Washington Nationals

Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford would love to give you a hug or at least send you a thank you card because what you did for his new contract isn't something he can put into words.

Although, the stupidity of the Washington Nationals should be worth something to Crawford as well because if it wasn't for the team in the nation's capital, Crawford wouldn't be looking at nearly the amount of money that he'll command now.

The Nats overcompensated for the recent loss of Adam Dunn to the White Sox by signing Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal for $126 million. That's $18 million a season.

The Washington Nationals made an early splash Sunday evening when the team announced they’d agreed on a seven-year deal worth $126 million for right fielder Jayson Werth.

The 31-year-old Werth, who helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, hit .296 this year in his fourth and final season with Philadelphia. He had an NL-high 46 doubles, 27 homers and 85 RBI. Werth was selected in the first round of the 1997 draft by the nearby Baltimore Orioles.

In their short history, the Washington Nationals have been perennial runners-up in the free agency process. The Nationals didn't land the biggest name in Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford, but they came pretty close with the signing of former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.

The Nationals may have overpaid for Werth—not very surprising news considering his agent is Scott Boras. Washington gave the 31-year-old Werth a seven-year contract at an average of $18 million a year totaling $126 million.

The "Lerner's are cheap" mantra lasted just four days.

Jayson Werth, a late-blooming slugger who helped turn the Philadelphia Phillies into a playoff fixture, has signed a seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals that will pay him $18 million per season.

A few thoughts that are bouncing around my head:

Let's face it: The Washington Nationals has always been the dark horse in chasing big-name free agents over the years.

There was Mark Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180 million deal.

There is still former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, who is chased by the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. But every time they are mentioned, so are the Nats, though it doesn't look like they're going to sign him.

But finally, Washington has made a big move. They have a new $100 million man.

Bryce Harper, the first-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, added an Arizona Fall League championship to his already impressive resume. 

Since being praised as quite possibly the future of the game of baseball, Harper has been doing and saying all the right things on his way to becoming the face of a Washington Nationals club in dire need of some good fortune.

For the last couple of days, I have been doing a lot of writing about the loss of Adam Dunn and how that affects the Washington Nationals.

I've been comparing Dunn's offensive capabilities against two of his most likely replacements, Carlos Pena and Adam LaRoche, and have come to the conclusion that even those two might be more than the Nationals need in 2011.

Baseball’s Winter Meetings begin next week and by Thursday, the future of the Washington Nationals should be clear.

Can General Manager Mike Rizzo find a top-of-the-rotation starter to replace the injured Stephen Strasburg, and will he replace Adam Dunn with someone equally capable at first?

With Adam Dunn’s contract now off the books, the Nationals could easily add $30 to 40 million in payroll and still be one of the more underfunded teams in the Senior Circuit. And they have been trying.

As the gloaming of the post Adam Dunn era begins to envelop the city that once embraced him, I am somewhat struck at the gloom and doom that is being predicted for both the team and the fans of the Washington Nationals.