There could have been some better places for Werth to land for the Mets, like outside the division, however as situations could go, this is pretty positive for the Mets. First, before some analysis, lets break down the deal. The Nationals had a pretty good offense last season, but they lost one of their key players last week when Dunn signed with the White Sox. The Nationals were able to go out and get Jason Werth for 7 years and 126 million. Jason now becomes the centerpiece for the Nationals offense. Expect to see a slight drop in his production next season as he will be playing in a bigger ball park, and he doesn't have as much protection in the lineup. The other players in the Nationals lineup will NOT see a drop in production as Werth essentially takes the focus that Dunn received.
Anyway there are a lot of implications about this contract, for example the size of it. Its huge. This is a big statement for the Nationals as they really look to be buyers for once, and they will need something for the ballpark while they wait for Strasburgh to come off of the DL. The contract also means that Crawford could possibly look to get a near historic contract, since this one was near historic. Finally, this spreads beyond the outfield position. This sets the level of pay that the best players will demand on the market.
Now why do I love this?
This is probably the worst possible scenario for the Phillies.
First, Werth stays in the division and can his new team tips about the Nationals pitching rotation. More importantly, the Phillies now don't just lose Werth's talents, they have to contend with them now.
Second, and more important, the only benefit the Phillies were going to get from losing Werth was two first round picks. However, the Nationals were so bad last season, that their first round pick is protected. Therefore the Phillies will receive a supplemental round pick and then the Nationals second round pick instead.
Like I said earlier, the best situation for the Mets would have been for Werth to go to a struggling team outside of the division, but I'll take him going to the Nationals.
