We're baccckkkkk, which is good news or bad news depending on your point of view. My road trip is over, I'm back in the saddle and ready to roll. I'll have a post later this weekend filling you dear readers in on all the things I learned on my two-week-plus jaunt across the country (Wrigley is cool, deep stuff like that).
But first I wanted to chime in with this: Four more years, four more years! How tough is it to do a four-year, $60 million deal for Adam Dunn? Too high? Too long? Nonsense. It is a bargain compared to some other contracts out there and the Nats ought to get it Dunn (weak pun, used again, sorry).
I got some goose bumps last Saturday when Dunn got his standing ovation for his first at-bat after the trading deadline. Clearly I'm not the only one who wants Dunn around for a while. My only regret is I was not in the stadium that night to start a "FOUR MORE YEARS, FOUR MORE YEARS" chant every time he came to bat.
I managed to stay awake long enough to see him drive in six runs by the third inning, enough for John Lannan.
Why would you NOT want this guy on your team long term? Yeah, I know. He strikes out a lot (he hits it out a lot, too). Yeah, I know. He's not the Big Cat over there at first base. So shore up some other areas and live with that. You simply cannot take that big bat out of the lineup.
Before Dunn arrived, Manny Acta talked about needing that big bat. That big bat is named Adam Dunn. I know Ryan Zimmerman is the face of the franchise and Stephen Strasburg is Jee-SUS and the leader of a (so we're told) about-to-be awesome rotation. Lose Dunn and that doesn't matter. Too many resources (read - dollars) will be used trying to replace him (the answer is not in the system). Keep him and then go about figuring out an everyday second baseman, deciding if Mik, uh, Michael Morse can be the regular RF and the next Jayson Werth, figure out that rotation, etc.
With Dunn, I truly believe the Nats aren't that far away IF this rotation nonsense we're getting fed turns out to be true. Without Dunn, the Nats take one big step backward.
Is he Teixiera? No. He's also not looking for Teix money. This should be the biggest no brainer of them all and I think I may be more upset if Dunn isnt' signed than I will be when Bryce Harper doesn't get signed.
Seriously. Get this Dunn. NOW.
2 comments:
Mike: The 4/60M deal might not be enough at this stage; As a fan, I'd see a front-loaded 4yr/65-70M deal as a better guess. Taking the low-end of $65M, offer $18/18/16/13M.
Yes, Adam will be a 10-5 player in the last year of the contract, but if the Nationals aren't contending, he might be amenable to a move. The added benefit would be his salary decreasing when others are on the rise; That's a win-win, IMO.
One intangible the Nats desperately need is an IDENTITY. Zim gave them a little, Strasburg gives them a lot and Dunn completes the trifecta. You can't build a fanbase beyond the hardcore seamheads unless the causal fans know who you are.
I agree, this OUGHT TO BE a no brainer.
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