Poor Washington

Its one step forward and two steps back for the Washington Nationals right now.

Positives:
Strasburg is back from Tommy John surgery and is still lights out
Bryce Harper is playing well and has not been rattled by the media or the major leagues
They have the lowest starting pitching ERA in all of baseball
ESPN was in town last night to broadcast their game in prime time

Negatives:
Ryan Zimmerman has been on the DL
Michael Morse has yet to play in a game this season due to injury. He was arguably their best hitter last year.
Jayson Werth broke his left wrist last night and there is no timetable for his return
Although they were playing in prime time last night, the Phillies reigned supreme
Adam LaRoche has missed three of the last four games with injury

The Washington Nationals looked to be the real deal and it appeared to be their year to possibly make a run at the division title with the Phillies having injury problems of their own. Now both the Phils and Nats are both dealing with major injuries. Maybe the Nationals need to hire a new trainer.

Zimmerman Gets Paid

Ryan Zimmerman has signed a six year, $100 million extension with the Washington Nationals. The deal also includes a full no-trade clause. He has now become one of six players that has a contract through the 2019 baseball season. "I've wanted to be the guy that everyone looks to. I've wanted to be the so-called leader. I relish being that guy. I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way," said Zimmerman. This all but guarantee's that Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, and Bryce Harper will all play in the same game, at the same time, on the same field, on the same team.

Wow.

Most deals that guarantee one player so much money and are for long amounts of time are not reasonable and they are ridiculous (See Albert Pujols). But Zimmerman is a complete player in every sense of the word. He is easily one of the top three defensive third baseman in the game, if not the best. He can also do some real damage with the bat. He is a career .288 hitter, which is impressive for a guy who hits about 20 - 25 home runs a year. Another great thing about Zimmerman is his durability. In his seven year career, he plays in about 120 games a season. That number is misleading though because in 2005 he only played in 20 games because he was a late season call up. Its also lower because this past season he only played in 101 games because of an abdominal strain. Either way, at only 27 years old, Zimmerman deserves this deal and will earn every penny.

Ryan Zimmerman