The Washington Nationals are once again primed to be one of baseball's best teams entering the 2018 season, but the team has noticed a void in the clubhouse.

Outfielder Jayson Werth, who played the past seven seasons for the Nationals, remains unemployed with spring camps for all 30 MLB clubs already underway.

"Just looking around," pitcher Shawn Kelley told Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, "and knowing the big hairy gorilla is not sitting around here is weird."

"I've been expecting him to show up one of these days," admitted shortstop Trea Turner.

While Werth contributed on the field for Washington (109 home runs, 393 RBIs, and a .788 OPS), he may have been a more significant factor in the clubhouse. That's why at least one of his former teammates believes the seven-year, $126-million contract Werth signed prior to the 2011 season was a good investment.

"I think it was worth every penny," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman explained. "Looking back at it, some people might disagree. You look at his performance or injuries or things like that, but for all the other just things fans can't see or didn't see what happened in here. I hope people kind of realize what he meant to the organization."

Werth, 38, hasn't garnered much offseason interest after hitting just .226/.322/.393 in 70 games for the Nationals last year.