Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Nationals and first baseman Matt Adams have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract. Adams can earn up to $500,000 through performance bonuses.
The 29-year-old Philipsburg native figures to replace Adam Lind, who became a free agent after the National declined to exercise a 2018 option in his contract,
Adams hit .274 last season with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. He is a career .271 hitter in six major league seasons.
Adams spent last season with the Cardinals and Braves, and he posted a slash line of .274/.319/.522 with 20 home runs. Like they did with Lind, the Nationals will likely deploy Adams primarily against righties, considering his career OPS versus right-handers (.828) is significantly higher than it is against lefties (.593).
The Nationals have been tasked with rebuilding their bench this offseason after they lost a few key pieces to free agency. Adams becomes the first position player they have signed this winter, and he will have to adjust to life as a primary pinch-hitter. Before being traded to the Braves this past season, he was a starter for most of his career with the Cardinals. However, Adams has excelled in his limited experience coming off the bench. In 155 plate appearances as a pinch hitter, he has hit .315/.342/.555 with nine home runs.
The Nationals and Adams have been linked together numerous times this offseason, because he is a natural replacement for Adam Lind, who departed the team for free agency after the Nats declined their end of a $5 million mutual option. Washington believed it could find someone to fit that role for a cheaper price. It paid off.
