Remember that kid in elementary school that got basically everything he ever wanted and it still wasn’t enough for him?
Well that’s Jayson Werth, only several years older.
Apparently getting overpaid with a seven-year contract for $126 million is not sufficient for his needs, even if it is with the lowly Washington Nationals. His comments regarding Cliff Lee tell all.
Tuesday, his first day of spring training, Werth told Philly.com, “I think if they would have played it right they would have had both of us. I mean, they traded Cliff away for prospects and then realized that was probably not what they should’ve done.
“They ended up paying him a lot more than they would’ve signed him the year before. Then we would have had him. Chances are if they signed him before they traded him, it probably would’ve made it a little easier to sign me.”
If Werth isn’t at all bitter, then the Phillie Phanatic isn’t green.
In other words, Werth is saying that even though HE CHOSE to get paid more money in Washington, he thinks that the Phillies had the opportunity to keep him and have Lee at the same time.
What Werth fails to realize is that at the time the Phils traded Lee to the Mariners in 2009, they weren’t expanding pay roll to the extent they have today. Lee wanted a significant amount of money then because he was eager to test the free agent market once his contract expired after the 2010 season.
A possible reason for getting rid of Lee at the time, other than to get something in return for him and replenish the farm system as 
Ruben Amaro Jr. claimed, was to save enough money to re-sign Werth.
But, let’s not forget that shortly after the team traded Lee to Seattle, that money disappeared when they signed Joe Blanton to a three-year deal worth $24 million and extended Ryan Howard with a five-year, $125 million dollar contract.
The Howard deal made everyone in the Delaware Valley believe that re-signing Werth was less of a possibility, especially with the money Howard received. Clearly, the front office felt that Werth wasn’t worth as much as he would request.
When looking at last year’s statistics, the front office was right. He hit a putrid .186 with RISP, .139 with RISP and two outs and .255 with runners on base in general. Do those kind of numbers in clutch situations equate $126 million or anything slightly less than that? No way.
If the Phillies had kept Lee into 2010, then they never would’ve traded for Roy Oswalt at the trade deadline. Also, there’s no certainty that they would’ve signed Lee after the season anyway.
So, if the Phils decided to go in the direction of Werth’s bitter philosophy, they would not have four ace pitching studs and maybe would not even have Lee at all.
To me, it seems like having the rotation the Phils have now and trying their luck in right field with Ben Francisco, Domonic Brown, a combination of the two or whoever else is a better scenario than just having Werth.
Werth also said Tuesday that he wasn’t shocked when the Phils re-acquired Lee in December.
“I kind of knew it was always a possibility and I kind of felt it was going to be one or the other,” Werth said. “At that point, when it wasn’t me, and what they were talking to me about in terms of years, it kind of made it seem like they were playing us against each other a little bit.”
Phillies fans should be happy the team chose Lee instead of Werth. You almost have to feel bad for the Nationals fans because despite what positive remarks Werth has said about his new team, it sounds like he definitely wants to be in Philly instead.
The funny thing is, despite the points I previously brought up about why the Phils don’t have both him and Lee, that doesn’t mean it was an impossible feat.
Werth could’ve elected to take a pay cut, still get paid a decent amount and continue to play for a winner. Instead, he chose to take an overly generous, unrealistic deal with a last place team, whose fans don’t hold a candle to the Phillies fans.
Enjoy last place, Werth. I hear golf in early October is not that awful.
Enough already… Jason Werth is a good player, no doubt, but it’s time to
let it go and move on… No one put a gun to his head and made him sign the
Nationals Deal..
They might as well have,
He will be a bust there.
Washington 70-92
Enjoy the summers off eating steak with Von Hayes.
Oh well. When those game checks roll in, he’ll get over it. But who cares now? He took the money and I would have too.
He would have gotten money in Philly, just not as much. He might also have gotten rings in Philly, and that seems really unlikely in Washington.
I have no issue with you voicing your opinion on former Phillies player Jason Werth sounding bitter because I happen to agree with you on that, but why do you feel the need to take a swipe at Nationals fans? I look forward to hearing your reply.
Did the Nats overpay for Werth? Yes. But they had to. They needed to make a free agent splash and they got the one guy they could. No way Crawford was coming here. They’ve got some decent talent and good young players on the way. They will get better and with that more fans should show up. So, get your shots in now because before long, you won’t have the Nats to kick around anymore.