Davey Johnson believes Adam LaRoche will play for Washington Nationals next year - MLB Update
Washington Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson thinks first baseman Adam LaRoche will not go anywhere else next year, even as the talks for his contract extension seems to be stuck in a deadlock.
He is of the view that soon the new agreement will possibly be announced.
LaRoche tested free agency after going through remarkable 2012 season with the Nationals.
He declined a qualifying offer from the club along with the rest of the players who were attempted to be stopped for going into the free agent market by their respective organisations.
So far he is unable to come to terms with any of the teams interested in his acquisition.
This is due to two reasons. One is his age and the other is three-year deal that he is asking for.
Most of the teams will be willing to sign him for two-years but beyond this he is considered an unsuitable option. The organisations do not want to overpay him by the time his decline starts.
There is no guarantee that he keeps his sublime form afloat for the next couple of seasons. The fact he was not up to the mark during the 2011 season gives another reason to the organisations to believe that he is not reliable.
As buyers from the market leave, he may eventually find the Nationals as the only remaining club to approach him.
Most probably, he will agree to a two-year contract that the Nationals are reportedly offering him in the negotiations.
Manager Johnson is totally in favour of the idea of retaining LaRoche by Washington for 2013 season campaign.
He is optimistic in this regard. His confidence related to LaRoche can give signals to the observers that some serious development has taken place in the Winter Meetings.
"Adam LaRoche is going to come back," the manager said. "I mean, if I have to go to Kansas and take him and all his cattle to Florida, I will."
General Manager of the Nationals, Mike Rizzo will be in the final stages of his negotiations with the agent of LaRoche.
Given the fact that talks are taking so much time to produce something concrete, it will be fascinating to see what comes out as the outcome eventually.
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