Jayson Werth signs autographs for fans prior to a rehab appearance in the Lehigh Valley. (Steven Kiebach/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
For the first time since 2006, Jayson Werth may not play in the National League East in 2018. But Werth doesn't seem to have any reservations about his ability to perform in 2018, or beyond.
Werth spoke to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, and suggested that he believes that he can start in the majors for a few more seasons:
Jayson Werth, a free agent at age 38, thinks he still has "a few good years left'' as an everyday player. Werth says he's been training hard all winter, plans to come to camp in great shape and "is ready to go and excited about 2018.''
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) January 8, 2018
Werth finished strong in 2016 and logged an .814 OPS through June 3 last season. Then he missed 3 months with a fractured foot, and his OPS dipped to .512 after his return in August. The #Nationals are loaded with young OF talent and appear to be headed in a different direction.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) January 8, 2018
Given the pace at which the free-agent market is moving even for top-tier free-agents like J.D. Martinez, it figures to be some time before Werth finds a home. It will be interesting to see if he's guaranteed a major league job, or is forced to sign a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Werth probably wouldn't shy away from doing the latter, if that was his only option, because in his mind, an injury-plagued 2017 season cut short the chance for him to prove that he still has something left. If he feels healthy now, then he probably feels as though he can prove that he still has value if he's just given a chance.
The biggest thing working against Werth is that he has rapidly declined as a fielder in recent years, meaning he's likely only a fit for American League teams. Even in that case, he's probably not going to be a team's everyday DH, so he'll likely have to spend some time in a corner outfield position. Any team signing Werth would have to be confident enough in his bat that they would be willing to accept that he's going to be a well below-replacement level fielder on days that he's asked to bring his glove to the park.
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Even though he's the Phillies all-time leader in playoff home runs, Werth, at best, has a mixed reputation in Philadelphia. Some fans hold it against him that he signed a seven-year/$126 million free-agent contract with the Nationals after the 2010 season, even though it appeared that the Phillies were more focused on trying to lure Cliff Lee back to Philadelphia than retaining Werth. Before his final at-bat at Citizens Bank Park in 2017, Werth tipped his batting helmet to the crowd, acknowledging the special four-year run that he had with the Phillies from 2007-2010.
Regardless of where (or if) Werth plays in 2018, next year will be the 10-year anniversary of the Phillies 2008 World Series title, a team that he was a part of. Should he appear at any of the ceremonies honoring the team, it will be interesting to see the reception that he's given. For his part, Werth said last summer that "he'll probably have a game" when the Phillies are celebrating a decade since their second World Series title.
