VIERA, Fla. – Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has a “personal services” portion of his $100 million contract extension.
Is he going to have to pick up someone’s clothes at the cleaners? Wash cars? Answer phones?
“We’re still working on that a little bit,” he said.
Maybe he’ll have to keep the World Series trophy nice and shiny?
Yes, World Series trophy. Zimmerman uttered those words Monday morning, the day the Nationals announced his six-year contract extension.
Add in a one-year option and put the extension on top of the two years he has on his current deal, and it could mean Zimmerman remains with Washington until 2020.
That’s a long time to marry a franchise that hasn’t had a winning year since Zimmerman, 27, arrived at the end of the 2005 season.
“I wouldn’t have signed somewhere for this long if I didn’t think we were going to have a chance to win and play meaningful games and, honestly, have a chance to win the World Series,” he said.
Money, of course, is presumably the primary influence for anyone signing a $100 million deal. As Danny DeVito’s character says in the David Mamet film “Heist,” “Everybody needs money. That’s why they call it money.”
But setting aside the $100 million for a minute, one of the other primary motivations for Zimmerman is he sat through one of the worst movies ever and isn’t about to leave the theater when it’s finally getting good.
“I’ve been here for the bad times, and I really see it starting to go up,” Zimmerman said. “We’re a talented team this year, and this is only kind of the tip of the iceberg.”
“And you’ve seen the Titanic,” I said.
“Pretty much,” Zimmerman replied.
Previously, the “iceberg” for this franchise resulted in a Titanic outcome. The USS Nationals typically are a sinking ship by the time the team assembles in Viera, Fla., every spring.
It was often a tryout for rejects and reprobates.
Not this year. Not this camp — particularly with pitching.
There are relievers on this roster like Ryan Mattheus and Ryan Perry who would have been locks for jobs several years ago but aren’t going to make this major league club.
Newly acquired starter Edwin Jackson, who would have been the best starter in some of those past training camps, is the fourth starter for the 2012 Nationals.
You can debate the merits of investing so much in Zimmerman now, two years away from free agency and coming off an injury-filled season that limited him to 101 games in 2011. But in today’s game, success at the box office and on the field involves teams identifying their three or four core players and committing to them long term. Zimmerman is a core player.
Anyway, somebody needs to detail Bryce Harper’s truck.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
