Nats 2, Phillies 1
The Adam Dunn saga added another compelling chapter tonight when the big man slammed a 2-0 Jose Contreras pitch into the second deck in right field. That gave the Nats a 2-1 win on a walk-off homer. But much to Dunn’s chagrin, all anyone asked about after the game was his contract status. The free-agent-to-be is the subject of enormous speculation about his future. Read all about it in our game story here.
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A few outlets have reported that the Nats do not want to resign Dunn and have no intention of doing so. Colleague Ben Goessling had just such a report on MASN.com this morning. As he walked out of the shower towards his locker on Tuesday night, Dunn passed by one of the clubhouse televisions just as MLB Network flashed the headline “Nats won’t resign Dunn”. He took the ridiculousness of that situation in stride as he walked past eight reporters waiting to ask him about that exact same topic. So how is he going to handle what could be his last home game in a Nats uniform on Wednesday night?
“I’m not going to go into tomorrow thinking this is my last home game ever, cry and go hand out Adam Dunn baseball cards,” Dunn said. “I’m not going to do that. I don’t know what you all want me to say. I don’t know what’s going to happen. If I did I would tell you all. I do not. So I’m going to go in tomorrow like we have a chance to win a series against the National League East division champs. That’s how I’m going in – happy.”
That pretty much epitomizes Dunn’s philosophy on baseball – and life, for that matter. Teammate Drew Storen said that’s what many of his teammates love about Dunn. His ability to handle the roller-coaster ride of a 162-game baseball season apparently does rub off on others in that clubhouse. Now, if you think that and a 40-homer, 100-RBI season is valuable you should probably go ahead and pay the man his money. If you think a four-year contract to a 30-year-old, sub-par defensive slugger whose skills could drop off a cliff at any time is a bad idea when that money could be spent elsewhere then maybe it’s worth letting Dunn go.
The Nats will almost certainly get two draft picks in return, after all, when they offer him arbitration and he declines. But there is a serious risk here. Because while the front office may have plans to replace Dunn with cheaper options who are better defensively, you still have to get that particular player to sign. Or trade for him. Or whatever. If Dunn – and his 40 homers and .900 OPS – walks and you have to scramble for a replacement then 2011 has the potential to be an unmitigated disaster.
Run prevention is a fine philosophy in theory. But there is a real-world aspect to this, too. And a team with a season-ticket base clearly hovering around 10,000 can’t afford to let one of its most entertaining players leave without having an honest conversation with its fans: “We won’t be good enough to win before Adam Dunn starts declining as a player. If our other offseason plans don’t work out we’re winning 60 games again. Sorry, but we promise 2013 is going to be awesome.”
A chunk of the fanbase will actually respect that. You know who won’t? Other free agents and the players in your own clubhouse, one of whom’s name rhymes with “Bimmerman”. There, Dunn is a popular presence. His teammates don’t really want to think about life without him anchoring the middle of that lineup.
“I’m not going to say it’s a blow [yet],” said Nats pitcher Jason Marquis. “Obviously we want him back. He’s a positive in the clubhouse. Hopefully if he isn’t here and they do get another guy then they go after someone who they hear good things about in the clubhouse.”
Added Storen: “It would be tough because he’s such a good guy to have in the clubhouse. He’s just a good personality to have as a teammate. 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.”
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