Jordan Zimmerman: Why Washington Nationals Must Extend Young Pitcher ASAP

The Washington Nationals are off to a 14-5 start, their best start since the team moved back to Washington in 2005. 

They're atop the National League, and that can be attributed to the fact that the they have the best pitching staff in all of baseball.

Through 19 games, their staff owns an ERA of 1.61, more than a full run lower than the second-place Rangers (2.83).

Much of that success is because their staff throws the hardest in major league history, averaging just over 93 mph (93.5) on fastballs.

Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez headline the young, hard-throwing rotation, while Jordan Zimmerman, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler comprise the back end.

At 28 years old, Jackson is actually the oldest member of the staff. He is only signed for the current season.

Strasburg and Gonzalez are under contract through 2017, while Detwiler and Zimmerman are signed through 2016.

Detwiler is still working on establishing himself as a consistent starter in the majors (he's doing a great job thus far), but Zimmerman has proved that he can get it done at the highest level.

Reports surfaced in the middle of April that the Nationals may be exploring a potential extension with Zimmerman (via Mike Axisa of MLBtraderumors.com), with the contract possibly being worth $22 million to $25 million over four years.

If general manager Mike Rizzo was smart—I like to think that he is—he'd jump on the opportunity to sign Zimmerman, and as soon as possible.

Currently, Zimmerman owns a 1-1 record with a 1.33 ERA. His record would be much better, but he has fallen victim to a lack of run support in the early goings.

His first win came on Wednesday against the Padres. Zimmerman tossed six innings of one-run ball while striking out six.

With each passing start, Zimmerman's value increases. If the Nationals were interested in signing him long-term, they'd get a deal done sooner rather than later.

If they wait until the end of the season to knock out a deal, the extension could potentially be worth $37 million to $40 million over the rumored four years.

It's also ideal to get a contract agreed upon so the team can keep their young core of starters together long-term.

Although Strasburg and Gonzalez are under contract for just a year longer than Zimmerman, it's expected that Strasburg will sign an extension before his current deal expires. Also, Gonzalez will be just 31 years old when his deal runs out.

The Nationals could realistically re-sign him and keep their same top-three starters (Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmerman) through at least 2020.

The Nationals rotation won't keep this pace up—it's impossible.

Zimmerman won't finish the season with an ERA of 1.33, nor will he continue to earn no-decisions. The offense will pick up and he'll start to get a little unlucky at some point.

That being said, Zimmerman is a potential 16-game winner, and one who should be locked up for the foreseeable future.