Jayson Werth Believes In The Washington Nationals At Least Thats What He Says

Jayson Werth Believes In the Washington Nationals (At least that’s what he says)

Jayson Werth is in it for the long haul with the Washington Nationals after signing a seven-year, $126 million contract that includes a full no-trade clause.  Werth is very optimistic about being able to turn things around in Washington because they have got a lot of young, talented players on their roster, as well as in their farm system.  He was brought in to be somewhat of mentor to the Nationals’ youngsters and will be looked up to because he was been there and done that.  While in Philadelphia, Werth won four division titles, two National League pennants, and one World Series title in ’08.  He will be 38 when his contract ends, and you can expect him to fulfill it all with the Nationals.  During his introductory press conference at Nationals Park, he waited all of 15 seconds to say he’s “on board for many winning seasons ahead.”Jayson Werth on 106.7 the Fan in DC to talk about how it feels to be a part of the Washington Nationals, whether he has thought about how much his role will change from what it was in Philadelphia, and what his take is on Cliff Lee signing with Philadelphia.

How it feels to be a part of the Washington Nationals:

“Yeah I am with you. I think it is time for a change in guard in the organization here. I think it is time to turn things around. I’m on-board for that. I am excited to be here. I think it is a great situation for not only myself and my family but for the city and the team and the guys that come to work every day that have for the past few years like guys like Ryan Zimmerman. They have got some young, talented kids. Guys like Ian Desmond, Espinosa. I am looking forward to playing with these guys they have got coming. Guys like Strasburg, Bryce Harper. I think as time goes on we are going to bring a winning attitude and hopefully a championship-caliber club to the city and one that the city can be on-board for and cheer for, come to the games on a nightly basis and build a fan base that the city can be proud of.”

Whether he has thought about how much his role will change from what it was in Philadelphia:

“I don’t know how much it will change. Obviously in Philadelphia, we had kind of a veteran group, a bunch of guys that were all on the same page and going in the right direction. I think that is one thing that I am going to try and build over here, is a situation where it is not about one guy; it is not about one person it’s about a team effort. It is about 25 guys coming to work every day, working hard, and all working towards one goal and that is winning the World Series. I think that is something that can be built in any place really, but when you have the talent and the guys and the young, talented players like we have in Washington. It is going to be something that is built quicker than people think.”

What his take is on Cliff Lee signing with Philadelphia:

“Well I am happy for Cliff. Obviously he got the situation that he wanted. He did the right thing for him and his family. Going into this thing, a few times on record, saying that Philadelphia could sign whoever they wanted in this process and they had Dominic Brown coming in behind me and I think they felt it was best for the organization to let me go and go after Cliff. So, no animosity or anything like that. I wish those guys well. I had the best time playing baseball in Philadelphia the last four years. I mean we accomplished a lot. I think we were a little disappointed this year after having the best record in baseball but that just goes to show you that the best team doesn’t always win and anything can happen in this game. That is why you go out there and play the game, so I am looking forward to getting this team here in Washington on the same page and getting everybody moving in the right direction. The Lerner family has assured me they are going to the steps to take the steps needed to build this franchise…”

What it’s going to be like losing homefield advantage to the Phillies at home in Nationals Park:

“I think that is going to change quick. I know you guys are going to see the owners are on-board and Mike Rizzo has done a good job. The reason why those people come over here is they don’t have a chance to watch their team in Philadelphia and as soon as we fill the seats with Nats fans those people are going to go away and we are going to regain homefield advantage and I am looking forward to that day too.”