Updating a previous item, Jon Heyman, of SI.com, reports the Washington Nationals signed OF Willy Taveras to a one-year, $4 million deal Monday, Feb. 15. The Oakland Athletics will be paying for most of Taveras’ 2010 salary.
Our Instinct: Taveras was actually signed to a minor league contract and invited to camp, while the A’s are on the hook for the rest of his salary. It’s a curious move by the Nationals, considering they already have Nyjer Morgan burning up the base paths and playing center field. Perhaps if Morgan regains some of the magic he had in 2008, he might be worth trading later. However, the .275 obp he posted last season suggests that won’t happen. Still, he’s a decent insurance policy for an injury, plays solid defense, and is being paid by Billy Beane. How’s that for a change of pace?
