Dear Washington Nationals: Stop! Stop Before It's Too Late!

After my last diatribe detailing the necessity for the Nats to follow a patient, long-term plan, here they are talking about doing something dumb.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated is reporting "that the Nats' attempts to acquire a slew of superstars apparently is serious. A Nationals person said they have interest in Rockies' star outfielder Matt Holliday plus free agents Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn, and A.J. Burnett."

Where do I begin?

Matt Holliday

While Holliday has proven to be one of the best young sluggers in baseball while in Colorado, I have serious doubts as to how he'll succeed outside Coors. His OPS is almost 150 points lower on the road.

Combine that with the pitcher-friendly park the Nats call home and we're looking at a considerable drop from his near-MVP numbers of late. Add in the Scott Boras factor and you're looking at a $150 million-ish contract, which would seem absurd compared to the team's payroll.

Marx Teixeira

Teixeira is flat out one of the best players in baseball. A switch-hitting first baseman of Gold Glove-quality who gets on base and hits for power and average. He's an upgrade over all but for a few first basemen, but at what cost?

Boras has dropped hints about him being a $200 million player (way too much for a corner infielder, maybe even Albert Pujos) and he's been tied to the Red Sox and Yankees. Let's go ahead and check "not available" for him.

Adam Dunn

Mr. Consistency. Adam Dunn has hit 40 homers each of the last three seasons—40 exactly. He gets on base at a very high rate, hits doubles, and is generally a game-changer. Yes, his average is terrible; yes, his left fielding is Manny-esque; but the guy is a great player and very underappreciated. He's been called "country strong," and he can hit the ball out of any ballpark. 

Dunn finished ninth last year in OPS in the NL. If the Nats are going to make a splash with anyone, Adam Dunn is the guy I'd want. He's underappreciated and probably undervalued. GM Jim Bowden has familiarity with Dunn from his days in Cincinnati. Four years and $50 million might get the deal done and that may turn out to be a bargain.

A.J. Burnett

Mr. Contract Year. A.J. Burnett seems to set recent highs of ERA, innings, and strikeouts every time his contract comes up. Hmmmm. He's a guy who last year I might have tried to buy low on, but his value will be completely over-inflated with teams like the Yankees, Brewers, and Dodgers flush with cash and desperate for top-of-the-rotation starters. 

All of these signings would be dumb; Dunn might be a decent value, but the rest will be completely overpaid and will eat up payroll—and, more importantly, maybe only tack on 5-10 wins. The Nats aren't one player away, they're an entire team and farm system away. You make a splash on the free-agent market after you're set to contend. 

Look at the Rays. They had exactly zero big-money free agents on the roster. If this is the Nats' attempt at showing the fans they're "serious about winning," I think the Nats will see that their fans are smarter than they think. The Nats need to think about long-term competition, not flail at being a .500 team.  This team seems to be writing a how-to-ruin-a-franchise-for-dummies clinic.