Find Lots of Great Coverage Here

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Ears Open People - Big News Coming

I still have a source or two in this world and I'm told the Nats are about to make a very big splash in the free agent world. Very big splash. Losing Dunn? Mike Rizzo has to be grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

This one will be werth waiting for, I'm told. Not sure when it will become official and how much work remains to be done. Not 100 percent sure it will happen - but pretty darn close to that.

Other moves are in the works, too. A quiet offseason, at least in terms of good news, is about to get noisy. It could be a fun week.

If my favorite soon-to-be former Phillie does indeed end up in D.C., I may have to forget all about my promise to stay away. It will be werth it.

Ears open people.

(and if you are wondering how seriously to take this, ask yourself if you laughed when I wrote about the Willingham trade - of that I was rock-solid 100 percent certain. Here I'm only 99.999999999999 percent)

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uhmm, I'm not sure this would qualify as a big splash. Signing Crawford (who is only 28) or Cliff Lee would.

However, if you are going to sign someone over 30 it might as well be someone who is fairly athletic and has speed as Werth assuredly does in addition to his left handed bat. Much preferred to Carlos Pena.

The "big splash" will likely be in June when the Nats use those 4 picks from the first to the top of the second round.

Kevin Rusch, Section406 said...

Yeah, "big splash" that I care about is either Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford. Otherwise it's "Nats make do with "

Kevin Rusch, Section406 said...

oh, that looked like embedded HTML. What I meant was
"Nats make do with {stiffus ordinarius}" or <stiffus ordinarius>

MikeHarris said...

I love you guys and appreciate you reading - even the anonymous ones! I just beg to differ. I think Werth would be a big deal. Along with Lee and Crawford.

Other moves percolating, too, though none excite me as much as this one does.

I still wish they'd kept Dunn. I still may stick to my protest. But with Werth in the lineup? Doubtful.

I am curious about the cost. I don't know it, but I know the number isn't going to be small.

Anonymous said...

What position would Werth play with Harper coming up in the not too distant future?

MikeHarris said...

well, CF I hope. Didn't he play CF for the phils when Victorino was out?

Harper is not a sure thing for 2012 (though I bet it happens then). Or left, when they let Willingham walk. Is refusal to go more than one year with him a sign?

Maybe I'm too high on Werth, I'll admit that. I love the guy. You get a chance to get him, you get him and work out those other things later.

Anonymous said...

Signing Werth benefits the Nats two ways. It gets them a good player to build around, and it removes a guy from the opposition who has consistently killed them. (Kind of like the Willingham trade did.) So I'm all for it - even if it means the eventual loss of Willingham, a guy whose personalized jersey I bought last July.

I hope you're right on this one.

MikeHarris said...

I hope so, too! As noted in the post, I would have bet everything on my Willingham news two years ago.

This one, I'd hold a smidge in reserve if I bet. But not much.

BinM said...

Werth would be another RH bat in the WSH lineup. He's just another Bora$ client, who at 31 is looking for the "BIG" 5-6 year payoff. Sorry Mike, but he's not the droid you seek.

Anonymous said...

The Vice President assures me that this would, in fact, be, in his words, "A big [AB] deal."

Sec3MySofa said...

Now they need one more left-handed power bat, preferably someone who can play first...
And a center fielder who can lead off.
And two backup infielders, at least one a credible LH pinch-hitter.
And one legitimate ace starter.
And a bullpen arm or two (what, you think all those guys are gonna do THAT again?)
Assuming they don't trade Willingham for a bag of magic draftpick beans.

MikeHarris said...

Anon, can't tell if you are referring to the one I mention or the other (AB) one I heard - though not as strongly as the other.

Could be an interesting week.

Anonymous said...

Nice!

PB69

Anonymous said...

Nice!

PB69

Anonymous said...

Nice!
PB69

Anonymous said...

Crap, please delete the dups.

MikeHarris said...

Naw, it's that nice. and done

Anonymous said...

Nicely done, Mr. Harris.

Dave said...

Okay, Mike, you are now officially the man. I truly did not see that one coming.

Looks like it was a market-changer, as well. It does seem that the Lerners are not all that cheap after all, eh?

I will be eager to hear from FOTF on this (RZim).

Dave said...

And @BinM, he may have been looking or 5-6 years, but he got 7.

I am stunned and pleasantly surprised.

MikeHarris said...

I accept the kudos with grace and a smile (and a swelling head that has my wife and dogs fleeing the room).

But she agrees this may bring us back.

Balls move by Rizzo. Going to write more about that later. This is his legacy.

Anonymous said...

Big news to me. Great dig Mike. We miss you in Richmond!!

Rachel @ Nationals Fangirls said...

Nice scoop! This is good news, but I like hearing that you think there's more.

MikeHarris said...

Anon of 8:08 - I'm still in Richmond. But my sports heart is in D.C.

As for more, we'll know soon. I don't think the Nats are done making headlines this week.

As much as I like this one, I still don't want Pena at 1B. LaRoche. Morse. What are the Sox doing with Konerko?

BinM said...

OK Mike, you were right. I'll take my seat at the back of the short bus now.

MikeHarris said...

That's a crowded bus - I should know. Been on it for years.

NervousNatsFan said...

Ack. NEED to know who the secret shocker is. Any word on if/when it will happen?