Once upon a time, owner Mark Lerner and the rest of the Nationals were known as being cheap. They were the team that didn't invest in scouting and nickel and dimed their way to losing draft picks. This perception continued on for a long time, arguably to this very day.
↵But when it comes to the last two years, nobody can say the Nationals are cheap. Already, they're given their second- and fourth-round picks significantly more than they should have gotten based on their draft position. In about an hour, they should give Bryce Harper a nice, healthy contract that could potentially include a record signing bonus for a position player. They should spend more money on this year's draft than any other team.
↵And yet ... they still won't have spent as much as they did last year, as Adam Kilgore noted:
↵↵↵#Nats have spent $3,799,000 tonight on 3 players. If #Harper signs for less than $11,301,000, they'll save $ compared to 2009's deadline.
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Can we put the cheap stuff to bed now, please?