Washington Nationals: 3 best current contracts, ranked
The Washington Nationals have managed to stay below the luxury tax threshold for a second straight year. Let’s take a look at their current payroll status and rank the best contracts of the 2020 team.
The Lerner Ownership Group first showed they would spend money as in the offseason of 2011 when they shelled out $126M over seven years for the services of Jayson Werth. This may not have been the best use of these funds, but it showed the Washington Nationals were willing to sit at the big boy table when it came to handing out large contracts.
General Manager Mike Rizzo was able to keep the Washington Nationals team payroll under the luxury tax threshold in 2019 while having enough talent to win the World Series. Rizzo has long been applauded for managing a budget while getting the most bang for his buck in trade value.
Where the occasional bad decision arises, like signing Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year deal with club option immediately following his Tommy John surgery, the bad contracts are few and far between.
The Nationals have $16M wiggle room going into this season allowing them to make some in-season transactions if necessary. They have allowed themselves this opportunity by having great contracts on the books.
Here are the THREE best contracts for the Washington Nationals this season.
3. Patrick Corbin 6-Years, $140M
General managers seek free agents in the offseason with one goal in mind, winning the World Series. Mike Rizzo accomplished that when he threw $140M at pitcher Patrick Corbin. Corbin became the left-handed compliment to Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and helped the Washington Nationals form a three-headed monster in the rotation.
In his first year with the team, Corbin matched a career high with 14 wins and finished in the top 10 in the league in hits allowed, strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, earned run average, and had a WAR of 5.6, sixth best amongst National League pitchers.
More importantly, Corbin was used on the mound during the playoffs as a reliever on days he didn’t start, bridging the gap from the other starting pitchers to the closer. He averaged 14 strikeouts per 9 innings and was one of the few arms manager Dave Martinez trusted out of the bullpen.
Rizzo accomplished his goal in the offseason by signing Corbin. His biggest competition was the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, and the extra year Rizzo was willing to give may have been the difference in landing the left hander.
This addition did well in paying for itself already and Corbin will be around for the next five years on a contract which is good for both team and player.
In the last year of his deal his yearly salary will jump to $35.4M, though if the Nats have added another World Series ring by then, no one will care.
2. Sean Doolittle 7 years, $22.5M
Sean Doolittle was a member of the Oakland A’s when he signed this team friendly contract. The Washington Nationals acquired him along with Ryan Madson in a trade that netted the A’s Jesus Luzardo, Sheldon Neuse and Blake Treinen.
Doolittle stepped right into the closer role for the Nationals in 2017 and has been the one to slam the door ever since. In three years with the team, he has converted 75 saves with a 2.87 earned run average. Doolittle was an All-Star in his second season with the team.
An injury late in the year last year slowed him a little and when he returned in the postseason he was sharing save opportunities with newly acquired Daniel Hudson. In three games in the World Series, Doolittle did not give up a run and earned one save.
Doolittle is scheduled to make $6.5M this year which is a good value for a closer. He had four less saves than Kenley Jansen last year and was paid $13M less. Doolittle is in the last year of his contract and will test his stock in the free agent market. The Nats may be inclined to let him walk, but surely got their money’s worth out of his original deal.
1. Max Scherzer 7 years, $191.4M
Max Scherzer was coming off back to back seasons of leading the American League in wins for the Detroit Tigers when he hit free agency in the offseason prior to 2015. He stayed on the open market until late January when the Washington Nationals surprisingly swooped in and signed him for 7 years, $210M.
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At the time, the contract was the largest given to a pitcher and has since been eclipsed multiple times. Half of Scherzer’s seven-year deal with the Nationals is deferred money, meaning he’ll receive $15M per year for 14 years. The Nats have long been fans of deferred payments and have seen potential free agent targets walk away from deals insulted by the gesture. Not Scherzer.
In the five years of the deal thus far Scherzer has a record a 79-39 with an ERA of 2.74. He has finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting all five years, including winning the award in ’16 and ’17 and finishing as a runner up in 2018. He led the league in strikeouts those three years and had 300 in ’18, eclipsing the 300 plateau for the first time in his career.
Scherzer was 3-0 in the Nationals postseason run and pitched five innings of two run ball in Game 7, keeping the team in the game until the offense could come back and take the lead. This performance came days after having to push his scheduled start because of a sore neck.
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The Scherzer contract has paid for itself over and over and the Nats would be wise to engage him in a contract extension before his current contract expires after the 2021 season. The Washington Nationals have Corbin and Strasburg locked up for five and seven years respectively, and could bring back Scherzer to keep the trio together.