Oct 12, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche (25) in the dugout prior to game five of the 2012 NLDS at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, LaRoche has accepted a two-year offer from the Washington Nationals. LaRoche had been holding out for a three-year deal, but was unable to find one.

LaRoche, 33, turned in a career-year in 2012 for the NL East champs, slugging 33 home runs and winding up matching a career-high with and even 100 runs batted in. He had drawn at least mild interest from a handful of clubs, but was never seriously linked to a club other than the Nationals. LaRoche’s free agency was hampered by being tied to draft pick compensation, resulting in a market where clubs were reluctant to part with a top draft choice, and the accompanying slot value, in order to land an elite defensive fiorst baseman who also produces runs in the heart of the order.

With LaRoche returning to the Nationals, Mike Morse suddenly becomes expendable. The Nationals added Denard Span to play center field via trade earlier in the off-season, which will shift Bryce Harper to left field. Morse was penciled in as the first baseman while LaRoche was on the open market. With LaRoche returning, Morse becomes a hitter with no place to play.

Just a year removed from a 30+ home run campaign, look for Morse to draw heavy interest on the trade market. Expect Seattle, Morse’s old club, to be involved.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

LaRoche has more leverage now than he ever has because of a very good 2012 season. Worth a career-best 3.8 WAR per FanGraphs, LaRoche hit .271/.343/.510 with a career-high 33 home runs last season. UZR also rates LaRoche highly with the glove and has done so consistently for the past several seasons, so his home run power isn’t the only attribute that makes him an attractive option at first base for teams with an opening.

LaRoche has publicly said recently that he wants to pursue a three-year contract with his next team, but it is not yet known whether or not there are any teams in on the bidding that are willing to commit to him for that long. The Red Sox are known to be Washington’s chief competition when it comes to landing LaRoche, and if Ben Cherington’s team offers a third year, they may wind up the winner in this sweepstakes.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

LaRoche played six games for the Red Sox in 2009. Image: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Boston has had an agreement in place with fellow free agent Mike Napoli since early this month, but the deal has yet to be made official due to a hip condition discovered during Napoli’s physical. LaRoche would be an alternative to completing the deal with Napoli, which the Red Sox could simply walk away from at any point.

LaRoche is dead set on landing a three-year contract coming off the best season of his nine-year MLB career. LaRoche set personal bests with 33 home runs, 100 RBI, and 291 total bases in 2012 while winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award and finishing sixth in the National League MVP balloting.

The Washington Nationals have maintained a desire to bring LaRoche back on a new contract and they did extend to him a one-year qualifying offer, which LaRoche declined. Should he sign elsewhere, the Nationals would be entitled to draft pick compensation. Because of Boston’s poor record last season, their first-round pick is protected, meaning they would only have to surrender their second-round choice if they were to sign LaRoche.

That LaRoche remains unsigned despite the mutual interest between he and the Nationals is an indicator that contract length is non-negotiable for the first baseman. Washington has reportedly been unwilling to go beyond two years for LaRoche and are prepared to go with Mike Morse at first base should LaRoche walk. Morse would be traded if LaRoche re-signed in the nation’s capital.

LaRoche has already practiced the celebration that will come with a new contract. Image: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend and plenty of holes to fill, including at first base where James Loney is expected to depart via free agency. LaRoche is an excellent defender and his left handed bat would play well in Boston, or really most anywhere for that matter, especially if he’s planning on hitting like he did last season. In 2012, LaRoche posted career-highs in games played, home runs and RBI. He’s reached 100 RBI twice in the past three seasons.

Texas has been connected to a few different hitters already this off-season as they prepare for the very real possibility of building a lineup without Josh Hamilton in the middle. They could afford to carry the duo of Mitch Moreland and Michael Young at first base when their lineup included Hamilton in the middle, but if he were to leave, Texas would benefit from an upgrade at the position.

In other words, get used to seeing Boston and Texas listed among interested parties for any significant bat. Both have plenty of money to spend and both will be aggressive in trying to stay competitive after disappointing finishes to the 2012 season.

Don’t expect that just because Boston and Texas are involved that LaRoche is a sure thing to leave DC, however. The Nationals have plenty of money to spend as well and they are said to be aggressive in their attempts to retain their slugging first baseman. A young and upcoming team like that would be a difficult one to walk away from, especially if the money is close. And I expect it will be.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

LaRoche, who will turn 33 before Opening Day in 2013, is coming off a nice season in which he led all qualifying players on the team in home runs (33), runs batted in (100), and OPS (.853). Per FanGraphs data, the first baseman contributed nearly 3.8 WAR to the Nationals as well, a total that made him the fifth most valuable position player on the roster.

Even when compared to other first basemen — usually the premium power position on the diamond — around the league, LaRoche’s season stacks up nicely. The average first baseman posted a .331 wOBA and 107 wRC+ in 2012, numbers LaRoche topped handily (.361, 127). These numbers are hardly the norm for his career as a whole, however; the former 29th round draft pick has a .350 wOBA, 112 wRC+, and has only been worth 13.2 WAR overall, nearly a third of which came in 2012 alone. Add in the fact that this was a down year for first basemen production wise, and normally a player with LaRoche’s offensive skill set would actually be a liability at the position.

Given his age — he isn’t at an age where a jump in production is likely — and performance history, the Nationals may want to reconsider this long-term contract and see about simply exercising that $10 million one-year option instead. LaRoche is a fine short-term solution for a team without a better option at first, but viewing him as anything more than that is risky.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

If the Nationals have been riding the coattails of their pitchers all season long, won’t their offense need to step up if they are to make the postseason and make a deep run through the postseason without Strasburg?  Well, let’s take a step back and look closer at the offense.  It’s a lot better than you might think.

The Nationals rank sixth in the National League in runs-scored this season, fifth in home runs, sixth in OPS, and third in total bases.  I think just about any fan with a dominant pitching staff will take those offensive rankings as a compliment to the pitching.  Listen folks, this is a good team.  Period.  But I’ll give you the numbers anyway.

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Just take my word, or read the words of others, that more unique teams make the postseason each year in baseball than any of the other major sports.  And this season is proving no different if we look at the standings as they are coming into play today.

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Daisuke Matsuzaka made his season debut for the Boston Red Sox and ended up faring out OK. He struck out eight batters in five innings but also allowed four runs on just five hits and a walk. The Nats received a three-hit performance in 6.1 innings from Gio Gonzalez, as well as Adam LaRoche‘s tenth homer and 40th RBI of the year.

May 8, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka (18) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Orioles 6, Phillies 4

The Baltimore Orioles topped the Philadelphia Phillies in 12 innings thanks to a walk-off home run from Adam Jones. Hunter Pence was terrific in a 4-5 day for the Phils.

Twins 11, Cubs 3

Joe Mauer went 3-4 with two RBIs in his return, and Trevor Plouffe smashed a home run and a double to help the Minnesota Twins shellack Jeff Samardzija in a start he will want to forget as quickly as possible. Scott Diamond tossed six scoreless innings for the Twins, and only Alfonso Soriano hit a home run for the Cubs.

Braves 5, Blue Jays 2

Braves starter Tommy Hanson was dealing in eight innings of two-run ball with just five hits allowed. The Braves got a homer and three RBIs out of Dan Uggla, as well as three hits and his 16th steal of the year from lead-off man Michael Bourn.

Giants 5, Rangers 2

Despite pitching well and getting seven punchouts, Scott Feldman remains winless and lost his fifth game of the season. Part of that is because Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong was immaculate in 7.2 innings with just three hits and one run allowed. Nate Schierholtz led the way with a double and his fourth triple of the year for San Francisco.

White Sox 10, Astros 1

The Houston Astros were destroyed by the Chicago White Sox, as the offense backed up another fantastic start from Chris Sale. The converted reliever tossed eight scoreless, walk-less innings with seven punchouts and just four hits allowed. Alejandro De Aza had four hits, Adam Dunn homered and drove in five runs, and Gordon Beckham had three hits and three steaks to lead the way for Chicago.

Padres 5, Brewers 2

Chase Headley had three hits and Ross Ohlendorf recorded the win for the 20-40 San Diego Padres who are probably the worst team in baseball.

Tigers 3, Reds 2

Although Bronson Arroyo outdueled Justin Verlander, Sean Marshall gave up a crucial eight inning single to Prince Fielder that would win the game for Detroit.

Angels 11, Rockies 5

Although both pitchers were poor, Dan Haren didn’t have the nightmare outing that Rockies starter Jeff Francis did. He allowed ten hits and eight runs in 3.1 innings, with Torii Hunter and Mike Trout having big days at the top of the L.A. order with three hits and three runs each. Albert Pujols homered and drove in four runs to continue his resurgence. Not only that, but Albert Callaspo had three hits and two walks, and Howie Kendrick also recorded three hits for the victors.

Yankees 4, Mets 2

The New York Yankees got another Subway Series victory over their crosstown rivals, even though Dillon Gee and Phil Hughes were as decent as each other on the mound. The difference was Mark Teixeira, whose two-run shot to score Curtis Granderson in the sixth gave the Yanks a decisive 3-2 lead. Two innings later, Granderson would knock one out of the park himself to seal the deal.

Dodgers 8, Mariners 3

Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scintillating innings for the L.A. Dodgers with 12 strikeouts and just four hits allowed. Jerry Hairston Jr. was a huge force for L.A. with three hits, two runs, five RBIs, a home run, and two doubles.

Pirates 5, Royals 3

Chalk that up as another save for Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, who now has 17 saves on the year after tossing a scoreless ninth to help the Pirates defeat the Kansas City Royals.

Cardinals 2, Indians 0

Justin Masterson did not deserve to lose his sixth game of the season after pitching seven great innings for the Cleveland Indians, but that’s how baseball works and it’s why wins aren’t a good stat at evaluating pitchers. It always stinks to have your starter at his best and still coming up short and not being able to win the game. That’s how the Indians felt, but it wasn’t how the Cardinals felt after a terrific 7.2 innings performance from starter Kyle Lohse. He allowed just three hits, two walks, and no runs with Michael Brantley getting two of those hits.

Rays 13, Marlins 4

In this Sunshine State battle, the Tampa Bay Rays shelled Carlos Zambrano (lasted just 2.1 innings) and the Miami Marlins while getting six productive innings out of Matt Moore. The Rays offense was led by Ben Zobrist, who had three hits, four runs, and four steaks. Elliot Johnson had four hits and three RBIs hitting behind Zobrist and playing shortstop, and Jose Molina also drove in three. Molina would end up with a double, while Zobrist mashed two dingers.

Diamondbacks 8, Athletics 3

Trevor Cahill and Jarrod Parker were two major pieces traded between both teams in the offseason, and Cahill was the dominant pitcher in this game. Parker was poor, but Cahill tossed 7.1 solid innings with seven Ks and just two runs allowed. The D’Backs received two doubles from infielder Aaron Hill, three hits from offseason signing Jason Kubel, and a monstrous 458-foot grand slam from recently extended star catcher Miguel Montero.

May 1, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche (25) during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:

LaRoche suffered an oblique injury a few days ago, and he is expected to be back in the Nationals line-up on Tuesday. The 32-year-old has been replaced by Chad Tracy at first, with Jayson Werth hitting in the clean-up spot in his absence. Tracy has been poor in limited action this season and is coming off of three terrible seasons that came after a 1 WAR year in 2007.

Before that, Tracy was a league-average player in 2006 and was even worth 4.3 WAR in 2005 after a 1.7 WAR rookie year. He had a good game against the Phillies and will hope to prove something in LaRoche’s absence.

So far this season, Adam LaRoche has been worth 1 WAR with a .392 OBP, 17 RBIs, and a .200 ISO. His oblique injury should be behind hi when he takes the field on Tuesday, and he should be able to continue his great start to the season. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, LaRoche hit exactly 25 homers in each year. He is currently on pace for about 24, and his updated ZiPS projection has him at 17 (pre-season projected home run total of 13).

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Follow Joe Soriano on Twitter here. Catch up on everything about the Washington Nationals at District on Deck.

Young phenom Bryce Harper will become one of the best hitters in baseball in the future, and he did not disappoint in his debut. Harper hit an RBI double in the ninth to score in Rick Ankiel and give the Nats a 2-1 lead. By the time the bottom of the ninth came around, Washington was up 3-1. However, the Dodgers put up two runs in the bottom of the final frame to tie it up 3-3 in the action-packed late innings. Juan Uribe hit a ground-rule double and scored on a wild pitch to be the hero in the ninth, but the hero in the tenth was superstar Matt Kemp who hit a 429 foot homer, his 11th of the year, to win the game for the Dodgers.

Pitcher Stephen Strasburg is the pitching equivalent of Harper, and he pitched a strong seven innings, allowing five hits and a run without a walk and striking out nine. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley also delivered in seven innings, and he also allowed just five hits and a run. However, he struck out “just” six batters and allowed two walks.

Much like Harper, Strasburg also hit the first double of his career off of Billingsley. Adam LaRoche homered for the fourth time this season, 17 RBIs, and Matt Kemp stole 2nd base when Tyler Clippard was pitching.

Apr 28, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp (27) hits a walk off home run during the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Angels 2, Indians 1

Howie Kendrick went 1-3 with a walk and a run for the Angels, as he was the man who scored on Kendrys Morales‘s bloop single in the first to draw first blood for the Angels. Dan Haren tossed eight innings of four-hit ball and allowed just one run and two walks with seven strikeouts. Scott Downs saved his first game of the season while stepping in for the benched Jordan Walden.

Cardinals 7, Brewers 3

The St. Louis Cardinals always bring their best offensively against one of their rivals in the NL Central, and Yadier Molina provided the merciless barrage of hits. He went 4-4 with his fourth homer of the year, scored twice, and he drove in two runs. Jon Jay went 3-4, David Freese went yard for the fifth time in 2012, and Skip Schumaker got into the act with a two-RBI double in the eighth.

For the Brewers, Aramis Ramirez had two hits and two runs, with one of those hits being a solo shot to center in the fourth.

Tigers 7, Yankees 5

The Detroit Tigers edged out the New York Yankes, as Drew Smyly held the Bombers to just two hits and one run in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Jose Valverde pitched the final frame for the Tigers and gave up three runs, as Curtis Granderson drove in a run and scored against his former team to try and form a late rally for the Yanks.

LF Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera both homered and drove in three runs, with Dirks hitting his first homer of the year and Cabrera driving in his 19th run. Nick Swisher and Granderson led the way for the Yankees, with Swisher homering twice- including a shot in the ninth.

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 0

The Toronto Blue Jays absolutely shut down the Seattle Mariners, and Brandon Morrow led the way on the mound by allowing just five hits and no walks in six scoreless innings. The strikeout artist sent down nine M’s hitters on strikes, and Jason Frasor and Darren Oliver followed him by notching holds.

Two Mariners hitters, including Ichiro, had two hits, while the Blue Jays had three to accomplish that feat. One of them,designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion,  drove in five runs and homered for the sixth time this year. Jose Bautista scored twice, as the Jays overcame a decent start from Kevin Millwood to get four runs off of Hisashi Iwakuma.

Reds 6, Astros 0

Cincinnati Reds starter Johnny Cueto is now 3-0 after tossing seven scoreless and allowing just five hits and a walk against the Houston Astros. Opposing starter Lucas Harrell gave up nine hits and five earned runs, with Jay Bruce doubling and hitting a homer to lead the way for the Reds (four RBIs).

Orioles 10, Athletics 1

The Baltimore Orioles put up runs at no end, with star CF Adam Jones scoring three times and notching three hits in this ballgame. Chris Davis had three hits, two runs, and four RBIs as he crushed a 411 foot homer to right in the seventh. A’s starter Tyson Ross was helpless, as he allowed 11 hits and nine runs in four innings. Meanwhile, Wei-Yin Chen allowed just one run in seven innings for the O’s to move his record up to 2-0 on the season.

Phillies 5, Cubs 2

Carlos Ruiz went 2-4 with two runs and three RBIs, and he hit a homer to left field in the sixth inning to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. Joe Blanton put up a solid starter, and Jonathan Papelbon finished it out by pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to record his seventh save of the year. 1B Bryan LaHair‘s double was the only extra-base hit for the Cubs.

Red Sox 1, White Sox 0

In this terrific pitching duel, it was Jon Lester who emerged victorious despite Jake Peavy pitching better. Peavy has three wins this year, and this first loss of the season was a complete game for a Game Score of 81. He allowed just four hits, one run, and one walk while striking out seven. Lester was also great, as he had a Game Score of 73 and pitched seven scoreless frames. He allowed five hits and walk, and he also struck out seven batters.

Alfredo Aceves finished the game for Boston by pitching a perfect ninth and notching his fifth save of the year, but it did take him 20 pitches (14 strikes) to finish Chicago off.  Paul Konerko was everything for the Sox offensively, as usual, and he went 2-3 with two doubles. Ryan Sweeney scored the only run of the game and led the way for the Red Sox with two hits (one double). It was Adrian Gonzalez who singled in the fourth to drive in Sweeney.

Pirates 4, Braves 2

Erik Bedard allowed just one run and struck out nine in five innings, and he received some run support for the first time en route to his first win of the year. Joel Hanrahan pitched a perfect ninth (finally) and struck out two in that inning for the save. The Pirates torched young Braves starter Randall Delgado by getting eight hits, four runs, and three walks off of him.

Left fielder Alex Presley had another solid game at the top of the order and went 2-5 with two runs and a double, and Pedro Alvarez doubled twice to pace the Pirates offensive attack. Neil Walker also had two hits and a double, as did Braves LF Martin Prado. Michael Bourn also notched two hits at the top of the order, so the table setters in the Braves order once again had two hits apiece.

Marlins 3, Diamondbacks 2

Anibal Sanchez was terrific in seven innings, as he allowed just three hits and two runs. He did walk four, but Sanchez also struck out 14 batters and is always a threat to have a memorable performance on the mound.

Rangers 7, Rays 2

Jeff Niemann paid the price for being average against the Rangers, as he is now 1-3 on the season. However, it was Burke Badenhop who gave up the four runs and three hits in an inning to Texas and struggled in this one. Colby Lewis is now 3-0 on the year after allowing just three hits and a run in six innings.

Evan Longoria went 2-4 with a double, and Matt Joyce homered for the fifth time this year in the second inning. Ian Kinsler scored twice, Josh Hamilton went 2-3 with two run and two RBIs, Adrian Beltre went 2-3 with three RBIs and a homer, and No. 9 hitter and 1B Mitch Moreland had two hits and a double for the Rangers.

Mets 7, Rockies 5

After an 18-9 loss, the New York Mets got their revenge in a high-scoring game, but definitely not as high-scoring as yesterday’s game. The No. 2, 3, and 4 hitters on the Mets (Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, and David Wright) all had two hits, with Wright scoring twice and driving in two runs. Lucas Duda went 2-4 with four RBIs and hit a 422 foot homer off of Guillermo Moscoso (still never get that trade) in the second.

Dillon Gee struck out seven in seven innings to record the win for the Mets, Tim Byrdak pitched another strong eighth inning, and Frank Francisco nabbed his fifth save of the year despite allowing a run. Rockies starter Moscoso was rocky in five innings and allowed nine hits and six runs for a Game Score of 29.

Giants 2, Padres 1

Melky Cabrera went 2-4 with two doubles, and Brandon Belt hit a double in the seventh to basically win the game for the Giants. Before that two-bagger, San Diego was winning 1-0, but Belt’s two-RBI knock gave the Giants a 2-1 lead that would not be relinquished.

Anthony Bass, much like Jake Peavy, was charged with the loss and is 1-3 on the year despite pitching a complete game. Bass allowed six hits, no walks, and two runs with eight strikeouts in a great performance. However, Tim Lincecum was even better in his eight innings and allowed no earned runs (one unearned) with four walks and three hits allowed. Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Be sure to check out all of Call to the Pen’s transaction breakdowns for the 2011-12 offseason. You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.

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