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Strasburg another setback due to an "achy" neck. Can't see Max missing this much time for an achy neck. Appreciate all that Stras has done for the franchise, but seems like he's very comfortable collecting $35M a year to do nothing.
I'm going to mention 2 things here:
1) Scherzer's $215 million contract might be the single best contract in history. Jacob deGrom has the potential to match and exceed that, but Scherzer has earned every bit of that $215 million and quite possibly with how he's performed the last 7 years you can even say he was underpaid!
2) Strasburg and Patrick Corbin were both a huge part of the 2019 title winning team. Without 1 of them they might not win, without both of them they definitely aren't winning, so I'm forever grateful for the 2 of them for what they did in October of 2019...
....Now with part 2 mentioned, Corbin and Strasburg are probably 1 & 1A in "worst contracts in baseball today" and part of the 2020 & '21 Nationals are where they were. Way to much money tied up in now 2 mediocre, back of the rotation starting pitchers. That's why I'm not totally against trading Turner; he's going to get paid a lot of money really soon (and so is Soto a few years later) so if we can dump one of Corbin/Stras and the majority of the contract on the team acquiring Turner (like the Red Sox did with Price in the Betts deal to get him off the books, the Braves did with Upton in the Kimbrel swap in 2015) to at least free up a couple million dollars to at least give us some financial flexibility in the off season, then well that team can have Turner!
1) Scherzer's $215 million contract might be the single best contract in history. Jacob deGrom has the potential to match and exceed that, but Scherzer has earned every bit of that $215 million and quite possibly with how he's performed the last 7 years you can even say he was underpaid!
2) Strasburg and Patrick Corbin were both a huge part of the 2019 title winning team. Without 1 of them they might not win, without both of them they definitely aren't winning, so I'm forever grateful for the 2 of them for what they did in October of 2019...
....Now with part 2 mentioned, Corbin and Strasburg are probably 1 & 1A in "worst contracts in baseball today" and part of the 2020 & '21 Nationals are where they were. Way to much money tied up in now 2 mediocre, back of the rotation starting pitchers. That's why I'm not totally against trading Turner; he's going to get paid a lot of money really soon (and so is Soto a few years later) so if we can dump one of Corbin/Stras and the majority of the contract on the team acquiring Turner (like the Red Sox did with Price in the Betts deal to get him off the books, the Braves did with Upton in the Kimbrel swap in 2015) to at least free up a couple million dollars to at least give us some financial flexibility in the off season, then well that team can have Turner!
Corbin is miles worse than Strasburg. When healthy (infrequent) Strasburg is not back of the rotation. Corbin is a 4 in a good staff IMO. Turner is your most valuable chip, no doubt. Still a feeble chip as only on a one year deal.
I do not see Nats getting out of tied up payroll situation. It won a series for you in 2019, but 3 starters simply tie up too large a percentage of available payroll.
I do not think anyone accepts either pitcher for a rental Turner. (Unless you gave them a 72 hr sign Turner window to back out.). No one except LA can be sure of keeping Turner, if they so desired.
This weekend will about do it. With 10 games preceding the trade deadline against the Marlins, Orioles, and Phillies, I guess the eternal optomist, considering the sad state of affairs going on in the NL East that a 7-3/8-2 maybe (depending on how the Mets did) 6-4 in that 10 game stretch and you could hold out some semblence of hope for something to happen. But that got extinguished fairly quickly. After exploding for 18 runs in the series opener on Monday they preceded to score 15 total the rest of the week, splitting the final 2 games against the Marlins before heading up the Beltway to suffer a permanently damaging series sweep against the AL worst Orioles, with Brad Hand giving up 2 runs in the 9th to lose a game, really, the Nats didn't deserve to even win anyways, but they were 3 outs away from doing that. That's 8 back in the division now and 11 back in the Wildcard. We'll see if anyone gets traded this week; Hand and Daniel Hudson could definitely help a lot of teams (especially looking at that team that was just playing the Mets in Queens this weekend, the Jays pen has been a complete disaster), not sure any team really needs a catcher, but Yan Gomes could be a nice addition for an NL team to have off the bench and a solid backup should the #1 guy go down/or AL DH, Kyle Schwarber could do the same if he comes back healthy, and of course the elephant in the room, that Max Scherzer guy who I hear is pretty good. A whole lot of teams could use that,
I do think Scherzer goes, as the reason not to pitch him Saturday appeared to be an injury that would not take a little leaguer out of the rotation.
Hand & Hudson may also go.
I also agree Nats are toast, not due to amount of games back, but quantity of teams in front of them, plus their #1 asset of starting pitching is so banged up, it is a liability at this time.
And yes, Nats offense is less effective than Mets bench players were 1-2 months ago. I did think it could occur post Rendon, as going from 3 big hitters (Turner, Soto, Rendon) to 2 is, IMO, less than the critical mass required to generate runs.
Scherzer said he would waive his 10-5 rights so he's almost as good as gone. Luckily the players the Nats would've gotten back from the Astros for Harper in 2018 haven't panned out, but Rizzo can't afford to strike out again on an impending free agent. Sounds like the trade market for Trea Turner is heating up. I guess it makes some sense for teams to get a head on the SS musical chairs (Story, Baez, Seager, Correra), but I think it makes more sense to talk him in the winter once the SS game ends and you can get all 29 teams involved. I mean what contenders really even need a SS anyways?? The Reds (are they even contenders??) and maybe the Yankees?? The Mariners actually seem like the most sense, and since they'll still have him under control for next year, it wouldn't be completely horrible for them to push for a playoff spot after not making it for over 20 years. And don't laugh but currently they are closer to a playoff spot then the Yankees are. I'd imagine anyone else that needs a SS would just go for Story since Denver almost certainly needs to trade him since he is leaving. As I've said before I'm only trading Turner now under 2 scenario's:
A) Get back a big haul prospect wise.
B) Get some team to take on Corbin's contract.
Outside of the Mariners (whom I see Whit Merrifield from KC being a better fir for them anyways) I don't see anyone else giving up that big prospect haul because they can just wait for Story. And I don't think any team/GM/other executive is stupid enough to take back Corbin's contract just to acquire him, so I think he finishes out 2020 in Washington, but who knows?? I see people doing stupid things all the time now!
In game action from this evening: That's now 5 straight losses and 16 losses in 21 games so far this month. They've fallen in the division by a lot (just imagine if the Mets hadn't gone 3-4 against the Pirates and had gone instead 5-2??) but surprisingly have only dropped 2 games in the Wildcard, goes to show how bad the Padres have also been this month (9-11) but how good they were in April to June. Scherzer, Brad Hand, and Daniel Hudson will almost definitely and should be dealt; Yan Gomes and Kyle Schwarber are questionable. If they'll be back soon, and the teams don't mind waiting out the injuries I can see them leaving, especially Schwarber. I think everyone else stays.
Scherzer & Hand are your best chips, but the rental haul is not what it was a few years ago. I see more value to teams falling out of races in trading long-term committed players to clear roster salaries beyond 2021. No one sane would take Corbin unless like Robbie Cano, he was paired with a solid player desired by others , such as Turner.
The other way to trade him might be pair him with Max, on a 48 hour contingent deal based on new team extending Max.
Hudson has ok value. Gomes and Schwarber less so, latter because what will he be..a 4 week rental by time he is back?
Turner I agree. Max needs to go....at least one of the 2 needs to go in the next 36.5 hours. Same with preferably Hand and Hudson, no sense having decent relievers on a bad team. I mean, look what the Marlins got for basically 55 regular season games of Starling Marte (Jesus Luzardo), certainly Scherzer can at least match what Luzardo is (a good pitcher with high potential that is really struggling this year) and probably then some. Turner will certainly net more if they go that route.
To be fair, this was a really poorly constructed roster who have 2 very tradeable assests currently on IR (Schwerber and Gomes) a couple of decent relief arms that should bring back a lottery ticket (hand & Hudson) but really aside from those 4; Max, Turner & Soto really don't have anything else tradeable. I can see them holding onto one of Max/Turner (Turner probably moreso) but to not trade at least 1, and preferably Hand and Hudson would be negligent behavior!
Edit: Also, by the way Scherzer can't even receive a QO this off season because he's already received one after the 2014 season with the Tigers, so Rizzo can't even hold his hat on "well, we'll keep him because maybe the comp pick turns into another Jordan Zimmermann." They will get NOTHING absolutely NOTHING if he signs elsewhere in the winter. The only way you don't trade him is, and I've mentioned this before is if he comes up to you and says "I love it here, I want to resign here, but IF you trade me in season I will not resign here, I will not even negotiate with you." He's already OK'd a trade, and given his preferred teams. Rizzo better not $crew this up! And the fact today (Wednesday) went by with not a single Scherzer rumor has me very concerned.
The longer this goes on, the more and more I think he stays. I mean he did start game 1 today after all....if that happens Rizzo needs to be fired period or moved elsewhere in the organization. Less than 22 hours we’ll see what Rizzo has in store but I’m not going to hold my breath. Even Paddock (who has basically been a pitching machine for the Pads this year) would be an OK get back but I’m hoping for Abrams or Gore.
1) Scherzer's $215 million contract might be the single best contract in history. Jacob deGrom has the potential to match and exceed that, but Scherzer has earned every bit of that $215 million and quite possibly with how he's performed the last 7 years you can even say he was underpaid!
2) Strasburg and Patrick Corbin were both a huge part of the 2019 title winning team. Without 1 of them they might not win, without both of them they definitely aren't winning, so I'm forever grateful for the 2 of them for what they did in October of 2019...
....Now with part 2 mentioned, Corbin and Strasburg are probably 1 & 1A in "worst contracts in baseball today" and part of the 2020 & '21 Nationals are where they were. Way to much money tied up in now 2 mediocre, back of the rotation starting pitchers. That's why I'm not totally against trading Turner; he's going to get paid a lot of money really soon (and so is Soto a few years later) so if we can dump one of Corbin/Stras and the majority of the contract on the team acquiring Turner (like the Red Sox did with Price in the Betts deal to get him off the books, the Braves did with Upton in the Kimbrel swap in 2015) to at least free up a couple million dollars to at least give us some financial flexibility in the off season, then well that team can have Turner!
Valid points. Not wishing it, but I think Strasburg may be next David Wright, deemed unable to play, with an insurance buyout.
Corbin contract was luny from day 1, but w/o him, you have 0 championships.
If freed up money is not invested in keeping Soto a decade, the Nats have wasted the money. That should be job #1.
Scherzer and DeGrom have both been paid below market rates. JD is best in game now, but lacks Scherzer's longevity at being amongst "top of the heap". With Max, that predates the contract you mentioned. He is first ballot HOFer w/o any additional resume building required.
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