Nats failure thread

[filihok]

I have a question:

Marquis, a sinker baller pitcher, how well will be perform having three below average defensive infielders (Zimmerman is basically the only good one) until Desmond joins.

Will Marquis get wins?

The Nats won't get wins

[Jeffy25]

The Nats won't get wins

Predictions have them looking alright. 70-80

[HoustonGM]

Predictions have them looking alright. 70-80

Not if they keep making decisions like this one.

[CCamels73]

Even I cant argue that this (Dukes release) doesnt have atleast some failure to it.
We, as fans, had some high hopes for him this season as he performed well last year once he was recalled from Syracuse. He was even using what I would call the "right" rhetoric to generate a sense of belief in him once the season was over. This, to me, smells too much like off the field issues that Riggleman has already says isnt the issue. If its not the case, then why not send him back to Syracuse to start out the year since he has 1 more option left? Plus he is only making 400k .....

[TheNamelessPoet]

bet TNP could make it

They would just confuse him with Boof Bonser.

not any more
and as we saw earlier in the thread... its not like they care about spelling

[Alloutwar]

Wow. Elijah Dukes? released? whew.

Option 1: play him this year. Not like he's going to take a lot of wins away, even if he's horrible. Who exactly is chomping at the bit to replace him?
Option 2: relegate him to the minors, since he has options. No harm.
Option 3: still has a lot of upside, so trade him for something you want/need more.
....
Option 72: force him to become a priest and leave baseball entirely, so at least he won't play for another team
Option 73: just release him, getting nothing in return. Really no good reason to use this option, unless hes ****ing your daughter or something. Even then, minors is better punishment. So he'd have to be ****ing your daughter, AND have an infectious disease that could potentially kill other AAA players. Even then, you'd get value if using Option 3. Option 73 should most likely be removed from rulebook.

[Jeffy25]

Wow. Elijah Dukes? released? whew.

haha

[filihok]

Rizzo said the #Nats made many attempts to trade Dukes, but could not find an interested team

http://twitter.com/masnBen/status/10626843836

[Alloutwar]

And you can't play a guy like that. Not even as a 4th outfielder. Not where your starters are:
Josh Willingham
Nyjer Morgan
Willie Harris
Justin Maxwell
Roger Bernadina

Ok - Willingham is decent. Morgan a speedy one. Harris is passable, right? So worst case scenrio, Dukes as a 4th OF'er and PH? And if he pulls it all together this year - or even platoons well - he could get to a starter role.

I've never heard of Maxwell or Bernadina...are these better options that Dukes?? I cannot conceptually get this move into my brain.

[HoustonGM]

I've never heard of Maxwell or Bernadina...are these better options that Dukes??

No.

[filihok]

Maxwell probably deserves a shot.

He's big, he's fast. He strikes out a ton. Has some pop. His upside would be something like well...Elijah Dukes but less refined.

Bernadina is a fast CFer who doesn't hit.

[HoustonGM]

Over the last two years, Maxwell has basically done in AAA what Dukes has done in the majors.

[filihok]

Over the last two years, Maxwell has basically done in AAA what Dukes has done in the majors.

If you wanna look at it that way
OBP/SLG
Dukes 2009: .337/.393
Maxwell (AAA) 2009: .344/.396
Maxwell did add 35 steals and I think he played CF but I don't know how well

[kenny1234]

The only thing that might make sense is if they decided that Dukes was going to be the 4th outfielder, but that he didn't want to accept that role. The difference between Dukes and the next option as a 4th outfielder would probably be less than a win, and that might not have been worth the headaches they expected him to cause.

[McPhale]

Keeping in line with the Nats/Dukes/Failure line of thinking, don't forget Willy Tavares is a Nat now (although I don't know that him or Morgan have a RF arm), and I've seen rumors about the Nats' interest in Jermaine Dye.