You think you want Adam Dunn back in a Nationals uniform in 2011? Imagine how the big slugger’s teammates feel. They’ve already lost rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg to Tommy John surgery. He may not return until next September. Losing Dunn to free agency may roil the fanbase. It will create serious issues in the clubhouse, too — provided Washington general manager Mike Rizzo can’t pull off a significant trade or free agent signing to replace Dunn.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has made it clear he expects the front office to do the right thing. That’s a strong statement from a player who is intentionally noncontroversial in his public statements to the media. Dunn hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Philadelphia on Tuesday, No. 38 of the season. Afterward, his teammates — acknowledging they have no real say in the matter — made it clear what they hope to see happen in the offseason.
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“It would be tough because he’s such a good guy to have in the clubhouse,” Nats reliever Drew Storen said. “Obviously, the numbers, the power in clutch situations, speak for themselves. But I think not having him around in the clubhouse would be the thing I miss the most.”
Dunn himself is sick of the topic. Rizzo had no comment Tuesday when asked about contract negotiations. But the Nats better come up with a solution soon or 2011 could get off to an ugly start.
