*Photo from the Washington Post*
One of the favorites of the Washington Nationals fanbase is back for another year. The Nationals have re-signed 1B Ryan Zimmerman to a one year, $1 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Zimmerman was the first draft pick made by the Nationals after they moved to Washington from Montreal, and has played every season except 2020, when he opted out of the season due to Covid-19 concerns. The Nationals have confirmed the deal.
Zimmerman last played in the Nationals world series winning season of 2019, with an average of .257 with a .736 OPS, hitting 6 homers and 27 RBI in 52 games played, mostly in reserve action. In his long, 15 season career, Zimmerman is a .279 hitter with an .818 OPS, hitting 270 homers and 1,015 RBI in 1,689 games played, all in a Nationals uniform.
Zimmerman said of his negotiations with the Nationals that "I didn’t know if they were going to offer me a Major League deal, or if they were going to want me to come down on a Minor League deal. I'm 36 years old and I haven’t played baseball in a year. I think that shows, obviously, the respect that Riz and the team have for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."
When Zimmerman decided to opt out of the 2020 season, he felt pretty sure that he would want to come back in 2021. When it really set in that he opted out and he had to watch the Nationals on TV at his home, his desire to come back in 2021 really grew, which motivated him to sign with the Nationals as soon as he could.
Zimmerman said of his team that "I enjoy playing with this group of guys. If it was a different situation and we had a bunch of roster turnover and we had a bunch of unknowns or uncertainties, it might have made the decision a little bit harder. But they do such a good job of keeping such a good group of guys together. It’s something you want to be a part of."
Zimmerman also discussed when he might retire, saying that "Me coming back this year was in no means for like a victory lap sort of thing. I think you guys know me better than that. I appreciate this fan base and this city, much has been made about that. We've grown up together, all that kind of stuff. But this is about coming back because I still think I can play the game at a high level, and I still think I can help the team win. If I can kind of settle into this role and do well this year, by no means does this have to be my last year. At least that's the way I'm looking at it."
The Nationals have had a very productive offseason so far. They've traded for Josh Bell, who Zimmerman will be backing up at first base, signed Jon Lester, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Hand to re-enforce the team as they look to contend for the playoffs once again in 2021.
Comments
Post a Comment