Washington Nationals News: Free agents reportedly view Nats as ‘Toxic’
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily discusses Ken Rosenthal’s report that free agents view the Nationals as “toxic” and an update on the ongoing TV dispute with the Orioles.
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, Chris Lingebach of CBS discusses some interesting comments made by Ken Rosenthal during an MLB Network interview this morning. As Lingebach notes in his article, Rosenthal discussed the fact that several high-profile free agents have spurned the Nats this offseason and notes that some consider the team to be “toxic.”
The Nationals have pursued several high-profile free agents this offseason and have failed to sign most of them. Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Justin Upton, Darren O’Day and, most recently, Yoenis Cespedes have all turned down the Nationals this offseason.
Here’s part of what Rosenthal said on MLB Network:
"“But the other thing you hear rumbling about in the industry is that players don’t want to go to Washington,” he said. “They perceive that clubhouse to be a less than happy and harmonious place and they feel that it’s just not a great situation right now."
While each player likely had their own reasons for not signing with the Nationals, it’s concerning that players don’t feel like they would fit in the team’s clubhouse. Whether or not their inability to acquire big free agents will hurt them remains to be seen. Fortunately for the Nationals, there’s a simple way to change perception of the team: winning.
If the Nationals can overcome last year’s struggles and win in 2016, there’s little doubt that players would be more eager to play for one of the more talented franchises in the game.
Also in today’s Daily, Federal Baseball’s Patrick Reddington discusses the latest developments in the ongoing TV rights dispute between the Nationals and the Orioles.
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.
Ken Rosenthal Says Free Agents View Nationals as ‘Toxic’
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals have missed out on a number of high-dollar free agents, based on reports throughout the offseason, Yoenis Cespedes being only the latest.
That long list of players to spurn the Nationals and sign elsewhere includes: Jason Heyward (Cubs), Ben Zobrist (Cubs), Cespedes (Mets), Justin Upton (Tigers), Darren O’Day (Orioles), Mike Leake (Cardinals).
Both Heyward and Zobrist took less money than the Nationals offered to play for the Cubs. According to James Wagner of The Post, the Nationals were never really close in the Zobrist sweepstakes because he “didn’t feel as comfortable in the Nationals clubhouse.” Read full article here.
Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles’ “escalating war” over TV money
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
While you were waiting for the Yoenis Cespedes saga to play out [ed. note – “Spoiler Alert: He returned to the New York Mets on a three-year deal.”] and watching the snow pile up this weekend [ed. note – “We ended up getting 23 inches at the Federal Baseball headquarters.”] another chapter in the Washington Nationals/MLB vs Baltimore Orioles/MASN courtroom drama was playing out, relatively unnoticed. [ed. note – “If you’re not familiar with the backstory, sorry, but we have zero interest in rehashing all that years-long nonsense, so you can catch up here, here and here and here and etc.”]
The short-as-possible recap, as provided by Hollywood Reporter writer Eriq Gardner in an article on Friday: When the Montreal Expos (then owned by MLB) were looking to relocate to the nation’s capital in 2004/2005, Baltimore Orioles’ owner Peter Angelos objected, arguing that a team in D.C. would pull fans and television viewers from the O’s fan base. Read full article here.