Sound investment

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From the day he was named the Washington Nationals' team president, Stan Kasten cautioned fans and members of the media about putting too much stock in the team's payroll.

Payroll, Kasten said, is not an accurate reflection of a franchise's attempt to put a winning team on the field. In certain cases, it's more important to invest dollars in scouting and player development than on the major league roster, particularly with a young team that is trying to compete over the long haul.

It's the sensible way to build a team, and it's probably the right way to go in Washington, where the minor league system is undergoing a significant overhaul while the major league team tries to keep things respectable on the field.

Nationals fans should be prepared for more of the same in 2007 because there's little indication Kasten and general manager Jim Bowden are going to dole out big bucks to improve the major league roster. In fact, the team's 2007 payroll could wind up even lower than the $63 million figure it had on Opening Day 2006.

How is that possible? In short, the Nationals have managed to cut back significantly on their long-term financial commitments with only a handful of pricey players under contract beyond this season.

Washington has $22 million invested in five veteran players for 2007: Jose Vidro, Nick Johnson, Brian Schneider, Cristian Guzman and Luis Ayala (the latter two missed all of this season with injuries).

That's not bad considering how much money the club would have been on the hook for if not for a couple of fortuitous breaks. Remember when Bowden offered Jose Guillen four years and $40 million in spring training? Feel free to shudder at the possibility of all that money being flushed down the toilet.

The Nationals also would have owed Livan Hernandez $7 million in 2007 had the Arizona Diamondbacks not taken the big right-hander off their hands last month.

And had Bowden not signed Johnson to a sensible, three-year, $16.5 million deal this spring, the GM might have been forced to dole out a lot more cash next year to the first baseman, who has enjoyed a career season.

There will be other players under the club's control who will get sizable raises through arbitration (Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, Chad Cordero, John Patterson and Ryan Wagner), but those players combined shouldn't make more than $12 million or so in 2007.