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Yesterday, news broke that the Nationals weren't planning on re-signing Adam Dunn when he hit free agency following the season. The source cited Dunn's below-average defense at first base as the reason the club would probably look elsewhere this winter.
It seems as though they forgot about the contributions Dunn can make with his bat. Last night, Dunn set out to remind them. With the game tied at a run apiece, Adam Dunn led off the bottom of the ninth and hit a mammoth game-winning shot into the second deck of right field. In an otherwise boring second half of the season, it was a rare and genuinely exciting moment.
And that's what Adam Dunn can bring to the game. The commercials are gone, but people still dig the long ball. Dunn has the kind of game that brings people to the park, even if it doesn't necessarily translate to winning baseball. Which is fine, because the Nationals aren't contending right away anyway.
If the Nationals narrowly missed the playoffs this year and they wanted to upgrade first base defense to get themselves over the hump, that's one thing. If they had other players on the roster they felt were capable of replicating the offense and energy he brings to the park, that would be fine. But they aren't close to contending, that player isn't on their roster yet, and they need Adam Dunn to sell tickets.
Please, re-sign Adam Dunn.
Today's must-reads from around the SB Nation network:
- Stephen Strasburg took part in a conference call yesterday to update reporters on the progress of his rehab. Federal Baseball has the transcript.
- And you thought we were done with midnight madness. Bullets Forever has one more update, and this time they focus on the actual basketball that took place.
- Testudo Times wonders why the Maryland defense has been spending so much time on the field so far this year.
On tap on SB Nation D.C.: Just in case you missed it, check out this video Mike Prada put together from Midnight Madness.