Ryan Zimmerman Contract Extension: Good or Bad for Nationals?

Lots of Nationals talk here lately, and I, for one, am loving it. There is nothing better than a 1-11 club getting all the pub.

Anyway, for those who missed it, the Nationals have locked up third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a five-year, $45 million extension.

The fantastic David Pinto, from baseballmusings.com, weighs in:

"Washington may be stuck with him, too. I’m just not that high on his offense, as he’s failed to build on his rookie season at an age when players should be improving. He is a good defender, but he gets a huge boost from one great defensive year. Given the price of players today, the contract seems appropriate given what he’s accomplished, but I would like to see a season where his offensive numbers improve before I lay out the big bucks. Zimmerman strikes me as the kind of player I’d wait a year on before going long term."

While I respect Pinto's opinion and completely understand it, I'm going to take the other side here.

If there was ever a time for the Nationals to sign Zimmerman to a team-friendly contract, now was the time. Zimmerman is coming off an injury-plagued season where the buzz surrounding him dissipated from "the next David Wright" to "let's hope to the baseball gods that Zimmerman reaches his potential." If Zimmerman has a great season in 2009, there is no doubt that his price tag would have gone up, probably closer to the six-year, $66 million contract Nick Markakis got.

At worst, the Nationals have locked up a very good player and a possible rising star for a more than reasonable price. Zimmerman is a very valuable and useful building block to have on board. Is he a franchise player? Right now, no, but Zimmerman, almost by default, is the Nationals' franchise player.

Considering how much of a mess the Nationals are, this move brings some stability to management, now knowing that a possible Zimmerman extension does not have to be held over their heads.

In addition, Zimmerman is one of the few guys the Nationals have who the fans actually want to come and see. For better or worse, Zimmerman is the face of the franchise, and they have little else besides Zimmerman to get excited about (other than Strasburg!). Having Zimmerman around for the near future gives fans at least some glimmer of hope that better days are ahead and that talented Nationals will stay in Washington.

And, finally, what good young player actually wants to be with the Nationals these days? By my count, the answer is only one: Ryan Zimmerman.