Washington Nationals: Nationals Should Sign Denard Span
The Washington Nationals should bring back outfielder Denard Span to add veteran leadership and a solid bat in the place of Michael A. Taylor.
The Washington Nationals are back on rumor mill this weekend.
On Saturday, MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman tweeted that the Nationals are likely to stay in-house when considering a replacement for injured outfielder Michael A. Taylor, likely a reference to Andrew Stevenson.
However, the second part of Heyman’s tweet said the Nats are considering other options, such as former National Denard Span and free agent Austin Jackson.
Bringing back Span on an inexpensive deal would be a slam dunk move for the Nationals.
Despite having gray hairs in his beard for a few years, Span is still extremely productive.
The 35-year-old posted a 112 wRC+ last season in his time with the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners.
In addition, Span stole nine bases, meaning he can be valuable as a pinch-runner in Taylor’s absence as well.
Overall, having another veteran in the clubhouse is a great thing. How incredible would it be for Juan Soto and Victor Robles to learn from Span’s expertise?
As a returning National, and a well-liked one at that, the fans would most likely welcome Span’s return to D.C.
One common theme of this offseason were fans clamoring for the team to sign Adam Jones to be the team’s fourth outfielder.
However, the difference between Jones and Span may be negligible.
THE BAT projection system on Fangraphs.com predicts both Jones and Span will bat a 100 wRC+ this season.
It tags Span with a .333 OBP and .398 SLG, and Jones with a .315 OBP and a .437 SLG.
Getting Span for a million dollars cheaper and having him come back to a familiar place might be the better solution.
dark. Next. Taylor Suffers Leg Injury
If there is mutual interest between Span and the Nationals, bringing #2 back to D.C. is a no-brainer move.