Slugger receives deal for four years, $56m
Free agent first baseman Adam Dunn signed a four-year, $56 million contract offer from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, according to multiple baseball sources.
The departure of the 31-year-old leaves a massive hole in Washington’s lineup. Its cleanup hitter the last two seasons, Dunn hit a combined 76 home runs and totaled 208 RBI in 2009 and 2010. But the big slugger is a below-average defensive first baseman, and the club never felt comfortable offering him a longer contract.
Dunn has bristled the last three years about being involved in trade rumors every summer and was seeking some stability in his next deal — especially after the market collapsed when he became a free agent after the 2008 season. Dunn then signed with the Nats for two years, $20 million.
Washington turns its attention now to free agent first basemen Carlos Pena (Tampa Bay) and Adam LaRoche (Arizona). Those two are the top remaining first basemen available on the open market. Pena saw his numbers decline last season, batting just .196 in 2010 with 28 homers. LaRoche hit 25 homers for the Diamondbacks with 100 RBI.
As a consolation for losing Dunn, a Type-A free agent, the Nats do receive both Chicago’s first-round pick in the 2011 draft — No. 23 overall — and another pick in the sandwich round that will fall somewhere in the top 50 depending on how many other teams earn compensation picks. Washington also has the No. 6 overall selection.
