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Washington Nationals re-sign Ryan Zimmerman to one-year deal

By Ian Oland

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January 23, 2021 1:16 pm

Ryan Zimmerman, 36, is returning to the Washington Nationals after opting out of the MLB’s coronavirus-shortened 2020 season.

Zimmerman agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal that will include incentives per MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.

Zimmerman told the press after signing that he never considered playing anywhere else.

Zimmerman will back up Josh Bell, a switch-hitter the Nationals acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in December, at first base next season. He will also serve as a pinch hitter and a defensive replacement late in games.

After winning the World Series in 2019, Zimmerman made the difficult decision to not re-join the Nationals due to health concerns regarding his family. Ryan’s wife Heather gave birth to the couple’s third child in June, their first boy, and his mom Cheryl has multiple sclerosis.

“If I end up playing, I can pretty much throw out the idea of seeing her until weeks after the season is over,” Zimmerman said then.

The longtime National received celebratory tweets from both the Capitals and the team’s dog, Captain, after the news was officially announced.

More from the Nationals:

WASHINGTON NATIONALS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FIRST BASEMAN RYAN ZIMMERMAN

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Zimmerman, 36, has spent his entire 15-year Major League career with the Washington Nationals. Entering the 2021 season, he stands as the all-time Nationals (2005-pres.) leader in nearly every offensive category. In 1,689 career games, he’s hit .279 with 401 doubles, 22 triples, 270 home runs, 1,015 RBI, 630 walks, 43 stolen bases and 936 runs scored. His 270 career home runs are the most in Washington D.C. baseball history.

Zimmerman hit safely in 10 of Washington’s 17 Postseason games en route to becoming 2019 World Series Champions. He homered in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers and homered in Game 1 of the World Series off Gerrit Cole – the first World Series home run in Nationals history.

In 2019, Zimmerman hit .257 with nine doubles, six homers, 27 RBI, 17 walks and 20 runs scored in 52 games. He battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot, leading to two stints on the Injured List.

When he returned to the active roster for good on Sept. 1, Zimmerman hit .283 (15-for-53) with one double, three homers, 12 RBI, five walks and eight runs scored in 19 games during the month of September. He clubbed three home runs and 10 RBI in his first seven games back.

The Nationals now have 36 players on their 40-man roster.

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