Nationals sign Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth has officially left the Philadelphia Phillies and his new home might surprise you…

The Washington Nationals.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com was the first to report the move was imminent. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed.

It’s a 7-year deal worth $126 million which will pay Werth $18 million per season through 2018 when he is 38 years old.

“It is an elite player,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said at a news conference. “Elite players get a lot of money.”

Werth leaves Philadelphia after 4 seasons in which he batted .282 with 95 home runs and 300 RBIs. He won 4 NL East Championships, 2 National League Pennants, and a World Series Championship in 2008.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I did have a great time in Philadelphia,” said Werth. “Once you get to a point where you feel unwanted or you get a sense you’re not part of the plans, it’s time to move on. At that point I was ready to move on and fortunately enough for me, I found a home in Washington. I signed here to win, and I believe that we’re going to win. It’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to take some time.”

The Phillies, Red Sox, and Orioles all made offers to Werth but none came close to the massive contract offered by the Nationals. Sources say the Phillies offered Werth a 3-year deal with a 4th year option valued at about $16 million per season. The deal offered was very similar to the contract signed by Jason Bay with the New York Mets last season.

Werth signing with the Nationals means the Phillies will not get a first round draft pick even though they offered the RF arbitration. This year the first 18 picks of the 1st round are protected. The Phillies will receive the Nationals 2nd round pick (#33 overall) and a sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd round.

The Phillies will now turn their attention to how to replace Werth. Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown could fill the void internally if the Phillies chose to go with a platoon in RF. The team could also look to free agency and go after outfielders such as Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, or Scott Hairston.