After weeks of refusing to budge on their standing two-year offer, the Washington Nationals finally got free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche to relent on his demands.
Nationals sign Adam Laroche
The lefty slugger will return to D.C. for at least two years at $24 million.
Mike Zarrilli
The Nats are bringing back the veteran slugger for two guaranteed years at $24 million, according to The Washington Post, one year less than LaRoche was seeking. LaRoche will receive $10 million next year, $12 million in 2014, and has a $15 million mutual option for the 2015 season with a $2 million buyout.
Following a career year with the Nationals -- in which he won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and hit .271/.343/.510 with 33 home runs -- LaRoche sought at least a three-year deal on the open market, and held out on Washington for several months to try to get it. In the end, though, the draft compensation tied to the 33-year-old probably dissuaded clubs like the Red Sox from making him a long-term offer.
LaRoche's return to D.C. gives the Nats some room to play with their roster for next season. With Denard Span in center field and Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth on the corners, Mike Morse is suddenly without a position and could prove to be a strong trade chip for the club.
The Mariners, Yankees, Orioles, and Rays are thought to have at least some interest in the righty slugger, though his recent admission of being "strongly opposed" to a designated hitter role could cause AL clubs to back off.
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