Going Deep with The Nats

The Washington Nationals have made three acquisitions with reliever Dylan Floro, former top prospect, Nick Senzel, and a Rule-5 pick of Nasim Nuñez. Floro and Nuñez’s roles were easily defined quickly — but there was much doubt on the 28 year old infielder/outfielder who was non-tendered by the Reds … until he spoke to the media yesterday.

Most of these MLB free agents are already millionaires many times over. Those who invested their money properly and have good financial planning will not have to worry about putting food on their table — ever. Of course some free agents need the work, and others have the strategy of knowing they are in high demand and believe the economics of scarcity will drive up their price — based simply on supply and demand in a finite market of limited assets. These assets are so limited that their wealthy buyers have blurred lines of the underlying auction as if they are bidding on one of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings which would make Shohei Ohtani the Mona Lisa.

When a general manager speaks about not blocking prospects versus a manager’s desire for competition for roster spots, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Mike Rizzo, the Washington Nationals’ President of Baseball Operations, gave several interviews at the Winter Meetings earlier this week in Nashville, and a key point is that he was not going to make a free agent acquisition that would block a top prospect. But he has been clear in the past that he has no problem promoting prospects, even as teenagers, if they prove to be ready which would give his manager a better roster without regard to service time manipulation that many teams partake in.

The 2023 Winter Meetings is almost over as we enter the third full day of this event. It has been so quiet to this point that Erick Fedde‘s deal with the White Sox for two years and $15 million is the largest deal during this event. Will today be the day?

The Winter Meetings are officially underway in Nashville, Tennessee, and the last time the Washington Nationals were in that city for the Winter Meetings was back in 2015. It is a short drive for Nats’ manager Dave Martinez who lives near Nashville in his offseason home and farm. For General Manager Mike Rizzo and the rest of his front office staff, they mostly live in the DC area. The Nats, like most teams, hope to do some deals while they are there, or at least get the framework for a deal done like the Nats did last year with Trevor Williams.