Washington Nationals inclined on spending for success – MLB News
After finishing the regular season on a strong note, the Washington Nationals are seriously considering to go on a spending spree during the off-season in a bid to bring silverware to the ballclub. However, spending on big names has rarely given success,
the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies being prime examples of the hazards of over-spending.
The Nationals recently signed Jayson Werth for a 126-million-dollar contract, giving rise to the speculation that they will either go the extra mile to attract one of the three free agents or spend more on the existing roster.
Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder have effectively become free agents and are waiting for offers from teams. While Reyes and Fielder are content on leaving their current teams, Pujols has asserted that he will want to stay with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Having said this, none of them is a need for Washington. On the other hand, the Nationals do not need a pitcher from outside the organization either and have enough depth to tackle even the strongest force on the circuit.
Stephen Strasburg made an impressive comeback for the Nationals in the depth of the season and Jordan Zimmermann impressed on the mound. Only if consistency is added to the bull-pen, the Nationals will have all ingredients necessary to remain competitive
in the Majors.
Werth’s contract, however, might hamper Washington’s success. Analysing the contract, a baseball executive said, “Do you know what this means? Once you start down that road, how many teams ever turn back? Now, they almost have to extend Ryan Zimmerman. What’s
that, $100 million? Then they have to put a team around them or none of it makes sense. They just crossed their Rubicon.”
Washington’s payroll has rallied around the 60-million-dollar mark since 2006, the 21st highest in the game. Out of 30 teams in MLB, 12 teams have payrolls more than a 100-million-dollar and the Nationals believe that their chance of improvement
rests on the amount they end up spending.
If the Nationals analyse, their NL East rivals Phillies have bought nothing but disappointment for 166-million-dollars and even a record-breaking 102 wins in the regular season now seem useless. If the Nationals groom their talent cost-effectively, it will
only be a matter of time before the team becomes a force to reckon. Patience is what the Nationals need to spend on.
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