Trea Turner and A.J. Cole. As in previous reviews, it’s worth noting that perhaps the obligatory list would be longer if there weren’t players who lost their rookie status (Felipe Rivero, Joe Ross) or hadn’t been previously been listed (Matt Skole). Instead, it’s just four and were it not for the dexterity of the final two, I’d skip the list entirely:
1. Trea Turner, SS — .267GPA, 14SB in 48G
2. A.J. Cole, RHP — 3.15/3.90/1.18, .470OPS against in August
3. Matt Grace, LHP — 2.40/3.14/1.21, .543OP against LHBs
4. Sammy Solis, LHP — 2.03/2.86/0.98 in 13⅓ IP
If you have a morbid curiosity you’re interested in seeing the full team statistics, you can find them here.
Suddenly the offseason is exciting again.Which is to say that the Baker hiring quickly evolved into something we can live with, enhanced by two high grade coaches coming into the fold as upgrades for pitching and baserunning. The organization is true to its word about adding experience. That has to impact the overall mood of a team that needs to come together and engage next year with the determination of the 2015 Royals.
As for player movement, I don’t think any of the free agents, with the exception of Thornton, will be brought back. I also do not think the team will sign Wieters or Upton. And I hope they do not sign Parra — I think Den Dekker would give them everything Parra gives and better splits, power, and pinch hitting.
So who on the free agent end? I can see the Nats signing Zobrist. He is still a great fit and worth the financial risk and it’s great that he does not cost a draft pick.
The only QO free agents I could see as realistic for the Nats are Cueto and Price. The former because he is classic buy low and pitched very well for Dusty Baker and is young and on his first elbow. He’s a better buy than JZimm. Price is a lefty ace starter and the team has to be thinking past Gio Gonzalez.
Otherwise, free agenct pickups will give the team the flexibility to trade existing players for premium chips, like a bigger superstar bat. I think Trea Turner and Espinosa are the SS plan. I think Escobar is a flexible piece, especially if they sign Zobrist. And I think they will go hard for Kimbrel.
One more thing. Given how paltry the winter player news is, the most worthwhile position player update at this point has proven to be Rafael Bautista. Great to see him making a great offensive showing in winter ball, and hoping that means he can take the step up to AA.
I’m loving Kieboom, who is proving to be healthy (post-concussion and finger injury), and Simms is obviously demonstrating the consistency needed to at least be relevant to a 2016 AA starting staff.
Of the minor league FAs just announced the one I hope is brought back is Demny. He’ll still be only 26 next year and had outstanding K rates last year. The Nats desperately need bullpen depth, and if he were to start out next season pitching as well at Syracuse as he did at Harrisburg this season he might become a viable midseason middle relief call up. It also seems well past time to convert the Taylors (Jordan and Hill) to full time relief pitching to see what they might be able to do in a bullpen role.
However they do it, the Nats need to find at least four more reliable arms for the bullpen since right now (assuming Papelbon and Storen are gone) Rivero and Treinen are the only two solid bullpen arms under team control who have no health concerns. Given how mediocre the NL playoff teams turned out to be in 2015, you could say that the bullpen meltdown cost the Nats a World Series appearance. That cannot be allowed to happen again.
Demny should be bacj.
Rizzzo seems to find arms such as JC Guitierrez for the AAA fodder.
GG. cant dispute you. but the OF rotation might get a FA bump.
For a player like Demny, it’s a tough call. The Nats’ system is a great home for nurturing young arms. But it’s overrun with RHP, so the dream that keeps Demny in the game is going to be hard to achieve with the Nats.
As for Nat arms who went elsewhere, the Mets just added the legendary Josh Smoker to their 40-man to keep him out of minor-league free agency.
Brsves brass cried when Nats drsfted smoker
Great photo, Luke. Spike would be proud.
I’ve said over and over that if the Nats sign free agents, the most obvious one is Heyward (assuming he were willing). The next most obvious is O’Day. Trade Escobar when he has some value. Do not sign an older high end pitcher.
For some reason many Nat fans seem to think Rizzo has done well in the free agent department. I’m definitely not one of them. One and a half years out of four for LaRoche and next to nothing in the playoffs. Haren, Jackson, and others who weren’t very good or were almost never healthy. Then there was the so-called coup known as Werth. I actually think the intangibles everyone talks about are as much negative as positive when it comes to Werth. As well, he’s had two years of very little production, two other years where he’s contributed but lost time to injury. And nothing in the last playoffs.
I would love for a young, good player like Heyward to be signed. At one time Chapman would have been nice too.
I am not one who has been high on Rizzo’s ability to get good value in fee agency. In fact, it is one of the reasons I have called for the hiring of a president of baseball operations to provide him with adult supervision.
I agree that free agent signings have not nearly been as successful as the Rizzo trades. Especially the second tier player (McLouth, Jansen) types. But his waiver claims and minor league signings have produced talent like Matt Thornton and Clint Robinson.
The Scherzer signing, other than the Werth and Soriano signings, were the most major acquisitions. Haren and Jackson were as they were deemed to be – players signed to be #5 starters who did not perform better than #5 starters. I do not entirely agree with the assessment about Werth. However, I also think the Scherzer acquisition will reflect well on Rizzo in due time.