Washington Nationals News: Making Ben Zobrist Fit with the Nats
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily discusses what the Washington Nationals would have to do to sign Ben Zobrist and the aftermath of Jordan Zimmermann‘s departure.
Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Washington Nationals news and opinions with some great Nats articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, Joshua Sadlock of Baseball Essential discusses what the Nationals would need to do to potentially fit free agent Ben Zobrist into the roster. As Sadlock notes in his article, Zobrist appears to be a great fit for the Nationals, but the team doesn’t have a clear place to put him with Danny Espinosa, Yunel Escobar and Trea Turner already in the middle infield.
As Sadlock writes, one option for the Nationals would be to sign Zobrist and then trade Escobar. Escobar is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and could bring back a decent return in the trade market. Of course, for that to happen, the team would need to actually sign Zobrist.
The veteran infielder/outfielder has been in Nationals trade rumors for years, so we shouldn’t rush to conclusions now that Zobrist is once again rumored to be a Nationals target. Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see what the Nationals would do if they plan on signing Zobrist later this offseason.
More from District on Deck
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga discusses the fallout of former Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann signing with the Detroit Tigers.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth the read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Making Ben Zobrist Fit with the Nationals
(Joshua Sadlock, Baseball Essential)
For many reasons, Ben Zobrist is the perfect free-agent target for the Washington Nationals. He’s versatile, he gets on base, and perhaps most importantly, is a clubhouse leader. Zobrist does many things well as a player, but few things spectacularly. For an underachieving team that still has plenty of young talent, adding a player like Zobrist can be viewed as a better move than making a splashier signing with a player like Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes.
There’s just one problem — the Nationals don’t really have a place for Zobrist, barring a few moves.
At this point in his career, Zobrist is a second baseman or corner outfielder. He’s no longer rangy enough to play shortstop, and has played only eight career games at third base. Read full article here.
2015 MLB hot stove: The fallout of Jordan Zimmermann signing with the Tigers
(Barry Svrluga, Washington Post)
Jordan Zimmermann has never been much for drama, and his free agency – the biggest moment in any player’s career, given that it determines their lifestyle and their children’s lifestyle and their grandchildren’s lifestyle – was no different. The right-hander, a career Washington National, has reportedly agreed to a five-year, $110-million deal with the Detroit Tigers. Simple as that.
So it seems. Zimmermann’s signing affects four entities to different levels: Zimmermann himself, the Nationals, the Tigers and the pitching market in general. From least to most interesting: Read full article here.