When Mike Rizzo signed Jason Worth 7-year, $126 million dealit was a statement of intent and a massive role for the dice. This deal made him 12th highest paid player In the league, every star has only one appearance. In my opinion, the risk paid off. Was he analytically worth his contract? Perhaps not, he sets the tone of the nation and certainly there was a season when he was worth the money.
The Nationals were star hunting in free agency for a while before Worth, but were unable to win their man. Most notably, he was rejected by Mark Teisheira before signing with the Yankees. But they shouldn’t be denied in Worth, and they paid him more than they expected.
The contract was ridiculed in a baseball club. Even Mets GM Sandy Alderson keep That, “I thought they were trying to reduce Washington’s deficit.” When Werth joined, NAT was considered a laughing stock. They hadn’t had a winning season since coming to DC and were constant under-residents of the National League.
Worth had no intention of continuing the culture of loss that defined NAT. He soon emerged as a team leader, and the World Series champions taught young people how to win. But that 2011 season was not a success for Worth on the field. He had him Worst season since 2005and looked like a man struggling with contract pressure. Critics quickly put out their hot take, Critic This is called one of the worst contracts ever.
However, Worth’s play improved as the Nationals took the next step in 2012. He missed a lot of time with injuries that season, but he was very productive when he played. He hit .300 with .827 OPS in 81 games. Worth also brought his most iconic moments in that postseason. After the 13-pitch war, he hits a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the NLDS and sends Nats Park to A state of chaos I’ve never seen it in the stadium. That memory alone paid for many of the contracts.
His next two seasons were most productive in the Nationals uniform. Despite being 34 and 35, Werth has still put together a great season. He finished the top 20 in MVP voting in both seasons. In 2013 he scored a high .931 OPS with an average of .318 and 25 homers. 2014 was another productive year for the veteran, with .849 OPS, an average of .292 and 37 doubles.
The last three years of the contract were not great. The false flyball at the 2017 NLDS was a forgettable moment, but it wasn’t his fault that Dusty Baker probably played him too much.
Overall, Jason Worth’s experience in Washington was a very successful experience. Is $126 million okay? That’s controversial, but Worth’s status as a great Nut cannot be denied. He was a veteran presence, helping the team win and also gave him a very productive season.
The fact that Mike Rizzo didn’t decide to go after Jason Worth’s type of signature was disappointing for me. That was exactly what the people needed. There was a veteran who still spent many years in tanks. This team cannot afford to go back to the lost culture that Worth had before. This year is another bad year and it could be too late.
The Nationals may have “supercharged” for Worth, but he has given them a lot of positive value. If Mike Rizzo gives him the chance to start over, he will sign Jason Worth twice every day, on Sunday.
