Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is arguably the face of the Washington Nationals, at least until Stephen Strasburg really establishes himself. Last season, Zimmerman had his best year as a pro, thanks in part to Adam Dunn's presence next to him in the middle of the lineup.
So you can imagine that he wasn't too thrilled with the news that Dunn signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago White Sox earlier today. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post caught up with Zimmerman, and Zimmerman called the situation "unfortunate."
"I'd be disappointed for me," Zimmerman said. "I'm very happy for him. Obviously, if he's going to go there, he's going to get a four-year deal, and that's what he deserves. He doesn't get the amount of respect he deserves for what he does every year.
"There's no question he wanted to be here. So it's unfortunate. I couldn't be happier for him that someone's recognizing his work."
They're just words, and there is a legitimate argument that tying up so much money to a player over 30 that is as bad at defense as Dunn is a poor idea. But it's also worth noting that Zimmerman is the face of the franchise, and his words carry a lot of weight. After all, he'll be a free agent eventually, right?
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