"Isn't re-signing Ryan Zimmerman to a long-term, bank-busting, career-long contract a no-brainer for the Washington Nationals? While implementing The Plan, the Nats have been .?.?. let's call it fiscally conservative. Recently, they've opened their wallets — no truth to the rumor that moths flew out — to pay large sums to a lot of youngsters, and Jayson Werth.

The jury is still out on those moves, but there's no question paying Zimmerman will pay dividends. Right now, he is the Nats' marquee player, without question. Stephen Strasburg could become that guy — but even in a perfect world, Strasburg will only pitch every five days. Bryce Harper could become that guy — but he's still a work in progress and his day of contract reckoning is well down the road.

Zimmerman's isn't. He is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season. We've seen what happens when teams don't lock up their Zimmermans early. The Nats want to avoid an Albert Pujols-type situation because if Zimmerman hits the market, all bets are off. "