Nationals Treasure: The Looming Anthony Rendon Situation

The Nationals can’t afford to lose Anthony Rendon after Bryce Harper left

When news broke that Bryce Harper (also a Boras client) rejected an absurd extension offer from the Washington Nationals before the offseason began, and accepted a lesser salary offer on a team within its own division, the franchise frankly had egg on its face.

To many, the perception was that they had just let their franchise player walk across the street to enemy lines and set up camp.  If the Nationals want to keep their fan base, then letting Rendon enter a market where at least one division rival could be looking for a third baseman (Think a little south, in Atlanta) could be a risky endeavor.  An extension to Rendon could be more of a PR move than anything, either as a key bat in a competitive lineup or as veteran leadership on a rebuilding club.

In Today’s Free Agency, Rendon isn’t a “Headline” type Player, and it could Cost Him

Over the past three years of Free Agency, teams have tightened up on spending big money on front end talent, and that has starved both the media and fans during the winter months that used to be filled with such tension and anticipation.

Last year being the most extreme example, where two players, (Manny Machado and Bryce Harper) created such a buzz that ultimately, it resulted in bidding wars among both players, where their hype exceeded the value of their WAR.  It became symbolic if a team signed a top end player, that this team was ready to compete, and recently, the personalities of the players themselves have needed to match the headlines they would garner.   Anthony Rendon?  Not that guy.  T

he truth is, that Rendon would be one of (if not, arguably THE) best player to hit free agency this coming offseason, and if you’re a GM looking to boost your franchise out of rebuilding mode and get the fans behind you, the last thing you want to hear is “WHO?”… It’s not fair, but hey, it’s the entertainment business right?