FanSided

Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon deserving of extension

By Drew Douglas |

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is open to a potential contract extension moving forward, something he absolutely deserves.

Some players, such as Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy, are true students of the game. Murphy spends countless hours studying hitting, and is constantly attempting to figure out how to get better.

However, Murphy’s teammate, Anthony Rendon, is not one of these “students of the game”. Rendon does not particularly enjoy baseball, other than playing it, and would rather mess around with teammates after the game than talk baseball.

So why would the Nats want to sign Rendon, who does not care much for baseball, to a long-term contract extension? Well, for starters, he is among the best and most well-rounded players in the league.

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In 2017, Rendon led the National League with his 6.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. However, he was not named an All-Star, and did not receive much national attention.

Perhaps, the reason for Rendon being so under-appreciated is the fact that he is not the best in any aspect of the game. However, he is very, very good at everything. Justin Turner hits more homers, Nolan Arenado makes flashier plays, and Jose Ramirez is a better baserunner, and that is only looking at third basemen.

While Rendon may be overshadowed by some of the other stars around the game, he is a rare five-tool player who does everything well.

Rendon is also just entering his prime. At 27 years old, he has amassed a career batting average of .280 and has steadily improved each year. He is also projected to have another great season in 2018.

According to the FanGraphs steamer, which is notoriously conservative, Rendon is projected to hit .283 with 22 homers, and be worth 4.8 WAR. The Nats would be thrilled with Rendon if these projections are accurate, yet he will likely outperform them.

So if the Nats did re-sign Rendon to a long-term contract, what might it look like? Throughout his career, he has typically been worth about five or six WAR per season, and the general consensus today is that one WAR is worth about $8 million, so he is worth somewhere between $40 and 50 million per season.

That may seem like way too much, but the Nats could likely lock him up for much less. Rendon does not enjoy the spotlight and prefers to fly under the radar, so he would hate the enormous expectations and attention that come with a massive contract.

Rendon also seems comfortable with the Nats, which makes sense considering most of his teammates wear shirts claiming him as their favorite player, so he probably wants to remain in DC. It’s no guarantee, but this could lead to the Nats getting a bit of a hometown discount in contract negotiations.

If Rendon signs a contract extension with the Nats, it may be for about six years and $120 million, which would be $20 million per season. While $20 million per season is by no means cheap, the Nats would be getting a bargain for their little-known superstar.

This contract would also allow the Nats to have additional money to spend. Whether they use that money to lock up some of Rendon’s teammates, such as Bryce Harper or Trea Turner, or acquire other complementary players, Mike Rizzo and company would have some additional spending money to put to use.

Next: Predicting the Nats' 2018 bench

Harper, Murphy, and Gio Gonzalez receive most of the attention as upcoming free agents since their contracts expire after 2018, but Rendon’s is expiring after 2019. Time is running out to get an extension in place, and the Nats need to at least begin negotiating a possible extension with their under-the-radar superstar.

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