Seeing Ken Griffey Jr. seated courtside with Ryan Zimmerman during a Wizards game on Sunday sure made Nationals fans wonder if Junior was coming to Washington. Turns out the two attended a golf tournament earlier so cancel your Griffey jersey.
So much for the Nats following Dan Snyder’s penchant for offseason headline grabbing. Fans hoping for at least one titanic move are seeing a series of minor ones. Ticket holders paying top dollar want A-Rod, not players needing second chances. The last three seasons of bargain basement teams at RFK Stadium won’t do at the new palace on South Capitol Street.
The Nats need a marquee name needed to fill the new venue that opens in April. Instead, there are a couple projects that will either prove general manager Jim Bowden is a genius or get him fired, a nice catcher in Paul Lo Duca and utility infielder Aaron Boone, but nothing like the star power Griffey brings.
Griffey is too expensive for Washington even in the final year of his Cincinnati deal. The Reds appear willing to part with the outfielder and pay half of his $12 million salary, but there’s still a $4 million buyout in 2009 and some deferred money that might total $15 million for one season. That is, if Griffey waives his no-trade rights to go to a mediocre team. The Nats would also lose a couple nice prospects from a farm team with few extras to peddle.
The Nats are bargain hunting for a home run hitter and a couple starting pitchers. President Stan Kasten won’t raid the U.S. Treasury a few blocks away even if the new stadium is the region’s second largest ATM behind FedEx Field. However, the Nats will make mega-bucks with increased ticket prices and amenities, so shell out some of that dough for impact players.
Remember, opening day will sell out, but the rest of April and May could see crowds in the low 20s. A big name like Griffey would push it to 30,000 nightly. After all, once you’ve seen the new park and braved the expected traffic woes, something enticing is needed to do it again. The Nats aren’t ready for a playoff run so a big hitter is the draw. The next Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard or even Alfonso Soriano. Watching Griffey work towards his 600th home run would do it.
Fans must now hope Nick Johnson’s rehab works after missing last season with a broken leg. Maybe Wily Mo Pena can pop a few. Lastings Milledge could make Austin Kearns expendable amid rumors of the latter being used as trade bait. And then there’s Elijah Dukes, who has a long list of troubles that makes Milledge’s problems seem picky.
Dukes could be a 40-homer man. Given the Nats have no one expected to hit more than 25, that would solve some problems. Yet, his past troubles make this such a risk. At least Milledge has a former mentor in manager Manny Acta to believe the latter can keep the outfielder from doing dumb stuff.
This could be another season of discontent in Washington. It better be the last. The new stadium will distract fans for one more year, but that’s it. By next winter, the Nats need to bump up. Otherwise, Nats fans may tune out.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
