An item in Thursday’s San Francisco Chronicle caught my eye:
“… rumors are swirling about the Cardinals’ interest in the A’s Matt Holliday. One NL source said Wednesday that St. Louis might be edging closer to Oakland’s asking price, minor-league third baseman Brett Wallace, because the Cardinals need a left fielder and their other option essentially would be Washington’s Josh Willingham.”
As you now know, Holliday did land in St. Louis. But the alternative was Josh Willingham? Really?
Now, I get it that Willingham is 30 years old, and that the Nationals are — at least — a couple of years away from being taken seriously. I also get it that he’s not Roberto Clemente in right field. I mean, he clearly plays hard and makes most of the plays, and with Nyjer Morgan in center, has some protection on one side of his territory.
Willingham, however, had an OPS of nearly 1.000 as of Friday morning. He’s a genuine offensive threat in the middle of the lineup. And it’s not like there’s anyone in the Nationals’ farm system who’s breathing down his neck.
Elijah Dukes? I still like Dukes, but it’s pretty clear the Nationals aren’t his biggest fans any more. It’s not his behavior, as some might think; it’s his overall inconsistency. He seems to not have developed the kind of baseball instincts you’d want from someone who has the ability to crush the ball and be very athletic in the field. He’s got running back’s knees, too, and there’s some question about his ability to stay healthy enough to play every day.
Justin Maxwell’s progress to the majors has been delayed by the injury bug as well. He still seems to have that huge swing that leads to a lot of misses and strikeouts, but at 25, there’s still time for development in that area. Roger Bernadina is still rehabbing a broken right ankle, but he and Maxwell seem more like center fielders to me anyway.
The Nats have Josh Willingham under team control for another couple of years. Yes, he’s arbitration eligible, but that’s of small consequence. He can flat out hit the baseball when he plays regularly, and from all reports, is a good teammate and a solid guy in the clubhouse. With Adam Dunn only signed through 2010, you need guys who can hit the ball out of the park.
Did you know that Willingham has caught 15 games in the major leagues? That type of versatility adds value to a player who, up to this point in his career has put up numbers very similar to Philadelphia’s Jayson Werth, a key cog in that ball club.
Barring an eye-opening return, I can’t see that trading Willingham at this point in time makes a great deal of sense as the club starts looking ahead to 2010.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at
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