Washington Nationals: Grading Mike Rizzo’s 10 best free agent signings

Ivan Rodriguez (2010-11)

Signing “Pudge” was Rizzo’s first notable move as the GM. The Nationals scooped up the 14-time All-Star on a bargain two-year, $6 million contract.

Not much was expected of Rodriguez, who had played on four teams over the previous two seasons, and posted a meager 80 OPS+. But, at 38 years old, he brought some much-needed leadership to a young and developing squad.

Key pieces Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Ian Desmond, Drew Storen, Wilson Ramos, and Danny Espinosa were all 25 or younger during Rodriguez’ two-year stint with the Nats.

Rodriguez finished his 21-year career with Washington, and batted .255/.291/.341 over 155 games. He ultimately ceded the starting role to Ramos, and did his job as the seat-warming mentor. Washington jumped from 59 wins in each of the two seasons before the Rodriguez signing, to 69 wins in 2010 and 80 victories in 2011.

Grade: B-

Matt Capps (2010)

Because relievers are inherently fungible, it is not uncommon for a bad team to snatch up a reliever on a cheap, short-term deal with the hopes of trading him for future pieces. Look at all the relievers who have already been signed to contracts this offseason. Philadelphia signed Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter to two-year deals; don’t be surprised if one or both of those arms is on the trading block this deadline or next.

Washington pulled a similar move with Capps prior to the 2010 season for one year worth $3.5 million. Ultimately, the Nationals reaped the benefits for the next half-decade.

Capps pitched shockingly well for the Nationals over the first-half of the season, posting a 2.74 ERA over 46 innings with 26 saves, en route to his first career All-Star appearance. Rizzo promptly flipped the 26-year-old closer to Minnesota for prospects Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa that July.

Capps pitched decently for the Twins over the next two-and-half seasons, but Rizzo earned the real prize with Ramos. Ramos battled through injuries and surreal kidnappings with Washington, and hit .268/.313/.430 over seven years. Ramos came into his own in 2016 with an .850 OPS, but tore his ACL in late September, and moved onto Tampa Bay in the offseason as a free agent.

Still, the Nats extracted an All-Star caliber catcher from a one and done signing of a reliever. Commend Rizzo for pulling off this signing and subsequent heist.

Grade: A+

Jayson Werth (2011-17)

Werth was Rizzo’s first foray into the deep end of the free agent pool. The Nationals inked Werth to a seven-year deal worth $126 million leading up to the 2011 season, the third-biggest contract ever handed out to a free-agent outfielder at the time.

The deal was widely panned from the start, and Rizzo was hit even harder as Werth struggled to produce in his first season with the team.

His .788 OPS in D.C. was nearly 100 points lower than his numbers across four seasons in Philadelphia. He never made an All-Star team with the Nats, and averaged 47 missed games per year.

Werth totaled 13.0 wins above replacement with Washington, good for 44th among qualified outfielders from 2011-17. It is true that you have to overpay for talent in baseball, but nearly $10 million per win over seven years is a severe miscalculation.

Still, Werth was generally a solid player for Washington. He posted a .263/.355/.433 slash line during his time, and earned MVP votes in both 2013 and ‘14. He was a fan favorite, a key cog in the transition from bottom-feeder to perennial contender, and a crucial leader for an organization that undergoes constant managerial turnover. Werth set the tone in D.C. and brought a level of professionalism to the Nationals.

This is a tricky deal to grade, but at least we’ll always have his walk-off blast in game four of the 2012 NLDS.

Grade: C

Adam LaRoche (2011-14)

Rizzo brought in smooth lefty LaRoche prior to the 2011 season on a two-year, $15 million contract.

After an injury-plagued season in his first year, LaRoche bounced back with a .271/.343/.510 slash line and career highs in home runs (33) and RBIs (100) as the Nationals made their first-ever postseason. LaRoche finished sixth in 2012 MVP voting and collected Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors.

After his monster year, Rizzo rewarded LaRoche with another two-year contract, this time worth $24 million. While he never reached his 2012 heights again, he still posted exceedingly solid numbers.

From 2012-14, LaRoche finished in the top 10 in games played, home runs, RBIs, runs, walk rate, and defensive runs saved among all qualified first baseman. That is excellent value for just $39 million across four seasons.

By comparison, LaRoche’s 112 OPS+ with Washington was one point higher than Eric Hosmer’s career mark in Kansas City, and Hosmer is currently looking for $150 million on the free agent market.

Grade: B+

Rafael Soriano (2013-14)

Three years ago, ESPN produced a ’30 for 30’ short documentary called “Untucked” on Marquette University’s classic basketball uniforms from the 1970’s. Well, I’m over here still waiting for my Rafael Soriano untucked doc. It would be 15 minutes of pure edge-of-the-seat agony, probably involving two walks, a hard lineout, and a long flyball to the warning track on his 27th pitch to record the save.

Rizzo signed Soriano to a two-year, $28 million deal before the 2013 season, and things quickly started to hit the fan. The Nationals acquired Soriano because they needed relief help, which was partially inspired by Drew Storen’s unforgettable meltdown in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS.

Soriano took over the closer role, and pitched well enough (though he did have a knack for making things interesting). Storen, meanwhile, imploded, and was sent to the minor leagues in July sitting on a 5.95 ERA.

Storen eventually returned to the majors, and pitched well, and took over the closer role again in 2014 when Soriano began to lose his way. But then, Storen blew Game 2 of the NLDS, and the rest is a Papelbon-induced history.

Soriano actually finished with decent enough numbers in his two seasons with the Nationals (3.15 ERA), but the number of headaches kills this grade.

Grade: D+

Max Scherzer (2015-present)

If Werth was Rizzo’s first foray into the deep end of free agency, the Scherzer signing was a full-on cannonball. Rizzo inked the right-hander to a seven-year, $210 million deal as Washington looked to find that missing piece to push them over the top in the October.

Scherzer has certainly done his part in his three years in town. Nats fans have been treated to two Cy Young awards and another top-five finish, two top-10 MVP campaigns, three All-Star nods, two strikeout titles, two no-hitters, and a 20 K performance.

From 2015-17, the 33-year-old ranks in the top three in innings, starts, wins, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and batting average against. His dominance on the mound, along with his phenomenal durability, makes him a surefire Hall of Famer. It also means he has a good chance of living up to his monstrous contract, which expires in 2021.

The one knock against Scherzer is that he has not put the Nationals over the top in the playoffs. His 3.72 postseason ERA with Washington is certainly below his standards, and the chaotic fifth inning in the Game 5 loss to Chicago did happen on his watch. But, the Nats’ playoff failures have been a team-wide issue, rather than just Scherzer’s fault.

Expect more greatness from Scherzer in 2018 and beyond as we watch perhaps the best Nationals player thus far.

Grade: A

Daniel Murphy (2016-present)

Fresh off Murphy’s ballistic display in the 2015 postseason, Washington signed the veteran second baseman to a $37.5 million deal over three years.

Murphy was a very competent player with New York from 2008-15. He was remarkably consistent and generally healthy en route to a 109 OPS+ over seven seasons. His defense was a question mark, but a mid-level deal was about right for Murphy. He seemed like just another guy to deepen an already solid lineup.

But apparently, his home run binge in the 2015 playoffs was no fluke. Murphy has dominated opposing pitchers over the past two seasons. Murphy owns a .956 OPS since 2016, tops among second basemen and sixth in baseball. After failing to crack 15 home runs once in his career, Murphy has piled up 48 dingers with the Nationals.

He finished second in the NL MVP voting in 2016 behind Kris Bryant, and earned All-Star honors and Silver Slugger awards in both seasons. He has become a true superstar.

Murphy is in the final year of his deal now, and underwent microfracture knee surgery this offseason. He was still on crutches at the team’s recent interview session, and his Opening Day status is up in the air. It is entirely possible Murphy will decline in 2018 (he turns 33 in April), but here’s to betting that he will hold down the middle of the lineup once healthy again.

Grade: A

Matt Wieters (2017-present)

The Nationals could not have had more disparate seasons behind the plate than their 2016 and ’17 versions.

In 2016, fan favorite Wilson Ramos cranked 22 homers with 80 RBIs en route to a career-best .850 OPS and a Silver Slugger award. Unfortunately, Ramos’ ACL tear knocked him out of the 2016 playoffs and most of the 2017 regular season.

Ramos declined the Nats offer last winter, forcing them into the free agent market. In February, Rizzo came away with former Orioles backstop Matt Wieters on a two-year, $20 million contract.

Wieters had been on a steady decline since his 2014 peak, but the hope was he could at least be around league-average in 2017. He was not.

Wieters was the worst catcher in baseball last year, and the only one to post a negative WAR (-0.2) with at least 400 plate appearances. The 31-year-old batted just .225/.288/.344, including a .196/.279/.292 performance after the All-Star break. He topped it all off with a disastrous playoff display where he finished 2-14 at the plate and provided a costly error in the field. Nats fans were ready with the pitchforks.

There are some options on the free agent market, but it seems like Wieters will receive the bulk of the plate appearances once again. It’s unlikely he’ll be any worse in 2018… but then again, you never know.

Grade: F

Adam Lind (2017)

Late in the free agency signing wave, the Nationals snatched up the lefty Lind on a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. Lind had popped 20 home runs in each of the two previous seasons, and figured to be a nice power option off the bench.

Lind was even better than imagined.  He slashed .303/.362/.513 in 301 plate appearances, and finished with 14 homers, 14 doubles, and 59 RBIs. Lind also came up clutch in late moments; he piled up a 1.040 OPS as a pinch hitter, second among big leaguers with at least 30 such opportunities. He even tacked on a pair of pinch-hit singles in NLDS.

Not only was Lind a big asset off the bench, he also soaked up innings around the diamond. He was a league-average defender splitting time in limited duty between first base and left field.

Lind turned down a mutual option for $5 million with the Nationals, but there is still a chance he could return. The Mets have been the team most commonly linked to the 34-year-old, but he will likely sign after bigger stars ink their deals.

Grade: A

Matt Albers (2017)

Looking for answers to their flawed bullpen, the Nationals signed Albers to a minor-league last winter. Albers did not yield a single run in Spring Training, but Washington still released him before the start of the season.

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Soon after though, Rizzo brought back Albers and promoted him to the majors. He took it from there, and posted by the far the best season of his career at 34 years old. Albers posted a 1.62 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP, and held opposing hitters to a .165 batting average. He was the one constant in the Nationals bullpen for the entire year. A top-10 reliever in WAR for just $1.5 million is a bargain, especially after the Nationals missed out on bigger contracts for splashier free agents (though Rizzo gets docked a bit for releasing Albers in the spring).

Apparently, Albers is expected to sign a two-year deal with a team next week, but it is not known which team. It is unclear if the Nationals are interested in retaining Albers, especially after locking in Brandon Kintzler alongside Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson.

Grade: A

Next: Could the Nats and Rays swing a trade?

Rizzo’s contract expires after the 2018 season, so he may not have too many more signings left in him. However, even if he does not sign another free agent with the Nats, he has certainly left his legacy.