Historically Desperate Times Call for Historically Desperate Measures: What Can the Washington Nationals Do to Escape the Descending Spiral of Ineptitude?

by Dave at District Sports Page on Jul 9, 2009 4:04 PM EDT

OK, I'll be honest. I started to write a long, drawn-out column about the state of the team, why they are so bad and how to keep perspective. But honestly, it felt like a repeat.

Instead, like most of my internet writing brethren (and sisthren) and blog commenters out there today, I'm just going to spout off some random (and possibly radical) ideas about how to fix things to see if anything sticks (or stinks).

Desperate times, my friends...

1) Call up Martis, Mock, Martin, Balestar; go with starter by committee. Look, it's not about wins and losses anymore, so why try to pretend. The team already announced they want to limit the number of innings of some of these guys. So call up the other starters, waive some of the crappy relievers, and let them share games.

That's right, Detwiler gets five innings and Mock gets the next four. Martin starts for five and Zimmermann closes with four. Rotate. There's no pressure on any one guy since they know how much they're going to pitch. Stick with the plan unless someone is REALLY getting rocked. Let them pitch through their mistakes without fear of getting yanked.

Oh, and maybe start calling some pitches from the dugout. Yesterday, with Detwiler abandoning the curveball? Unacceptable.

2) Flip-flop Guzman and Zimmerman. Yeah, I said it. What is Zimm's biggest problem at third? Making the standing throw. Plays on the run or diving he's one of the best in the league. But the grounder right to him? He throws it away.

Slide him over 40 feet where so many more plays are made on the move. He's already shown he can handle the pivot making double plays when the shift is employed. And his range CAN'T be any smaller than Guzie's.

It worked pretty well for this guy...

Guzman showed during the all-star game last season he can handle the hot corner. He doesn't have the best arm in the majors, but that isn't his problem -- it's range and desire. Playing third will make you pay attention or you'll lose your cajones.

3) DFA Belliard and call up D'Meathook. Belliard is absolutely useless to this team. He can't hit, isn't the first or second option as a defensive replacement, and what's worse, is becoming increasingly difficult in the locker room.

According to an article in the Times today, Young is in obviously better shape than he's been in a long while, and claims he's been game-ready since the end of April. He's still an asset. Get him up here for a couple weeks of pinch-hitting and see if someone will give the Nats a "C" prospect for him.

Either way, the guy can hit falling out of bed, so he'd be a legit switch-hitting pinch-hitter off the bench.

4) Trade Dunn to an American League team. For all of our sakes. Ask for middle-of-the-diamond prospects. I know the guy is trying, and it's obvious the losing is killing him. That's what so refreshing about Dunn, he'll tell you what he's thinking.

Mike Rizzo (unfairly by the interviewer, I might add) let himself get put in a corner the other day on the radio, saying "We are not trading Adam Dunn." But it's foolish to think that the team wouldn't listen to an offer if it were the right offer. It's not like Dunn is Mickey Mantle. For all his great skill, he's also an equally flawed player.

It's painfully obvious that his worth is as a hitter, and that worth would skyrocket if a team didn't have to worry about him costing that team runs in the field. It's not just the errors either, it's the balls he can't track down in the outfield that lets runners take extra bases. Or the lollipop throws that look like he's dogging it, when folks don't realize that's all he's got out there.

5) After you trade Dunn, move Willingham back to left and call up Dukes for right field. Where he's belonged all along. He OBP'd .386 last season in 334 plate appearances. After June 1 last season, he OBP'd .406 in 271 plate appearances. Give him a shot to replicate that.

If he doesn't, then ship him out. But it's foolhardy to let a 25-year old with obvious talent flounder in Triple-A when your big league roster is full of older players that are performing worse than he is.

6) DFA Kearns. It's time. The Blue Jays just ate B.J. Ryan's contract, and it's twice as much as Kearns'. Think of it this way, if you DFA him, you'll save the $1 million you'd have to buy him out with next season.

Poll

Which Suggestion Do You Agree With Most?

Starters by committee

27 votes

Flip-flop Zimm and Guz

7 votes

Call up D'Meat

19 votes

Trade Dunn to A.L.

31 votes

Bring back Dukes

19 votes

103 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 15 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

I like the idea of calling up Young

the guy has always hit and he brings some life to the team

by gengreen17 on Jul 9, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions

Agree. May as well at least get a place filler for 5 million dollars.

by RoscoeNats on Jul 9, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

DY!!!!! I'm all for kids in the pen too...Zinicola for Tavarez!!!!

Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."

by Patrick Reddington on Jul 9, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

We're going to kill some of these guys' confidence by bringing them up too soon.

We had starter by committee a few years back, too. Not good……

Although, I’ve always had this idea of throwing a reliever, maybe with a wierd delivery or just different stuff from the real starter, for a couple of innings to throw the batters off from the beginning.

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions

hard to know

Yea…im not sure… on one hadn you have the Braves of the 90s where they copped a pounding and they let them work it out and get experience. Obviously they came good.

But the others (cant think of example right now but im sure they are about), can also happen. Do u take the chance and play the kids and hope they turn in Glavines?

"Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand."

by Mezza on Jul 10, 2009 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I voted for trading Dunn ( I may vote twice after tonight's fiasco), but bring up DY!!!

Dukes gets to come back that way, too…

#6: Chase Kearns off with a broom…

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions

anyone for Tavarez

he’s outworn his welcome

by gengreen17 on Jul 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions

In theory, the starter-by-committee sounds good, but it would take up too much roster space and leave them with too little flexibility. When you have 2 guys penciled in to split the game, you’re betting that both will be able to give you 4-5 innings…if somebody gets bombed, there wouldn’t be another guy to fill-in, as everyone would be penciled in to start in the next few days.

I voted for bringing back Dukes, I’m sure they will soon…I think it was more of a wake-up call than anything. I hope so, at least!

by thehoagster07 on Jul 9, 2009 7:48 PM EDT reply actions

The pregame show talked about Bernadina's rehab coming along well...

…Ray Knight thinks he may have a good HR stroke in the future.

by RoscoeNats on Jul 9, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Interesting, as I hadn't considered Bernadina having power, not that I'd know.

See, Bowden had a backup plan if Lasto didn’t turn to gold…. just bad luck….

Like the bad luck Will Ferrell has playing LF…

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions

My View

We have the deepest starting pitchingof any organization in baseball right now. It is just young and inexperienced. I am absolutely convinced that all 5 guys in our starting rotation have multiple 15 win seasons in them, but not until they reach the age of 26 or 27. So I would do nothing to mess with the rotation. Just be patient for a few years. I also believe we have 3 or 4 minor league pitchers as good as the guys in our rotation. So we are in a position to trade young pitching in the near future. But, I would wait to see who blows out their arms first. Someone always does.

What this team needs is hitting prospects. Middle infielders more than anything. We should trade Dunn and Guzman for several minor or major league middle infielders who can hit AND field above average. At the major league level Jack Wilson of the Pirates would make my list. He is the best defender at SS in the NL and available. His bat is not Chase Utley, but still good. Our rookie pitchers would really like his glove behind them.

Marrero is our best firstbase prospect, but he is still fairly raw. I would resign NJ for another season to give Marerro another year, then turn first over to Marrero a year from now if appears possibly ready.

Make those changes and give this young rotation two or three years and this is a serious playoff team.

"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James

by PhDBrian on Jul 9, 2009 10:26 PM EDT reply actions

I agree except for Utley, not that he'd be available...A player like Utley maybe, without the high spikes to catcher's knees...

Draft and develop pitching, and trade Dunn for a SS….

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

+1 from me

All sounds good.

A gun SS has to be a priority. Got to be strong up the middle.

"Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand."

by Mezza on Jul 10, 2009 1:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Why couldn't Alberto have been that guy..... why, oh why......

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions

fair point

He made E’s at the start and they lost faith…and he probably doesnt hit as well as Guz.

For some reason he doesnt seem to be the long term answer… I guess I havent seen enough of him to understand why.

But I was always told that SS was probably the most important infield position in the game… you cant have a guy who is either not interested or losing skills in that position.

"Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand."

by Mezza on Jul 10, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions