Continuing their frenetic offseason, Thursday the Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a 1-year $9 million contract with free agent 2B Brian Dozier, pending a physical.  According to reports, $2 million of his salary will be deferred into the future, helping Washington with their luxury tax ramifications.

The 31-year-old Dozier split time in 2018 between Minnesota and Los Angeles, batting .215/.305/.391 with 21 home runs and 12 stolen bases over 151 games played.  While he did not spend time on the disabled list, Dozier acknowledged he played through a right knee injury much of the season, which could explain the subpar statistical season.  Dozier batted .230/.314/.423 in the first half of the year and only .187/.289/.326 in the second, highlighted by a pathetic .087/.189/.217 in September: this lends further credence to the injury affecting his performance. In the previous four seasons, Dozier hit .254/.338/.476 with 127 home runs, 278 extra base hits and 67 stolen bases.  A right-handed hitter, Dozier is a career .246/.324/.444 hitter and adds another potent bat to Washington’s projected lineup.

In the field Dozier won a Gold Glove in 2017 and has earned There are some unwanted effects observed throughout the intake of the levitra 20 mg midwayfire.com pill. You must be wondering about the excitement, isn’t it? Any guesses for the excitement and how come the excitement has returned back into the men’s lives? Let’s talk about soft viagra the big data and statistics then. This pill starts working within 30-45 minutes and remains buy cheap cialis http://www.midwayfire.com/hazmat.asp effective for more than 4 hours. Pain in the lower tummy, cloudy, sometimes bloody or foul-smelling cost of cialis urine, or even a fever – all of these are reasons to impotence. the reputation as a reliable, above-average defender at the keystone.  He has good speed, athleticism and instincts, giving him solid range in both directions.  Dozier also flashes above-average arm strength, bolstering his range and allowing him to make the throw from deep right field or behind second base.  His advancing age and history of minor injuries likely make him an average defender at this stage of his career. 

Dozier and Washington has seemed like a natural fit from the beginning of the offseason.  Dozier was expected to seek a one-year deal in order to rebuild his value and revisit free agency next winter in a stronger bargaining position.  Conversely, this signing allows Howie Kendrick not to rush back from his Achilles injury, and provides Washington a significant upgrade over Wilmer Difo.  In addition, Dozier’s presence lets Nationals’ top prospect Carter Kieboom receive additional minor league seasoning and could delay his arbitration another season.

Overall this feels like a quality gamble for the Nationals.  Dozier has every incentive to produce a monster season in order to get paid next winter, while Washington acquires a motivated veteran one year removed from a .271/.359/.498 batting line and 34 home runs.  Assuming his underwhelming season was due to injury rather than age-related decline, Washington just added one of the best second baseman in baseball, with a chip on his shoulder.  The $9 million salary outlay and potential that “father time” has caught up to him is risky, but the reward of potentially adding an impact player at their weakest position makes this a shrewd gamble for Washington.

NatsGM Overall Grade  ->           B

Continuing their frenetic offseason, Thursday rumors broke that Washington and free agent RHP Anibal Sanchez had agreed to a 2-year contract worth $19 million plus incentives, along with a 3^rd year option valued at $12 million.  He will earn $6 million in 2019, $7 million in 2020 and the remaining $6 million is deferred until 2021, pending a physical.  All told, Sanchez can make $33 million over three seasons if all options and incentives are reached.

The almost 35-year-old Sanchez revitalized his career in 2018 pitching for Atlanta, throwing 136.2 innings while producing a 2.83 ERA and 135 strikeouts against 106 hits and 42 walks allowed.  This was a stark contrast to his three previous seasons, in which he had a 6.41 ERA in 2017, 5.87 ERA in 2016 and 4.99 ERA in 2015.  This success was due to a change in approach and modifying his pitch selection, as Sanchez went from mixing 6 separate pitches to primarily throwing a cutter, 4-seam fastball and the occasional changeup.  This adjustment helped him increase his swinging-strike rate, opponent’s chase rate and generate weak contact from hitters.  According to Statcast, no other starter in baseball had a lower exit velocity on balls in play or allowed less hard contact in 2018 than Sanchez.  Obviously Washington feels the success from these adjustments is sustainable going forward.

Sanchez presently projects as Washington’s 4^th starter, pitching behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and new free agent acquisition Patrick Corbin.  Sanchez essentially is replacing the recently traded Tanner Roark in Washington’s starting rotation.  Washington obviously preferred Sanchez as their 4^th starter to Roark, an interesting decision considering the strengths and weaknesses of both pitchers.  Roark is a durable starter who can be counted on to throw 170+ innings per year, yet his results will likely be below average.  Conversely, Sanchez’s new arsenal gives him a strong chance to be a league-average or slightly better starter in 2019, even assuming some natural regression from last season: however, he is likely to throw only 125-150 innings next season due to age and potential injury.  Considering the injury concerns with Strasburg, Corbin and probable 5^th starter Joe Ross, Roark’s durability could arguably be more valuable than Sanchez’s greater statistical upside.

Overall I particularly like this signing for three specific reasons.  Firstly, I like the gamble by the Nationals that Sanchez is a different pitcher now that he has scrapped his sinker, slider and curveball to throw more cutters, his best pitch.  It seems elementary for a pitcher to throw more of his best pitch and fewer of his weaker pitches, but simplicity does not negate results, and this adaptation has made him a better pitcher.  Second, I think his contract is a solid value in this market, where similar (and arguably lesser) starting pitchers like Trevor Cahill, Matt Harvey and Lance Lynn have already signed for larger annual salaries.  While those three are possibly more durable, I feel confident Sanchez’s results will be superior to those other three pitchers.

Finally, and most importantly, I believe Anibal Sanchez is a better pitcher than the man he is replacing, Tanner Roark.  Washington will miss Roark’s dependability this season and clearly there is more risk associated with Sanchez.  However, Sanchez should generate superior results while earning less money in 2019, making him a clear upgrade for Washington.

NatsGM Grade  ->           B / B-   

Continuing the frenetic offseason in NatsTown, Saturday news broke and Tuesday it became official that the Nationals and Matt Adams had agreed on a 1-year contract, with a mutual option for 2020.  According to media reports Adams will earn $3 million in 2019, with the 2020 option worth $4 million or a $1 million buyout. 

The left-handed hitting slugger flourished in Washington after signing with the Nationals last winter, serving as a backup first baseman and providing power off the bench.  The 30-year-old Adams batted .257/.332/.510 with 18 home runs in 94 games for Washington, before going to St. Louis in an August waiver claim.  He struggled in his return to the Cardinals, hitting only .158 in 27 games, to finish 2018 with a .239/.309/.477 batting line and 21 home runs.  2018 also saw Adams continue his success against right-handed pitching, batting .242/.316/.494 against righties verses a subpar .220/.256/.366 against lefties. 

Defensively the massive Adams is primarily a first baseman, though he did also see limited action in left field with reasonable results.  His below-average speed limits his range in the field, although he possesses quality baseball instincts and soft hands.  He is a below-average defender at both positions, but should not be confused with a designated hitter mimicking a position player. 

Overall this is a tremendous addition to the Nationals, as the team had a desperate need for a backup to protect against a potential Ryan Zimmerman injury and a left-handed bat off the bench.  In addition, with the potential departure of Bryce Harper, the Nationals needed additional left-handed power to balance out their heavily right-handed offense.  Finally Adams has continually performed well in this role, as his 9 career pinch-hit home runs and 47 pinch-hit RBI are the most among active major league players. 

Without question he is limited defensively and needs to be shielded from southpaws, but used similarly to 2018, Adams can be an extremely productive player.  I could argue Justin Bour, who signed with the Angels for $2.5 million, is a better value or that Derek Dietrich is possibly a better fit, but the combination of his track record of success in this role and familiarity in Washington makes the Matt Adams signing a winner for the Nationals.

NatsGM Grade   ->           B+