The Washington Nationals bolstered their bench by signing Matt Adams. What does he bring to the team? A solid bat and insurance policy.
The Washington Nationals re-stocked their bench Wednesday signing first baseman Matt Adams from the Atlanta Braves.
Adams inherits Adam Lind’s role as Ryan Zimmerman’s backup and lead pinch-hitter against right-handed pitchers. The deal pays Adams $4 million for a year with $500 thousand in incentives. Washington saves roughly a half million from Lind’s 2018 unused contract.
Adams excelled with the Braves.
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When Freddie Freeman broke his wrist getting nailed by a pitch, the Braves grabbed him from the St. Louis Cardinals. He lost his starting job at first with St. Louis and took his frustrations out on National League East pitchers after the trade south.
With Lind on the market, Adams gives the Nats the power bat they needed. Last year, he smashed 19 for the Braves in 314 plate appearances. His 20 overall is a career high along with playing 131 games.
His numbers last year off the bench were good. Used 50 times as a pinch-hitter, Adams carried a .283/.320/.457 slash line. His .777 OPS translates to a 138 OPS+ with a pair of doubles and home runs. As a first baseman in 61 games, he smashed 15 homers while producing a .914 OPS.
He is a solid insurance policy.
It was surprising when the Nats declined Lind’s option. Even with Zimmerman healthy all year, Lind’s ability to hit for power in the clutch was one reason Washington won the NL East by a wide margin. Although repeating his success is never certain, having the team let him go scratched heads.
Adams brings those same intangibles back to Washington.
A strong right-handed bat, he gives opposition pitching something to think about on the mound. But, he is weak against lefties. In 63 plate appearances last year, Adams hit .180. Yes, there were three homers. But, 16 strike outs go with the total.
His play during Freeman’s absence should give you hope in case Zimmerman goes down for any length of time. The Cards gave him away and Adams reclaimed his value in Atlanta.
As with other deals struck by Mike Rizzo, this went from rumor to pending physical in two hours. With Adams moving north, a major hole in the Washington bench gets plugged before Christmas.
Next: Milone earns spring audition
If you want to compare the last two off-seasons, the Nats have reacted faster this year to perceived problems than before. That is never a bad thing.