Week in Review: January 10-17, 2021
Top five news, headlines and stories from the past week from around Major League Baseball and the Washington Nationals.
Good Sunday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans.
WHAT a week we had here on The Nats Report. The Washington Nationals and Major League baseball was rocking and rolling, and with only a month to pitchers and catchers reporting, it is undoubtedly going to get even busier.
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Here are some of the top stories from the past week from the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball:
Story #1: Washington Nationals Agree with Juan Soto, Trea Turner, and Josh Bell on Salary Avoid Arbitration
Likely, one of the biggest or at least essential stories this week was that the Washington Nationals agreed with Juan Soto, Trea Turner, and Josh Bell on salaries for 2021, therefore, avoiding arbitration with these players.
Here are the arbitration numbers for the three players:
- Josh Bell agreed with the Nationals at $6.35 Million
- Juan Soto agreed with the Nationals at $8.5 Million
- Trea Turner agreed with the Nationals at $13 Million
[Read all about the process and go in-depth here]
Story #2: The Washington Nationals Signed 16 Year Old International Shortstop Prospect Armando Cruz
Friday afternoon, the Washington Nationals signed 16-year-old International shortstop prospect Armando Cruz from the Dominican Republic for a $3.95 million signing bonus. In addition to signing Armando Cruz, the Washington Nationals signed nine other international prospects. Here is the full list.
Lastly, our friend Steve Mears from TalkNats.com has a great article on International prospects.
[Read all about the 16-year old prospect, and we have an in-depth look at the history of the Washington Nationals International Signings]
Story #3: Naming Rights for the Astros and Nationals Spring Training Facility Change
We reported earlier in the week that the Naming rights for the Astros and Nationals Spring Training Facility has changed only three years into the 12-year contract. It is important to note that the teams WILL NOT be moving facilities.
Story #4: Theo Epstein, the former GM of the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, have a new job.
Not a Washington Nationals focused story; it was big news this week in the world of baseball. Major League Baseball announced that former GM of the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox would become a consultant for the Commissioner's office for "on-field matters." According to the Press release, Epstein will work with baseball analytics experts from the Commissioners office and teams to "determine the likely effects of various contemplated rule changes."
Is this a stepping stone to becoming the next MLB Commissioner? Only time will tell.
Ever since Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets back in the fall of 2020, the team has been taking steps and started to act like a major market baseball team. This week both teams made some serious off-season moves. One could argue that the Mets have been doing all off-season, but their latest move might be their best one yet. The New York Mets acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrsaco from the Indians.
Not to be outdone by their city rivals, on Friday, the New York Yankees, well, acted like the New York Yankees. Friday morning, the New York Yankees signed top free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu to a six-year $90 million contract. Only hours after that deal was completed, the Yankees weren't done. The New York Yankees then signed two-time Cy-Young Award Winner Corey Kluber. According to reports, the Yankees signed two-time CY Young Award winner Corey Kluber to a one year $11 million deal.
So within 12 hours, the New York Yankees spent over $100 million on new salaries, a pretty good day if you can spend that much. Great for baseball, and we can't wait for the season to start.
Talking about the start of the 2021 season......
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