Nationals Sign Adam Dunn For 2 Years / $20 Million

Here is the single paragraph just posted on the Washington Post's Nationals Journal page:

"The Washington Nationals have agreed to a preliminary deal with 29-year-old free agent Adam Dunn, a signing that would fulfill their off-season long search for a left-handed power hitter. Two independent sources have told the Post that Dunn will sign a two-year deal, possibly announced as early as tomorrow."

The two-year contract is worth $10 million per season, a very reasonable  number considering he is one of the premier sluggers in all of baseball. So to be certain, the Nationals didn't overpay.

The Nationals have been pummeled by beat writers and peripheral fans since they failed to sign uber-star Mark Teixiera, who ultimately signed with the New York Yankees.

The crowd noise got so loud for team GM Jim Bowden to sign somebody, anybody, that I worried the team would make a quick (read: poor) signing to placate the yellers and the screamers.

Looks like that didn't happen.

Dunn is 29 years old (still young), bats lefty (a real boon to the Nationals' mostly right-handed lineup) and is consistently consistent.

How consistent? Here are his home run totals over the last four years: 2005:40, 2006:40, 2007:40, 2008:40.

Oh, yeah; he's consistent.

His lifetime average over a full season:

Ave:.247 -- 2B:29 -- 3B:1 -- HR:40 -- RBI:96

Granted, that batting average doesn't look all that impressive (and really it isn't), but his career on-base percentage is .381, which means a great many singles are hiding in his stats as walks.

Walk? Single? They are about the same in the long run. The only difference is that he has fewer opportunties to drive in runs.

That's why a career average of 40 homers has driven in just (and I used that term loosely) 96 runs.

There is a concern that Dunn's home park (except for 144 at-bats with Arizona last year), known to some as a hitter's park and to others as a band-box, might have inflated his power numbers.

And while it did, not by as much as you might think.

Dunn has averaged a homer every 12.7 at-bats at home and 15 at-bats on the road over his big league career. That works out to about a 3-5 homer difference over the course of the season.

So he hits 36 homers instead of 40. I can live with that.

How do I describe his defense?

Hmm. Well, for those of you older than 45, think Frank Howard. He catches what he can get to in the outfield, but I think, at least defensively, we'd rather have Alfonso Soriano back in left.

At first, he's okay.

But his defense is one of the reason's he's not going to get Teixiera-type money.

And that's why the Nationals will be able to afford him.

Where will Adam Dunn play?

If he goes to the outfield-which is his wish-the Nationals will now have 5 starting outfielders. Who will be traded?

My guess is that he will play first and Nick Johnson, once he proves he's healthy in Spring Training, will be traded.

But don't think for a moment that the Nationals were Dunn's first-or even second-choice. He has been sitting on an offer from Washington for a long time now.

He made it clear that the Dodgers were his first choice.

But with the Los Angeles Angels, another option for Dunn, signing Bobby Abreu this morning, and will the Dodgers seemingly nearing a deal with Manny Ramirez (and Houston, who had some interest saying they were out over the weekend), Dunn didn't have any real viable option left other than the 102 loss Nationals.

In two years, when the contract runs out, the team can re-sign him (a good possibility considering they should be very competitive by then) or offer arbitration and let Adam Dunn leave, garnering the team another first round draft pick.

And don't forget, because the Diamondbacks didn't offer Dunn arbitration, his signing will not cost the team a draft pick of their own.

Nada.

Wow.