Impending free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche does not expect to be back with the Nationals next season, telling Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington: “If you had to ask me now, I would assume that I would have to move on, unfortunately.”
LaRoche’s two-year, $24 million contract does have a $15 million mutual option for 2015, but with Ryan Zimmerman’s injuries potentially forcing him across the diamond to first base (and the Nationals’ outfield locked in) there may not be room for the 34-year-old in the lineup.
LaRoche has bounced back nicely from a down season in 2013, hitting .255 with 25 homers and a career-high 80 walks on the way to an .811 OPS. Washington would have to buy him out for $2 million and there should be plenty of interest in LaRoche on the open market, although it might be tough for him to get another multi-year deal at 35.
