Jayson Werth, Nationals Right Fielder

[Seanibus]

You know, I was down visiting my dad in DC this week and I saw a piece in the Post about how the Nationals have canned or traded lots of high-dollar players and therefore have a lot of money to play with. And I said "hey, if they were smart, they'd use most of that to hire Jayson Werth."

Of course, I never imagined any DC team would EVER be smart enough to do such a thing.

Werth signs with Nats | Philly | 12/05/2010

Maybe this could be Washington's Michael Jordan moment, by which I mean the time that Michael Jordan signed with the woeful Chicago Bulls and made them great, not when Michael Jordan signed with the woeful Washington Wizards and made them woeful.

[radiocolin]

Won't miss him. I watch baseball for enjoyment and fun. After watching him curse at the dad who caught the ball in the stands, in front of his son, I lost respect for him.

There's some debate about this, naturally, but this post by hkp sums up my sentiment:

He didn't reach into the field of play. He was sitting in his seat, one seat away from the field, and the ball dropped straight into his hands. Any normal person would've done what he did; pay attention to the ball dropping at his face and not the underachieving right fielder who probably wouldn't have gotten to it, anyway.

[arjay]

Jason Werth is a very good player, but not a superstar. Not worth that $$. On the other hand, Carl Crawford just got very rich.

Red Sox are a laughing stock right now, losing out on A-Gone & now Werth.

[Swinefeld]

Jason Werth is a very good player, but not a superstar.

He will be missed on this team. Not a consistent hitter (very hot and cold) but he was the "five tool player" that complimented the rest of the line up perfectly. His signing with the Nats says he's in it for the bucks and not another ring though. Can't blame him for taking the long term contract, just wish it wasn't in the same division. (Donavan, I'm looking at you!)

[Burholme06]

I can't blame Werth for taking that insane deal.

The Nationals GM said this, Werth's winning experience with the Phillies made him "the centerpiece of our ballclub on the field and in the clubhouse."

When I think of Werth, being a leader and a positive influence in the club house is not something that comes to mind. It's obvious he has a bit of a temper as well and possibly a bit of an attitude problem. If they want Werth to deliver a winning attitude to the team, I'm not sure they got the right guy.

It will be interesting to see how much a role the Phillies organization played in his success. When he was with the Dodgers, he was not very impressive and was constantly injured so much so that his immediate future in baseball was in doubt. You could argue that his play and his health were not typical during his time with the Phils.

[eldondre]

werth noting that he has better post season numbers than ryan "strikeout king" howard. when they inked howard, they weren't going to keep werth, for better of worse, unless werth was going to take a significantly below market deal. I don't know that werth is some sort of clubhouse nightmare. unlike when they let rowand walk, they don't have an heir apparent. that said, it's not a bad gamble to let him walk, they get two picks, and they can sign the unbaez (hopefully). a solid pen should add a few wins back.

[Burholme06]

werth noting that he has better post season numbers than ryan "strikeout king" howard. when they inked howard, they weren't going to keep werth, for better of worse, unless werth was going to take a significantly below market deal. I don't know that werth is some sort of clubhouse nightmare. unlike when they let rowand walk, they don't have an heir apparent. that said, it's not a bad gamble to let him walk, they get two picks, and they can sign the unbaez (hopefully). a solid pen should add a few wins back.

I'm not sure if not matching the $126m should be considered as letting him walk. Also, I didn't mean to suggest he's a nightmare in the clubhouse but I don't think he's a leader either. I just found the comment odd that he's the guy that is the centerpiece of the winning attitude on the field and in the clubhouse.

[MetalDeth81]

I read an inqy article that pondered if Werth's success in Philly was due in part to his role in the lineup and the other players around him. He is a good player, but I don't think he'll reverse the trend in DC by himself.

[ChiefSalsa]

More wasteful spending in Washington.

[Seanibus]

I read an inqy article that pondered if Werth's success in Philly was due in part to his role in the lineup and the other players around him. He is a good player, but I don't think he'll reverse the trend in DC by himself.

No, That's just Philadelphia - as long as he was here, he was a hero, but once he leaves, it was all those other guys that made him great.

[eldondre]

I read an inqy article that pondered if Werth's success in Philly was due in part to his role in the lineup and the other players around him. He is a good player, but I don't think he'll reverse the trend in DC by himself.

it was all those howard ks that led to his nl leading postseason hrs

[PhillyCuse]

I read an inqy article that pondered if Werth's success in Philly was due in part to his role in the lineup and the other players around him. He is a good player, but I don't think he'll reverse the trend in DC by himself.

Pretty safe prediction since it is true for every baseball player ever.

it was all those howard ks that led to his nl leading postseason hrs

Yes, definitely.

I am a big Werth fan but that's quite a contract for a guy turning 32. Good for him. Weird the Nationals would pay that much for a slight upgrade over Adam Dunn.