Ian Desmond and the Nationals appeared to part ways on good terms:

“When I got drafted by the Expos, they didn’t know where the team would be,” Desmond reminisced. “But they couldn’t have found a better home. I’m extremely proud to say that I was a Washington National.”

The general manager also had kind words:

“Ian Desmond is the rock of the organization,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “A guy that when I became the GM we made him the everyday shortstop, and [he] has blossomed into one of the best in all of baseball. So yeah, these guys, when these guys are in their last years, their decision-making years, it’s very, very difficult for us personally and professionally.”

The 30-year-old is now likely headed for a different team after spending over a decade in the Nats organization, as he was drafted by the franchise when it was still the Montreal Expos in 2004.

Letting a 30-year-old become a free agent is the right thing to do. The Nationals captured his prime, and the best thing is to let someone else pay for his decline.