The Nats Try to Step Up to the Plate

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ALL OF A SUDDEN, our Washington Nationals are major players in the Hot Stove League.

According to The Washington Post, the Nats did their best New York Yankees impersonation by offering first baseman Mark Teixeira an eight-year, $160 million contract. If the one-time All-Star accepts, he'd make more money than the rest of the team combined.

Apparently, the empty seats in that beautiful new stadium sent a message. The Nats are the aggressors in a free-agent market thrown into flux by the sour economy.

Free agents who could command huge paychecks would typically ignore a team like the last-place Nationals. But with traditional winners feeling the pinch, the Nats have stepped up.

All that said, I'm fairly certain Teixeira will bypass Washington. His ties to Severna Park, Md., would show a local allegiance to Baltimore. That would be the best for the Nats, since Teixeira is not a player you build a championship team around.

The sportswriter in me is cheering for Manny Ramirez, whose big bat and quirky personality are always entertaining. Baseball sense points to someone like Orlando Hudson and another player.

At least the Nationals are acting like a team eager to start winning. Intentions only go so far, though. The team can ill afford to come out of this offseason empty-handed.

Photo by Lisa Blumfeld/Getty Images