Washington Nationals Avoid Arbitration with Key Infielder Before Season Even Ends
In a surprise move, the Washington Nationals have avoided arbitration with infielder Ildemaro Vargas, giving him a 2024 contract.
It's not surprising to see the avoidance of arbitration and it's not odd to see the Nats want to keep Vargas around - it's just rare to see arbitration avoided in season. Usually, that's part of the offseason calendar and something that gets done closer to the start of the next season.
The 32-year-old has become a valuable member of the Nats and was even mentioned as a player that other teams were interested in at the trade deadline, so there's clearly a solid skillset for Vargas.
He's appeared in major league games in each of the last seven years, but has bounced around to multiple different organizations. He's played with the Diamondbacks, Twins, Cubs, Pirates and the Diamondbacks and Cubs again before landing in Washington in 2022.
This year, he's appeared in 83 games, hitting .248 in 254 at-bats.
An article from MLBTradeRumors mentioned additional reasons why the club would want to keep Vargas in the fold:
Since arriving in the U.S. capitol, Vargas sports a .261/.304/.375 slash line that’s been good for a wRC+ of 90 while boasting a strikeout rate well below 10%. His high-contract, switch-hitting bat offers additional value off the bench thanks to his positional versatility. Vargas has played all four infield positions during his major league career in addition to left field....
The Nationals lost to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night 5-1. Vargas started and went 0-for-3.
The Nats are now 69-90 on the season.
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