Everything You Wanted to Know About...Brad Wilkerson?

The Red Sox just signed Brad Wilkerson, I have three thoughts/notes on this:

1) When the Expos moved to DC and became the Nationals back in 2005, the Nationals decided to make Brad Wilkerson the "face" of the franchise. No, you aren't missing anything on Brad Wilkerson, but that does say a lot about the Nationals doesn't it? Sure he was coming off a 32 home run campaign, but the fact of the matter is that if Brad Wilkerson is the face of your franchise, your team probably sucks.

The post-script to the above is that ironically 2005 was the best year the Nationals have had since their arrival, winning 81 games.

2) Brad Wilkerson was the centerpiece of the trade from the Rangers standpoint that sent Alfonso Soriano to the Nationals after the 2005 season. Ironically again, at the time it was the RANGERS that were seen to have gotten the best of this deal. Of course Alfonso Soriano then went out and posted a 40/40 campaign in a contract year for the Nats before fleeing to the Cubs while Wilkerson played in 95 games and hit .222.

3) I can't say I totally understand this signing. From where I sit, it seems like Wilkerson is just a poor man's Mark Kotsay. I understand the need for another bat off the bench to fill out the roster but it just seems like they could have done a little better than Brad Wilkerson. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but this seems like another one of those "Theo signing a guy he has always been bizarrely infatuated with for no apparent reason" moves, even if it is only a minor league deal.