The Washington Nationals and free agent first baseman Adam
LaRoche made “a little bit of progress” toward a contract agreement over the last
week, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
There has been "a little bit of progress" made between free-agent first baseman Adam LaRoche and the Nationals in the last week, according to a baseball source familiar with the negotiations.
While LaRoche is looking for a three-year contract this
winter, the Nationals do not appear to be willing to extend him that long of a
guaranteed deal. Instead, Washington may elect to provide the veteran slugger
with two years and include an option for a third.
Ladson adds that the Nationals have not implemented a
deadline on LaRoche’s decision, despite rumors from earlier this week.
Washington has flexibility when it comes to negotiations, as they have an
in-house replacement option in Mike Morse and will receive a draft pick if
LaRoche signs elsewhere.
Last season for the Nationals LaRoche hit .271/.343/.510
with 35 doubles and 33 home runs. The 33-year-old owns a career line of
.268/.338/.482 over nine years in the majors.
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