Mike Rizzo clarifies decision of non-tendering Tom Gorzelanny, Jesus Flores and John Lannan-MLB
Washington Nationals’ General Manager, Mike Rizzo has justified the position of the team over non-tendering their three players as the Friday deadline passed.
Rizzo is of the view that giving the amount of money to these arbitration-eligible players was against the interest of the team for various reasons.
Rizzo believes they may have served the club well but they did not fit in the needs of the team.
Providing example of Flores, he said his existence in the team was uncalled for owing to the availability of the likes of Ramos Wilson, Kurt Suzuki and some Minor Leaguers that are ready to make an impact in the Majors.
Similarly, the money that had to be paid to Lannan if tendered could be used to buy a free agent starter, which will provide the team another star along with Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez in the rotation.
Lannan does not reinforce the kind of reputation the pitching staff of the Nationals has built through impeccable shows during 2012 season.
This has shifted attention of the officials away from him in order to find someone who can be at par with the rest of the pitchers in the team.
Over and above, his performance in the last season when Stephen Strasburg was shut-down was not extraordinary, giving Washington another reason to turn a blind eye to him.
Gorzelanny is another non-tendered player. Unlike the above two players, he does fulfil the criteria of the Nationals but his price discouraged the team from pursuing him.
Rizzo has explained that though Gorzelanny was under the scan of officials but before Friday deadline it was difficult to make up the package deal for him. He has hinted that he might be bought from free agency by them.
“We feel there is a price point he makes sense for us,” Rizzo said. “He’s a valuable guy for us. We just couldn’t get anything done before the tender date.”
Talking about Flores, Rizzo was very clear in his message to the non-tendered catcher.
“With the addition of Suzuki and the emergence of Solano and Leon, we feel we’re very deep at that position,” Rizzo said.
The money saved from excluding these three players will be used for other purposes.
It will be exciting for the fans to see where they spend it and how the free agency market attracts them after an increase in their buying power.
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