July 31, 2006
BREAKING NON-NEWS: Soriano Stays Put
Alfonso Soriano is still a Washington National. For this season, at least.
After what we assume were some intense negotiations with over a dozen teams, Jim Bowden failed to trade the Nats’ star left fielder. The 4 p.m. trading deadline came and went without a deal for Soriano, or any other Nationals for that matter. As a waiver-wire trade will be logistically impossible to complete, Soriano will stay with the Nationals for the remainder of this season, becoming a free agent at the season’s end.
The Nationals have announced their intent to sign Soriano to a long-term contract, and Soriano has in turn expressed his desire to stay in the city that has embraced him. However, it appears extremely unlikely that the Nationals will be able to reach such an agreement. Soriano figures to make $65 million over 5 years on the open market, well below the Nats’ offer at $50 million over 5 years. Another point of contention is president Stan Kasten’s refusal to grant no-trade clauses, a contract perk that Soriano is seeking.
Photo by Scott Abelman
Now, the most likely scenario for Soriano is that the charismatic star will sign with another team over the winter, leaving the Nats with sandwich draft picks as their only compensation. The blame for the unsavory taste in our mouths lies with GM Jim Bowden. He had the ultimate bargaining chip: a dynamic, game-changing superstar in the prime of his career who was putting up MVP-like numbers with a very reasonable salary and no long-term commitment. That he failed to parlay this asset into building blocks for the future of a rebuilding team can only be viewed as a complete and utter debacle.
How did Bowden manage to mangle this golden opportunity? As Gary Gillette of ESPN.com points out, Bowden got greedy. Fresh off his fleecing of the Reds, he was looking for a similarly one-sided deal. The problem with this is that unlike Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez, Soriano was the main attraction on the trading block. Bowden was not going to slip in under the radar with a similar steal to the one he pulled off with Cincinnati. The other GM’s knew that Bowden was looking for more than Soriano was worth, and collectively low-balled the Nats GM.
Because Bowden had so many teams on the phone at once, he was unable to develop an intimate relationship with any of them (barring his 12-hour failed negotiation with the Dodgers, dubbed “Sleepless in Los Angeles”). Because of this, he was overextended in the final hours and was unable to broker any realistic deal. Gillette later notes that Bowden’s non-action could be due to his desire to hedge his bets: “Bowden likes to deal, but he also likes to be regarded as a genius. And making lopsided deals with the one with the Reds earlier makes him look REALLY good to the new ownership.” Team President Stan Kasten knows talent when he sees it; his leadership and planning led to the Atlanta Braves’ recent dominance in the NL East. I think he’ll be able to spot an obvious lack of genius when it comes time to renew Bowden’s contract.
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While I'm very happy I can look forward to seeing Soriano play in August, I'm surprised Bowden could not convert a deal for talented young prospects. I hope Soriano is offered a long-term contract that he can agree to, but if he decides to leave after this season then Bowden should follow him out the door.
I don't understand why Soriano was so opposed to being traded and then simply resigning with the Nats as a free agent.
If he wants to stay in DC then presumably he wants the Nats to win. Allowing himself to be traded to a contender for 1/3 of a season and then resigning with the team during the offseason would both allow him to stay and make the team better for next year.
What's not to love about that plan?
If Soriano doesn't sign here in the offseason, the Nats will receive two compensatory draft picks. So any trade made would have to have gotten a better return than they think they could have gotten in the draft.
Wait - Bowden got greedy in asking for top prospects in exchange for the "dynamic, game-changing superstar in the prime of his career who was putting up MVP-like numbers"?
I don't buy it. Anything less than a top prospect would have been the complete and utter debacle you referred to.
It's fun (and easy) to bash JimBo for being JimBo- remember all the people who bitched and moaned when he traded Brad Wilkerson (gasp!) and a couple of stiffs for Soriano to begin with?
What you really need to hope for now is that they don't overpay. If they can sign him to a contract that's in line with the Kasten/Lerner vision for the future, that's good. If they're unable to sign him, and in the end they're holding two draft picks, I think you're still better off than you would have been with Wilkerson, Sledge, and Galarraga.
This non-move probably delays the Nats' rebuilding a bit, and if they settle for draft picks in 2007, they'll probably use them on college players who will have a quicker time of arrival to the majors. (Especially since their two first-rounders this year were both high school players.)
I'm not the most avid Bowden supporter, but I sense many here don't like him because he's not a Theo Epstein-Paul DePodesta Ivy League Moneyball type (most of these fans are themselves Ivy Leaguers or Ivy wannabes), even though I'm pretty certain that sort of GM is not Stan Kasten's cup of tea. (And while a degree from an elite school may help get a job, it doesn't guarantee success at work, at least not in baseball. Two of the game's most successful GMs, John Schuerholz and Brian Cashman, are grads of Towson State and Catholic, respectively, neither of which would ever be confused with Yale or Harvard.)
I'd like to see Soriano stay for the long haul -- he's an exciting ballplayer -- but if Kasten won't commit to a no-trade clause, I hope the Nats can find other incentive clauses that might be to Alfonso's liking.
Good move not trading Soriano. He is the cornerstone to build the team on. The Nats aren't as bad as their record. If they'd have started the season with the Lerners/Kasten in charge and beefed up the bullpen and not had injuries to Lawrence, Patterson and Drese, they would not have started out 14-28. Instead they probably could have played .500 ball and been in the thick of the wild card race now. I know, it's a bunch of ifs. But the ifs breaking the right way is what usually separates contenders from also-rans.
Do we need to run down the list of 'can't miss' prospects that change hands every year at the trade deadline, only to peak in AA or AAA and never make an impact in the big leagues? Do you really think there are armies of prospects out there right now that will ever be the ballplayer that Soriano already is? Soriano is a once-in-a-generation talent, combination of speed and power and athleticism that's nothing short of a gift from the baseball gods.
Roll the dice and hope he's sincere in his desire to stay here. Don't lowball him. Make him the (obscenely wealthy) face of the franchise and the symbol of ownership's commitment to the city. Don't give me the 'grand re-opening of RFK.' Spend the money on Soriano, who generates more excitement than red carpets and new flowers. We gave you hundreds of millions for your stadium. Give us our All Star!
I'm a baseball fan, but not the type to keep track of statistics or that type of thing. I just love watching the game, eating mustardy hotdogs, and soaking up the atmosphere. I am THRILLED that Alfie, my Nationals boyfriend, is staying with the team! Whatever the strategic reasons for the decision, it will pay off with fans like me. I love Soriano. He's exciting to watch, has a positive attitude that even the casual fan can pick up on, and has the cutest butt on the team. Public relations-wise, this was a great move.
move Soriano back to second if you want to resign him. he might be an average 2B, but you gotta keep your superstar happy.
i'm glad he wasn't traded, and i hope the Nats do all they can to resign him in the offseason - hell, open negotiations with his agent NOW! the guy has been a model ball player all season long after he got over his move to OF and has put up offensive numbers no one thought could be posted in RFK.
Soriano is saying he doesn't want to return to second base.
Kasten will sign Soriano to a 5-year, $75 million contract. The money to pay for this contract will come from the District's general fund.
Let's not get the issue confused here. Brian Cashman has been the GM of many successful teams, not necessarily a successful GM. Anyone can trade a bag of balls for Abreu and Lidle when you're willing to take on those contracts on top of your already luxury tax-exploding payroll.
And don't you dare give Soriano a no-trade or $15mm per. $12mm per over four? Probably. But start targeting young pitching prospects NOW.
Let's not get the issue confused here. Brian Cashman has been the GM of many successful teams, not necessarily a successful GM. Anyone can trade a bag of balls for Abreu and Lidle when you're willing to take on those contracts on top of your already luxury tax-exploding payroll.
And don't you dare give Soriano a no-trade or $15mm per. $12mm per over four? Probably. But start targeting young pitching prospects NOW.