The Washington Nationals just sent out the following public statement from Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo in the last few moments. I'll reprint it below in its entirety without comment:
"December 14, 2010
A Message From EVP & GM Mike Rizzo on the Jayson Werth Signing and Phase Two of the Evolution of the Franchise
Dear Nationals fans:
On Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park, we will introduce and formally welcome Jayson Werth into our family.
It's always been our philosophy that championship teams are built on pitching, defense and athleticism, and I feel like we've made great strides over the last couple of seasons through the draft, acquisitions and trades. I firmly believe we're building the foundation of a team that will be a long-term contender.
Jayson is an ideal fit for our ballclub. He's a middle-of-the-order bat, an above-average athlete and elite defender. He will win us games on both offense and defense. Jayson, like Ryan Zimmerman, is the prototypical National League player that we covet and he has made it clear to us that he wants to be part of a baseball renaissance in the Nation's Capital.
Jayson's signing stunned the assembled baseball universe two weekends ago in Orlando. As fun as it was to make the announcement, the signing also ushered in Phase Two of our franchise's evolution where we add the key pieces that will help us compete for division titles and championships.
We still have work to do. I assure you that the Nationals baseball operations department will continue to work around the clock to find the very best prospects and impact players to grace the field of Nationals Park on Opening Day - we're looking forward to seeing you there.
As always, we appreciate your support of Nationals baseball.
Happy holidays to all. I hope to be in touch again in the coming weeks… - Mike Rizzo."
In Rizzo We Trust?