Philadelphia Phillies: Learn from the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon mistake
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Phillies need to learn from the Nats mistakes.
No more than a few months ago, and the Washington Nationals organization was celebrating a full on world championship. Despite losing their franchise superstar (Bryce Harper) during free agency to the Philadelphia Phillies, the team had rallied round some savvy veterans and a group of exciting young players to scrape out a World Series win against all odds.
Now, the Nationals sit dead last in the NL East, just a handful of losses removed from having the worst winning percentage in all of baseball. So what all went so terribly wrong?
The Nationals bet on themselves following the 2018 season, opting to not give Harper a reasonable offer in free agency and instead banking on a young trio of exciting bats while simultaneously doubling down on their pitching investment. They had Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Trea Turner emerging in their lineup, and they handed out a massive contract to LHP Patrick Corbin.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
A lot of things went right for the Nats during their 2019 campaign. Despite staring off the season rather shaky, the team rallied around their elite starting staff and ended up clawing their way into the Wild Card. Backed by an elite trio of Scherzer-Strasburg-Corbin, the underdog DC team rode their momentum all the way into the World Series.
Coming off the championship, a lot of fans and analysts had the Nationals pinned as a team that could continue to have elite success moving forward as well. They retained their dominant starting rotation by re-signing Strasburg, Juan Soto appeared to be blossoming into a potential MVP candidate, and they added a handful of impactful veterans during the 2020 offseason like Asdrubal Cabrera and Eric Thames.
All of that sounds great, but Washington ownership forgot about one major cog in the machine. They were forgetting their best overall player: Anthony Rendon.
Rendon had a monster 2019 season, slashing .319/.412/.598 while also leading the Nats in RBIs (126), HRs (34), and hits (174). He was selected to the All-Star game, won a Silver Slugger, received some Gold Glove consideration, and finished third in the NL MVP voting.
Rendon also had an absolutely insane run during the postseason, hitting over .400 in both the NLDS and the NLCS, while also knocking in eight crucial RBIs during the actual World Series against Houston.
Rendon was the team’s best overall player in 2019, there’s really no denying that. Guys like Soto, Strasburg, and Scherzer all played their own respective roles, but Rendon was undoubtedly the most valuable when it was all said and done. Without his elite offensive production and his dominant fielding ability, this team never would have made it over .500 last season.
Even after all that, Washington ownership let Rendon leave in the offseason, making it two consecutive years where the team allowed their best player to walk right out the door. Rendon joined Mike Trout out in Los Angeles on a $245 million contract, and he’s currently leading the entire AL in on-base percentage (.435).
The Nationals made a mistake letting Rendon leave, and the Philadelphia Phillies could be plummeting down a similar path. Every team has their limit to how much they’re truly willing to pay, but an organization always needs to find a little extra wiggle room when it comes to retaining elite level talent. It’s no secret that catcher JT Realmuto is currently set to hit the open market this winter, and the Phils would be wise to take warning of the Nationals’ free agency failures from last offseason.
Next. The Philadelphia Phillies should have traded for Josh Hader. dark
It’s really hard to find star players in sports, and the Philadelphia Phillies were lucky enough to hit the jackpot with Realmuto. They gave up a lot in terms of draft assets to land him, but he’s truly gone above and beyond in terms of exceeding expectations. When it comes to who an organization should prioritize paying, Realmuto should be at the top of the list, just like Rendon should have been for the Nationals.