Screw Teixiera, We Got This

[love_that_reefer]

Nationals signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Patterson can't possibly be as bad of a player as he was last year, so his speed and defense probably makes him worthy of a major league roster spot. However, the Nationals are better off sticking with their younger outfielders. He's not the player to move Lastings Milledge to a corner, especially when such a switch would seemingly cost Elijah Dukes most of his playing time.

Nationals signed infielder Jose Castillo to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
It's like they pulled off a trade with the Astros, with Houston getting Aaron Boone. Castillo, who spent most of last year as the Giants' primary third baseman before moving on to Houston, hit .246/.292/.376 in 426 at-bats. He'll be fortunate to make the Nationals as a bench player.

Nationals signed LHP Gustavo Chacin to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Chacin was 25-15 with a 4.18 ERA in his Blue Jays career, but all of his success came in 2005 and his arm appears to be shot now. He'll need to show something in Triple-A before getting another chance.

Nationals signed RHP Jorge Sosa to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Sosa won't be eligible to pitch for the Nats until late April after getting a 50-game suspension for amphetamine use back in August. The 31-year-old had a 7.06 ERA in 21 2/3 innings before being cut by the Mets last season.

Nationals signed catcher Gustavo Molina to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Molina, who spent September with the Mets, probably passes Luke Montz for the third spot on the Nationals' depth chart at catcher. The team is believed to be still shopping for an upgrade over Wil Nieves to pair with Jesus Flores.

Patterson could have a good shot at replacing Austin Kearns in the lineup. What a disappointment he has been.

Castillo is nothing but a rally killing machine. Double plays and lack of discipline with RISP make him a horrible bench guy. Just look at how many ABs he got last year. That has to show how dumb Bochy is.

Chacin could be the diamond in the rough out of all the signings.

[Kingdom]

This part implying crap.

[ljshorty89]

So they added a 4th oufielder, a utility infielder, a mediocre 6th starter, and a guy who was 5th on the METS' catching depth chart last year, behind Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro, Raul Casanova, and Robinson Cancel. These signings won't have much effect on the major league team.

[realmofotalk]

It's a waste of an offseason for the Nats, but I can't say it's their fault. They probably offered the most cash to Teixeira, but they lost out because the Yankees and the Red Sox each can match close to it because both teams will never have to worry about a salary cap.

[ljshorty89]

They may still add Adam Dunn or Manny, but neither will be as good a fit as I think Tex was.

[love_that_reefer]

No ljshorty!! The Nats can;t sign big name free agents because of inequality of payrolls

[ljshorty89]

Or can they, and they just choose not to?

[realmofotalk]

It's not about inequality of payrolls. It's about the small market teams that you love not being able to compete for free agent help because the big market teams can match any offer without fear of going over a spending limit.

[love_that_reefer]

Salary cap is the solution here obviously. Its not like the Nationals can get Adam Dunn or Manny Its about location, location, location. Nats can spend, players just don;t want to go there.

[realmofotalk]

Yes, location matters in pro sports, and that's why LeBron James might not stay in Cleveland even if Cleveland can offer the most cash. But it would be a lot easier for Cleveland to convince LeBron to stay if New York, Boston, Chicago, and LA all happened to be in salary cap hell.

[love_that_reefer]

Which is why salary caps are meaningless.

[realmofotalk]

You didn't understand my last sentence. It's not meaningless. Location matters, but if the Yankees and the Red Sox happened to be salary cap strapped because of albatross contracts and they can't offer Teixeira anything close to a team willing to spend with acres of cap room, Teixeira would sign with the team with acres of cap room even if it was the Kansas City Royals.

[love_that_reefer]

But the Yankees could always find another ****ed team and work out a way to move money around, just like in the NBA. Not having a salary cap didn't not prevent the Nationals from getting Teixeira.

[realmofotalk]

Having a salary cap means the Nationals wouldn't have had to compete with the limitless spending Yankees and Red Sox for Teixeira's services. Granted, they might have to compete with other teams with an equally huge cap room (like the Orioles), but at least it's a level playing field. No team is able to use cap room that they don't have.

[Kiluckzle]

Guys, don't worry about it; Patterson is pure MVP material. .238 OBP fantastic.
I was actually rootin' for you guys to sign Teixiera as long as it kept him away from the Yanks...