Ryan Zimmerman is a good dude that is rightfully the face of the Washington Nationals, but he's usually not the kind of person to give an eye-popping quote. That's why his thoughts on Davey Johnson coming back to be his manager are pretty intriguing. Here's a sampling of what he had to say about the move, via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
"We’ve never really had a consistent kind of leader or manager," Zimmerman said. "There’s always been shuffling going on, change from year to year. I’m hoping we can get into having the same group of coaches for a period of time. That consistency helps."
#Shotsfired? Good question.
Kilgore didn't think so when asked on Twitter, but there are a lot of tea leaves to read. Remember, Zimmerman is scheduled to be a free agent soon. The Nationals will have to decide if paying him major money is worth it, and there will be a lot of pressure on them to do so.
Maybe this is a leverage ploy by Zimmerman. Maybe he legitimately doesn't like how the Nationals have had four managers during his tenure, with one quitting in midseason. Either way, Zimmerman being outspoken speaks volumes, doesn't it?