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Washington Nationals News: Nats fall short again as Jason Heyward chooses Cubs

By Pablo Roa

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Today’s District Daily discusses the Washington Nationals missing out on free agent outfielder Jason Heyward and more on Dusty Baker‘s controversial comments from last week.

Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.

In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses the most recent offseason frustration for the Nationals. As Janes writes in her article, the Nationals missed out on star free agent outfielder Jason Heyward, who agreed to an 8-year, $184 million deal with the Cubs today. The Nationals’ interest in Heyward was widely reported last night, with some reports suggesting that Washington may have made an offer in the $200 million-range.

It’s hard to judge a team for not signing a player whom nobody expected them to sign in the first place. Still, the fact that the Washington Nationals missed out on Heyward is frustrating for a team that has already had plenty of frustrations this offseason.

After missing out on Heyward and Ben Zobrist — both of whom chose the Cubs over the Nationals — the team must now look elsewhere to add a bat to their lineup. Some intriguing free agent options remain — including Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton and Chris Davis — but at this point there have not been credible reports that the Nationals are interested in any of them. Given their interest in Heyward, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Nationals go hard after the best bats remaining in the market.

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In any case, it’s been a frustrating offseason for the Nationals. The team has lost out on high-profile hitters in Heyward and Zobrist, and although they have made some key bullpen moves, the Nationals missed out on key target Darren O’Day and have yet to bolster the back-end of their bullpen.

Also in today’s Daily, the Post’s Thomas Boswell writes a hard-hitting column on why manager Dusty Baker let down the Nationals with his controversial domestic violence comments earlier this week.

Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.

Nationals whiff again as Jason Heyward chooses Cubs

(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)

Another star free agent told the Nationals “no thank you” Friday, as 26-year-old outfielder Jason Heyward chose the Cubs over the Nationals and Cardinals, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. CBS Sports reported that the Nationals, hunting left-handed power for their largely right-handed lineup, had legitimate interest in Heyward.

Heyward has as much star power as any player on this year’s position-playing free agent market, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner with speed and what many scouts believe is more power than he’s shown so far. Read full article here.

Dusty Baker lets down the Nationals with his words

(Thomas Boswell, Washington Post)

In baseball, few attributes are as hard to acquire — or as essential to defend — as a good reputation. Right now, the Washington Nationals and their new manager, Dusty Baker, must battle to maintain theirs.

This year has been a nightmare for the Nats. In January, Jayson Werth went to jail. In September, Jonathan Papelbon choked Bryce Harper in the dugout. Could it get worse? Oh, yes.

On Tuesday, Baker talked about domestic violence in tone-deaf and disturbingly backward ways that call his judgment into question — not his personal ethics, but his ability as the team’s most public face to represent the team wisely in a way appropriate to the times. Read full article here.

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