Werth signs 7-year deal with Nationals
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Werth signs 7-year deal with Nationals
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
In the end, Jayson Werth took the money and the years. And a lot of each.
Werth signed a seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, worth a reported $126 million. It is a shocking twist of developments and a major coup for Werth and his agent, Scott Boras. The deal will accomplish exactly what Werth had wanted: His family is set for life.
And now, he will go to Washington as the face of the franchise and see the National League East rival Phillies 18 times a season.
"It is an elite player," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said at a news conference. "Elite players get a lot of money."
Washington signing Werth is somewhat of a blow to the Phillies because they will not receive a first-round pick as compensation even though Werth is a Type A free agent.
The Nationals have the sixth pick in the draft and the top 15 picks are protected by Major League Baseball from being moved as compensation. That means the Phillies will receive a second-round pick from Washington along with a compensatory pick in the sandwich round.
As officials from the Phillies and all around baseball convened to Florida for the annual winter meetings, it was a surprise beginning.
The Phillies, now, can officially move on from Werth -- something they were likely to face at some point during this off-season. It will be near impossible for the Phillies to replace Werth's production in rightfield, but they will search for possible platoon players, like Matt Diaz or Jeff Francoeur, to team up with Domonic Brown. That is, if Brown starts the season in the majors.
Much, much more to come. Now I'm getting on my flight to Orlando.
Comments (63)
In Werth's case, I suppose it really was just about the money. Armchair psychoanalysis: His wrist injury early in his career and the multiple misdiagnosis of the injury affected him. Now he has his long term contract and security. Too bad Washington won't win for 3-5 years; if ever. Could not dis-agree with Runningthebases more. The Phillies will retool and again make the post-season. Jayson, will be playing golf with Scottie B in October...not much else.— Nigel#1
You never know in baseball. I bet all of you thought the same thing when Rowand went to SF and look what happened. The dude got another ring. Granted, he was a non-factor this year with the Giants and his other ring was won with Chicago, but hey, who knows? If Strausburgh comes back from his injury the Nats could become a factor. It's obvious they're willing to throw some $$ at their problem and figure they'll eventually draw well if they put a good product on the field. Of course, two other clubs already failed in that market so maybe they're just chasing their tails.— Sam Crow- stupid rule! if a team signs a free agent they should have to give up the pick even if a top 15 pick.. MLB needs to change some rules such as guaranteed contracts.— bill poore
- Asking a question like, "did Werth make the right decision," is like asking the winner of the $250 million Powerball lottery if he's sure he picked the right numbers. I realize that money isn't everything, but Werth just joined the likes of Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg on a team that, with a few more acquisitions, could become a legitimate contender in a hurry. In doing so, Werth ensured a hefty payday for the rest of his major league career. So, the answer to the question is, "yes, Werth made the right decision." It would be interesting to know what other teams were planning to offer Werth in terms of money and years. I'm probably not alone in my assumption that the Nationals were the only team that would have made the kind of offer Werth received. Werth may have been able to get a Jason Bay type contract ($65 million for 4 years) from another team - even the Phils, but it's a stretch of the imagination to think another team would have matched Washington's offer. The real question here is not if Werth made the right decision, but if the Nationals, in their haste to become competitive and start filling their stadium, made the right decision. $17 million a year can still buy a lot of talent, and it remains to be seen if Werth will be able to live up to the Nationals' expectations for even a few of the next 7 years. As a Phillie, Werth sporadically displayed an unusual talent set that justifiably earned him the reputation of being a 5-tool player, but he did so surrounded by stars. It will be interesting to see if Werth can handle the pressure of being THE star on the Nationals, and not just another star as he was with the Phils. It will also be interesting to see if he can play next to the kind of unmotivated and undisciplined players that have called Washington home the past few seasons. If he can stay healthy and be both a star and a leader who other players will follow, the Nationals may one day say that they also made the right decision.
- rich729 wtf does obama have to do with anything other than your small rascist mind can't believe a black man could be president. but that is really irrelevant. werth would have had his family set for life wherever he signed. he went after the money and maybe to challenge himself into being a true #1 without the safety net of utley, rollins, howard, victorino etc. but I don't see him as a leader. he will be content to strikeout and walk back to the dugout with $126 million dollar smirk on his face. Nationals used to be my second favorite National league team as I have always had fun down there watching them lose to the phils but now they are dead to me, and JayDub too!— notch44
- @runningthe bases...I agree we need to trade Blanton and Ibanez to get Werth's replacement, but I'm afraid we might also have to include Zagurski in a deal like that.— dasher
Good for him. He got his insane pile of cash, like he always wanted. Now, the cold water in the face: he's stuck in Washington as The Man for the next 7 years, as untradeable as Alfonso Soriano and not really suited to the role of lead dog. The Nats will be crushed beneath that anchor of a contract for the next decade. We now have some payroll flexibility, a loaded pitching staff, and guys who play in October as a habit. He wasn't gonna get $18M/yr here, he's not gonna get a WS ring there. He'll just have to live with that. Now we can find a RH bat at a reasonable price, shore up the bullpen, and make plans to make another run in the fall.— Doctor D- 126 mil can buy a lot of pot. Enjoy your money, Jayson, and enjoy playing in front of all of those empty seats. There aren't many worse baseball towns than D.C. The Phillies will roll on without you.— phink
- As for me, I'm happy for him. He helped bring us a WFC in 2008, was a great hitter in postseason, rebuilt his career after a catastrophic injury. He did a great job for us, and got his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The downside is that we have to face him 18 times a year now. As for the Nats, yes, they overpaid, but now they have a very good core. Zimmerman, Strasburg, and that superstar kid coming up, (whatsisname) and some other good young pitching that will develop. They will contend in 2-3 years, and its clear the Nats are serious about building a winner. The irony is, that Phillies fans are PAYING FOR WERTH'S CONTRACT! All of those Nats Phillies games where our fans made the trips to DC and filled their park up, are going to be the revenue that pays his salary. Chew on that one.— laser5
- With all the needs the Nats have spending all that money on Jason seems wasteful! It says a lot about a player who goes to a team that has no chance to make it to the play offs. Enjoy your money Jason! Apparently "winning" is not part of your personality. (Sure I am jealous.)
- PLEASE NOOOOOOOO Matt Diaz or Jeff Francoeur! Are you kidding?! This is taking a step back into the Bill Giles way of running a team.
- In "The Hunt For Red October," Admiral Jim Greer, upon learning that the Russian submarine, Red October, had put out to sea, said to CIA analyst, Jack Ryan, "this isn't a research project any more." The same can be said to Ruben Amaro, Jr. as he departs for the winter meetings. It's official that Werth is moving to Washington, and puting together a "Werth-less" Phillie team is no longer a theoretical research project for Amaro. It is now a matter of necessity. The Phils have to replace Werth in the outfield, but they also have to find a leadoff man and pitching. Platooning some combination of Francisco, Mayberry and Diaz with Ibanez, Brown and Gload would address the outfield problem, but there's still the matter of acquiring a leadoff man. Acquiring Jose Reyes from the Mets for prospects would provide a reliable leadoff man / shortstop, as well as a successor to Jimmy Rollins who is getting older and more injury prone. Rollins, who is in the final year of his contract, could be traded for pitching. An alternative would be to acquire Ichiro Suzuki from Seattle. Ichiro, who is rumored to be available, would provide the Phils a future Hall of Fame right fielder who had over 200 hits again last season and won his 10th gold glove. He is an accomplished leadoff man who, at the age of 37 years, is still in exceptional shape. Ichiro would give the Phils an entirely different look and make Phillie fans forget about Jason Werth in a hurry. At the winter meetings, Amaro has to come up with a new leadoff man, a new outfielder, a new starting pitcher and a few new relief pitchers. Mr. Amaro, your time is now. The Phils need some immediate help, and this isn't a research project any more.
- THANKS Nats for being dumb!!!! You should be building. We now get TWO great DRAFT PICKS from a last place team!!! THANKS!!!!! Jason has a history of having a good eye and being patient at the plate. Good luck Jason! We can just pitch around you.
- Bryce Harper is the name if their "can't miss" prospect.
I agree that with some re-tooling, the Nats can be good in a couple of years. They really overpaid for Werth after they lost Dunn to the White Sox.— OBLawyer - Good luck Jayson.Thank you for a few wonderful years.
It is obvious he wanted money and security over another ring.
what a statement is made when a player of his talent is not wanted by a contending team ...— FatBoy90
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
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