Since the Nationals arrived in D.C. in 2005, the team has performed poorly and has failed to create a buzz throughout the District. Last season, the Nationals lost a league high of 102 games and finished an abysmal 32.5 games out of first place in the National League East. And oh yeah, the Nationals have finished in last place in the NL East in three of the last four seasons.
I know, those are some depressing statistics for Nats fans. But as we look forward to 2009, hope must be on the horizon, right?
Well, maybe. When you lose 102 games, you'd figure that there is no place to go but up. However, with these Nationals, I'm starting to suspect that the Nationals are still years away from seriously competing.
For starters, the Nationals have very little quality talent on their roster. Sure, they might have a franchise player in Ryan Zimmerman, a very good outfielder in Lastings Milledge, and a pretty good catcher in Jesus Flores, but outside of those three, the cupboard is pretty bare. The Nationals simply do not have any other players, who they can definitely build around in the future.
The rest of the Nationals roster is currently constructed with retreads, scrubs, young players, and question marks. There are very few guys on this roster who Nationals management should be in a hurry to sign to long-term extensions. You can make the case that outside of Zimmerman, the Nationals have no elite talent.
And as we know folks, you cannot win in the majors without great players.
So we have identified one problem with the Nationals: they have very little talent. So what can they do about it? Spend money!
Well, almost. The Nats tried!
Even after their horrific 2008 season, the Nationals have yet to sign any major free agents this off-season. And no, Daniel Cabrera does not count as a major signing. Considering how weak the current market is, I am stunned that the Nationals have been unable to sign anyone who can help this team long term.
However, I do have to give credit where credit is due. The Nationals did make a big push to sign free agent 1B Mark Teixeira and even offered him what would have been the largest contract in Nationals history at nine years/$180 million dollars. Even though the Nationals offered Teixeira the most money, he ultimately decided to sign with the Yankees because they gave him the best chance to win.
And that's where my kudos to the Nationals ends. Because maybe if the Nationals had actually spent some money on free agents and tried to develop a team that could win year in and year out, then they would not have lost out on Teixeira. From Teixeira's point of view, it's tough to justify signing with the Nationals when they have so little talent around him.
So what can we conclude about the Nationals? In the past, they have not spent the money needed to build a quality ball club. Because of this, the Nationals were unsuccessful in their attempt to sign one of the best players in baseball to a huge, lucrative contract.
That's an awful position for a franchise to be in. They want to move forward by adding great talent, but they will probably be unsuccessful because their roster sucks.
Until the Nationals are able to build their team from within, I think it will be very difficult for them to secure any top free agents. Unfortunately for baseball fans in D.C., the Nationals are not in any position to sign a major free agent to dramatically improve their team.
It's a cruel double-edged sword: the Nationals need to spend if they want to win, but no major free agent wants to come here.
And the problem starts at the top. Even though the Nationals play in a relatively large market, ownership has refused to spend what is needed to make the Nationals competitive. In 2008, the Nationals had only a $54 million dollar payroll, which ranked at the bottom of Major League Baseball.
You can reach this columnist at sports@theeagleonline.com.
