Washington Nationals Could Have Offseason Budget Constraints

Comments from Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo suggest the team may need to limit spending this offseason.

In recent years, the Washington Nationals have been a franchise not afraid to make big offseason free agent signings. Prior to the 2015 campaign, they inked starting pitcher Max Scherzer to a massive seven-year, $210 million contract. Last year they brought second baseman Daniel Murphy into the fold with a three-year, $37.5 million deal.

This approach has certainly paid dividends for the Nats on the field. Scherzer has remained one of the game’s best starters over the past two seasons, racking up 34 wins (20 this year) with a 2.88 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 6.22 K/BB in the nation’s capital. Murphy made a compelling MVP case in 2016, slashing .347/.390/.595 with 25 home runs, an NL-leading 47 doubles, and 104 RBI.

Meanwhile, as a unit, the Nationals have finished either first or second in the NL East each season since 2012 while averaging 92 wins per year. Unfortunately, advancing deep into the playoffs has proven more challenging, as the club has failed to move beyond the NLDS over that span.

If comments from general manager Mike Rizzo are to be believed, the team won’t necessarily let the dollars flow this offseason to help its cause in 2017. According to the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes, Rizzo admitted, “We don’t have a blank check.” As Janes notes, the organization’s ongoing dispute with MASN could have something to do with the tightening of purse-strings. The Nats claim that the regional sports network (co-owned with the Baltimore Orioles) has been withholding fees from the team.

Washington has attempted to save money in the short-term by deferring salary in contract offers. Scherzer’s deal, for instance, runs through 2021 but has money deferred all the way to 2028. This strategy may have cost the Nationals a shot at free agent Yoenis Cespedes last year, who reportedly turned down the club’s offer due to its deferred salary.

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If the Nats are indeed hamstrung by financial concerns this offseason, it will naturally make it difficult to check off some of the more important boxes on their offseason to-do list. Mark Melancon, acquired via trade during the season to be the team’s closer, is a free agent, and it would behoove the Nats to retain him. He won’t lack suitors, but if there’s a saving grace for Washington it’s that Melancon will likely come cheaper than fellow free agent closers Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen.

They will also have to figure out the catcher position, with Wilson Ramos, recovering from ACL surgery, hitting free agency as well. If the Nationals move Trea Turner to shortstop full-time, that could also open up a spot in the outfield where a name like Cespedes would be tempting. But the club’s apparent budgetary concerns and preference for deferred deals could nix that possibility once again.

That said, team executives often try to temper expectations at the beginning of the offseason, and Rizzo’s comments shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as a sign that the Nats are just going to sit on their hands. He hinted as much, saying, “I think we would probably have to make some maneuvers to get us in a payroll position where it’s more feasible for us. But we’ve always been given the resources here by ownership to field the best team we can put on the field.”

Next: Harper Will Be Back Strong in '17

Even if the Nationals don’t make any big splashes, they should still be in a good position to compete, especially with a full season of the aforementioned Turner, and also if Bryce Harper manages to bounce back from an underwhelming campaign.

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