In a mild surprise, the Washington Nationals signed former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth to a reported monster seven-year, $126 million deal.
Werth will remain in the NL East and fill a big void for Washington that was created when Adam Dunn signed with the White Sox.
"I feel that Jayson's best days haven't been had yet," said Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo "He is going to continue on and prove his skills in his future time in the big leagues."
The 31-year-old figures to immediately slot into the starting right field spot and will bat in the middle of the lineup for the Nationals, who have finished in last place in five of their six years of existence.
"He has the skill set to play multiple positions in the outfield," Rizzo added.
Werth made a name for himself in four seasons with Philadelphia, winning a World Series in 2008 and finishing eighth in the NL MVP voting this past season. In 156 games in 2010, Werth batted .296 with a .388 on-base percentage to go with 27 homers and 85 RBI.
He began his stint with the Phillies as a platoon player and quickly played his way into a starting job, averaging 136 games from 2007-10. In 543 games with Philadelphia, Werth batted .282 with a .380 OBP and a .506 slugging mark.
Werth also spent two seasons apiece with the Dodgers and Blue Jays, but never fulfilled his promise as a first-round pick due to several injuries. In his 775-game career, Werth is a .272 hitter with 120 homers and 406 RBI.
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