Plugging Away at the Watchlist
Just your annual January post to let the SEO bots that the site is still up and running.
As the visual pun suggests, I’ve been filling in the player reports for the 2025 Watchlist while we wait for the calendar to flip back to 1933 next week spring. I’m about halfway through, punting on some that I’d like to get some input from the scouting books before writing.
The Commanders have been giving the Nats some cover for the parade of second-tier and third-tier signings, which, in their defense, are about as good as they can do as a rebuilding team. Unless they decide to overpay [pause for laughter].
Tomorrow is the beginning of the International signing period. According to the Boys in Durham, the Nats are contenders for three of its Top 100, including #16 Brayan Cortesia, a 17-y.o. shortstop out of Venezuela.
So perhaps we’ll have some news as to who the Nats spent big on and the dozen or so they did not on Thursday. Until then, I’ll leave you to your National Hot Pastrami Day festivities.
While it’s great to read that the Nats are still going to try to sign some of the top IFA’s, I find it complete asinine how the choose to utterly ignore talent from the Pacific Rim
I makes no sense, with the payroll space they have and the their need for pitching, how they are not in on Sasaki
And this also goes for all the other high profile postings from previous years that they’ve chosen to completely ignore
I can understand if they’ve made offers and they got turned down, but to not even make an attempt Is downright stupid
But hey throw millions at 16 year olds with zero experience and pedigree, where the chances of actually them making it are less than 5% and no problem!
Agree that the Nats efforts to find players in Asia has been underwhelming, but given the Sasaki’s unique financial circumstances (the amount the MLB team that signs him is limited to $10 million), every MLB team coveted him, and he wasn’t going to pick a team based on how much is offered. Everyone knew that Sasaki was going to come down to the Padres and Dodgers, and it essentially has with Sasaki eliminating all teams except for those two and the Blue Jays. Put another way, Sasaki was NEVER going to sign with the Nats. So, can’t criticize them for missing on him.
That said, I do wish the Nats would expand it’s international footprint as focusing on the DR and Venezuala hasn’t worked out well lately. Need to think outside the box.
Why would the Blue Jays have an edge over the Nats?
You’d have to ask Sasaki and his reps. Why would the Jays have an edge over the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Giants, Rangers and the rest of MLB?
The bottom line is that Nats (and every other major league team) knew/knows Sasaki is an incredible value because no team can commit more than $10 million for him, and if this was an open market, he is a nine figure player. If you don’t think the cheap Lerners wouldn’t have loved to sign a 23 year-old that is ready to step in as a #1 starter for a $10 million bonus and an MLB minimum salary, I don’t know what to tell you.
Sasaki is a rare player who will use non-monetary reasons to pick his team. I’m sure the presence of other Japanese players on the roster would have helped, which is among the reasons why the Dodgers are the favorite, but really don’t think the Nats aren’t getting Sasaki because of lack of interest.
Pilchard, , while I agree with your comments, you are missing the point, which is that I read someplace that Rizzo flat out said they won’t commit $$$ to scouting and signing Asian league players.
So to not even start to create a pipeline, no matter how small, to this market like the Dodgers and Padres and other orgs. have means you will always be out of the running.
I could understand if all these signings over the years have been busts, but it’s actually been the opposite, so you would actually be getting a return on your investment unlike most IFA’s
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
A reminder that the Nats are one of I think 6 or 7 teams that still only fields one DSL team, meaning in comparison to the vast majority of the league we are committing considerably fewer resources to even our DR/Venezuelan scouting and player development ops.
On a side note, I can’t recall, have the Nationals EVER signed a player out of East Asia (posted or not)?
Meanwhile, since they signed Soto a decade ago, the Nats have basically been flushing money down the Latin drain. Garcia was a lot better in 2024, and Lara finally looked like the prospect he was thought to be, but that’s an extremely small return on all the investment. (And Ferrer might end up being decent in the ‘pen.)
Their return might not have been that great in the times before 2015, but at least they were finding guys who made the majors: Robles, Suero, Rey Lopez, Difo, Severino, Sanchez, Marmalejos, Gutierrez, Leon, Read.