First baseman drove in 100 runs last season
It has been a busy offseason for the Nationals, whose latest move, according to a Major League Baseball source, was signing first baseman Adam LaRoche to a two-year contract Tuesday night. Financial terms were not immediately disclosed.
The signing fills a gaping void in Washington’s lineup since first baseman Adam Dunn departed via free agency last month, signing a four-year, $56-million contract with the Chicago White Sox. LaRoche, whose deal is pending a routine physical, is an upgrade defensively over Dunn and he still hit 25 home runs and drove in 100 runs in 2010 for the Arizona Diamondbacks. But LaRoche also posted an OPS of just .788 last season while striking out a career-high 172 times. Dunn was among the league leaders in OPS at .892.
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo has revamped his lineup, including the addition of right fielder Jayson Werth to a eye-popping seven-year, $126 million contract. He also traded away slugger Josh Willingham, who teamed with Dunn and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to form a solid middle of the order. That was one of Washington’s obvious strengths the past two years.
LaRoche, 31, is on his fifth major-league team in seven seasons and has made two separate stops in Atlanta. He’s a .271 lifetime hitter and has averaged 26 home runs and 93 RBI a season during his seven-year career.
