Post trade deadline, Jayson Stark was quoted somewhere (can’t find the link) that the White Sox offered up both Daniel Hudson and catcher prospect Tyler Flowers for Dunn. If that is indeed true, I can’t quite understand why the Nats didn’t pull the trigger.
I think perhaps the Nats hard line was a MLB-ready bat. Hudson seems to be in the same place (or a bit better) as our Jordan Zimmermann right now; cleaned up at AA, and has impressed so far in MLB. #2 starter prospect. We already got a catcher prospect in Ramos (for Capps) but you can never have enough catching…
Honestly, everything i’ve read about Rizzo and Dunn this trading season was along the lines of “teams are calling us and making offers; we’re not calling them to
offer up Dunn.” I really think teh Nats want to resign the guy. Yeah he’ll be expensive but look at his production.
In the NL right now, here’s where Dunn is ranked in various categories:
2nd in slugging
3rd in OPS
10th in runs scored
2nd in total bases
6th in doubles
1st in homers
1st in extra base hits
3rd in RBI
3rd in Adjusted OPS+ (my favorite all-encompasing stat). Currently at 153, Behind Votto and Pujols
and, yes 2nd in Ks.
You just have to resign a guy like this. Youare not going to find a slugging talent like this on the FA market these days. I mean, the best comparison seems to be someone like Fielder and he’ll be looking for a $100M contract.
Coincidentally. here’s where Zimmermann is on all these lists as well:
10th in NL-wide war (5th among hitters)
11th in batting average
6th in OBP
8th in slugging
5th in OPS
10th in runs
4th in adjusted OPS+ at 147, just behind Dunn.
I mean, basically they’re saying that 2 of the 4 best overall hitters in the NL are hitting right next to each other in the heart of the Washington lineup. I’ll put our 3-4-5 hitters up there against anyone in the league right now. Milwaukee’s Braun-Fielder-Hart is pretty good. Philly’s Utley-Howard-Werth should be up there in normal circumstances. Same with the dodgers (a healthy Ramirez-Kemp-Ethier combo).
Speaking of the dodgers; man the nats (well, Dunn) got to Kershaw last night. 6 rbi and 2 homers will make for a nice week, let alone a nice first couple of at bats.
Sign him; he’s the key to the middle of the order of this team for the next 4 years, by which time we should be competing for the playoffs.