Sep 9, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman
Danny Espinosa(8) throws to first base during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Washington Nationals defeated against the Atlanta Braves 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Nationals made headlines the last couple of days for trading Tyler Clippard to the Athletics in exchange for shortstop Yunel Escobar, but that deal wasn’t the only thing on the team’s todo list this week.
More from Nationals News
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
Prior to Thursday, the Nationals had eight players eligible for arbitration with today’s deadline to exchange salary figures coming up fast. Last night, however, the team agreed to one-year deals with Wilson Ramos, Craig Stammen, Danny Espinosa, and Jose Lobaton to avoid arbitration.
Ramos’s deal, which we wrote about last night, is for $3.55 million. Stammen signed for $2.25 million, Espinosa signed for $1.8 million and Lobaton signed for $1.2 million.
Here are the deals as they were reported by Comcast Sportsnet’s Mark Zuckerman and Fox Sports’s Jon Morosi:
#Nats have avoided arbitration with Craig Stammen, agreeing to $2.25 million salary.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) January 16, 2015
Danny Espinosa settled for $1.8 million, avoiding arbitration with #Nats.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) January 16, 2015
Jose Lobaton agrees with #Nats at $1.2 million.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 16, 2015
Espinosa, 27, looked better with the bat last season than he did in 2013, but his dreadful .219 batting average was way below what the Nationals would like to see from him. With the Escobar deal filling the Nationals’ hole at second base, Espinosa will almost certainly be back on the bench in 2015.
Lobaton, 30, did a great job as the Nationals’ backup catcher in 2014 and developed a great relationship with the team’s starting pitchers. While Lobaton’s bat isn’t as powerful as Ramos’s, he’s still a critical part of the team since Ramos has proven to be injury-prone the last few years and regularly misses extended time on the disabled list.
More from District on Deck
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
Stammen, 30, is coming off yet another solid season in the Nationals’ bullpen, posting a 3.84 ERA in 49 relief appearances.
The right-hander has been a reliable presence in the Nationals’ bullpen for years, and could play an even more important role with the team in 2015. While Stammen has been almost exclusively a long reliever the last few years, he could have a chance to take over the eighth inning role, which used to belong to Clippard.
With four players down, the Nationals’ only remaining arbitration-eligible players are pitchers Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister, Jerry Blevins and Drew Storen.