When Mike Rizzo signed Jayson Werth to a 7-year $126 million deal, it was both a statement of intent and a massive role of the dice. The deal made him the 12th highest paid player in the league, despite only one all star appearance. In my opinion, the risk paid off. Was he analytically worth his contract? Maybe not, but he set the tone for the Nationals and there were certainly some seasons where he was worth the money.
The Nationals had been star hunting in free agency for a while before Werth, but were never able to get their guy.