Top 25 MLB Free Agents
Anthony Rendon
Strasburg isn’t Washington’s only concern. Anthony Rendon (2) is also a free agent, and he’s coming off a post-season that did nothing to damage his marketability.
In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that if post-season play was considered, Rendon would be the likely NL MVP selection. His regular-season numbers alone may net him that award; he hit. 319 with 34 home runs, 44 doubles, 126 RBIs and a stunning 153 OPS+.
He batted .330 in the post-season with a .590 slugging average.
Is Rendon the best third baseman in baseball today? The case can be made. The presumptive gold standard is Colorado’s Nolan Arenado, a seven-time gold glover. But as he demonstrated in the World Series, Rendon is no defensive slouch himself. And with the bat, Rendon beat Arenado in all three slash line entries as well as OPS+ and WAR.
The rumor mill has Texas making a big push for Rendon. It’s always hard to know how much of that early talk is fact-based, and how much as raw speculation based on a team’s financial profile, needs and a player’s perceived geographical preferences.
But if the Nationals want to retain both Strasburg and Rendon – each of whom will certainly command long-term commitments – they run the risk of handcuffing their own fiscal flexibility for the foreseeable future.