31-year-old first baseman and future DH Adam Dunn joined the last GM to sign him, Jim Bowden, and Casey Stern on the Sirius/XM MLB Network Radio show "Inside Pitch" just a few minutes ago to discuss his decision to leave the nation's capital and sign a 4-year/$56 million dollar deal with the Chicago White Sox. The Nats' now-former middle-of-the-order bat started the interview by telling the hosts that he would miss Washington, D.C.:
Adam Dunn: "I really enjoyed my time in Washington. I really love the city. The fans there are just...you know, it's a special place in my heart for those people, but this is a place where I have a chance to play and win a World Series ring and that's what everyone plays for and everyone wishes they get a chance, and I've got mine."
Jim Bowden then asked if the Nats could have done anything to get Dunn to sign if they'd come to him with the four years he and his agent reportedly wanted. Dunn's responded that he, "...wanted to stay there. I really liked being there. My family was comfortable, I was comfortable there. I think things are definitely looking up there, but, you know again, this opportunity presented itself and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The rest of the conversation concerned Dunn's future with the White Sox, but Dunn did talk a little about what it meant to him to not have to listen to the trade talk and rumors any more and the now-settled slugger who knows where he'll play for the next four years genuinely seemed relieved:
"Oh man, JB, you know how I am and it was huge. This was something that was very important to me, was to get that fourth year and just like I said, so I wouldn't have to go through that like I've gone through my whole career," Dunn said. "I try not to think about all the trade rumors," Dunn said referring to the stories which dogged him throughout his last months in Washington, "because I don't think it was fair to my teammates in Washington. I thought it was a bit of a distraction for us and that's why I tried to not talk about it. I didn't want to even bring it up because I did not want to be a distraction to those guys, because they, there's some great guys in that clubhouse that play hard and they'll be missed."
"That was a place that I felt like I fit in really well," Dunn said of Washington, "and I do think that they wanted me there, and it's just how things work out, but again, there's not a lot of opportunities to where you get to step into a team that I think won 88 games and is on the brink of not just winning a division but winning a World Series and that is the ultimate goal."
The Nationals now head to the Winter Meetings, where they'll attempt to replace the offense they've lost at first and in the middle of their lineup. D.C. GM Mike Rizzo released a statement within the last few hours about the Nats losing their big middle-of-the order bat.