Nationals: 3 former players Washington should avoid signing

Among the former Washington Nationals players on the free agent market, there are three the team should stray away from signing this year.

There are not many players who don the Washington Nationals uniform who I wish would leave and not return. Regardless of production. I get attached to players even when they are with the team for a short time.

For example, I was happy in 2018 when Tommy Milone returned to the club for the first time since being traded away in 2011. He only made five starts with the Nationals his rookie year, but I know exactly where I was when he  debuted in the majors.

Edwin Jackson was another guy who had multiple years between tours of duty with the Nationals and I enjoyed having him back in town, even if his 5.07 ERA was an eyesore in 2017.

Whether my feelings are driven by nostalgia, loyalty, or ignorance, I know I am a better fan than I would make general manager of the Nationals. If it were up to me Danny Espinosa would be signed to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training until he was 40.

There are several ex-Nationals on the free agent market right now and as much as it pains me, there are a handful the Nationals can’t consider bringing back. Even for old times’ sake.

Wilson Ramos

The best catcher in Washington Nationals history is now a free agent after spending the last two years with the New York Mets.

When Kurt Suzuki hit free agency in his own right, this opened up a possible return for Wilson Ramos. The Buffalo spent seven years in the District and established himself as an All-Star catcher (2016). That season he set career highs in many offensive categories and also earned a Silver Slugger Award.

Ramos torn his ACL in September of the 2016 season, putting a damper on the Nationals postseaon plans and sending Wilson into free agency a huge medical concern.

While Ramos can still produce (hit .288 in 141 games in 2019) he just turned 33 and has slowed greatly (he never was fleet of foot). Wherever he signs he will clog up the base paths and ground into a high number of double plays.

On the defensive side of things, Ramos throws out 27% of attempted base stealers for his career. He would be familiar with the some of the pitchers on the Nationals staff and fans would love to reminisce about the the prime years of Ramos’ career.

This reunion should not happen, though.

Daniel Murphy

How good was Daniel Murphy during his three years with the Washington Nationals? He was good.

In his All-Star campaign of 2016 he led the league in doubles and OPS while setting career highs in home runs and runs batted in. He hit .438 in the NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There was a slight drop-off in year two, though not by much. Murphy hit .322 and led the league in doubles again. He hit 23 homers, drove in 93 runs and scored 94 times.

A knee injury limited Murphy in the final year of his contract and he was only able to play in 56 games. Not knowing if they wanted to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, the Nationals ultimately sent Murph to the Chicago Cubs for a minor league infielder (who was later flipped in the Yan Gomes trade). In limited time and with a bad knee, Murphy still hit .300 during his time in Washington that year.

After his short stint with the Cubs, Murphy landed with the Colorado Rockies after signing a two-year deal in free agency. His first year he hit .279 (with half his games at Coors Field), the second lowest batting average of his career. This year he hit .236 with an OPS of .608, both career lows.

Injuries derailed his 2019 season, ineffectiveness sent him to the bench to end his 2020 season.

Daniel Murphy turns 36 in April. He’s a broken down second basemen turned first basemen. Appreciate what you did in the past, but there won’t be a future for you in Washington.