If they could get rid of him through waivers that might be increasingly tempting.

He was so close to getting a hit down the 3rd base line yesterday.
I have been frustrated with him, too. But at this point, I'm just waiting and hoping. Like others have said, it's still early. As much as I would like to see it, I don't think the Yankees and Red Sox will finish 0-162.

they can't

I just don't see any change from last season...we heard about his mammoth home run during ST....so what? His stance and overall approach seems the same as last year....which only portends another sputtering collection of 500+ at-bats with little to show for them....while racking up the K's faster than one can keep score....
We've begun to see some positive differences in Espi's approach...fighting off pitches, thus far not golfing on a pitch in the dirt (yea, I know, it's early)....Desmond seems to have revamped his approach as well (though has not acquired much patience!)...
Werth just looks weak at the plate....we also heard rumors about his wrist problem that might have bothered him last season...if so, surely the Nat's docs would be doing MRIs to make sure he didn't have some chronic injury that needs rest....whatever is going on, it certainly does not yet look the least bit promising...

From ESPN:

•Or, if a team is just hoping to dump a player's salary, it can simply allow a team which claimed that player to have him for a small waiver fee. If that happens, the team that gets the player has to pay his entire salary. That's how the Yankees were stuck with Jose Canseco and the Padres were stuck with Randy Myers in recent years: They claimed those players, thinking they were just blocking other teams from getting them. Instead, their old clubs said: "You claimed him. You got him."

Stance and approach? LaRoche appears equally unimpressive at the plate, and look at him. Desmond seems far more patient than he was, letting more counts mature, not lunging like he did before DJ took him aside. And don't discount the Big Mo. If the team starts rolling with Morse back in, no telling what he'll do.

"…I always avoid prophesying beforehand, because it is much better policy to prophesy after the event has already taken place." -Winston Churchill, 1943

yes, stance and approach...Werth has not changed a thing...nor has his impressive average and number of K's changed either....

I think his St. John the Baptist hair and beard is weighing him down. Time to cut it off and shave it off.

However, I'm willing to be patient. If the trend continues into mid May, then it's time to worry. Or else resign myself to another listless season from Werth.

But, we're not there yet, Nataholics! Keep the faith!

"However, I'm willing to be patient. If the trend continues into mid May, then it's time to worry."

Last year was the time to say that. Following a very good 2010 season, he deserved patience until mid May last year. Now, after a complete year of total futility, I'd say he deserves three weeks at most, and I think many here would find that overly permissive.

"was so close to getting a hit down the 3rd base line yesterday."

And if he had run through first base, instead of sliding, it would have been a hit. If you have a chance look at the replay. It looked to me as though he wasted a full second or more sliding.

Unless you're evading a tag, sliding into first doesn't help you get there faster: maybe some will argue otherwise but it certainly didn't help him yesterday.

I was one of Werth's harshest critics last season. But I'll wait more than 3 weeks to start getting antsy again.

Maybe he's waiting for the Beast to return and show him how to swing the bat?

"if a team is just hoping to dump a player's salary, it can simply allow a team which claimed that player to have him for a small waiver fee. If that happens, the team that gets the player has to pay his entire salary."

That assumes some team claims him and doesn't cover what happens when nobody claims him, and he thus "clears waivers". In Werth's case, it is a near-certainly that nobody will claim him. (Actually I'd go so far as to say "absolute certainty.") In that case, we're still stuck with him, and stuck with his salary. It would mean though that we could send him down.

"Maybe he's waiting for the Beast to return and show him how to swing the bat? "

I agree that it is worth waiting for the return of Morse before completely writing off Werth. But Morse will be back in a matter of days. I'll give Werth two weeks following Morse's return. If he doesn't start producing by then, he never will.

I would say if he's not substantially closer to his career averages by the All Star break we are on the verge of a crisis, unless the team is in the Divisional race. And even then, 5.5 more years of last year would be very unpleasant. Not predicting -- you can't predict the future; it's hard enough to predict the past. But concerned.

Precisely. If you're not sending him down because you're afraid someone will claim him, that could become less of a concern as time goes by. I understand it would be the equivalent of nuclear war to send the guy down, that it's not going to happen, and in any case I don't think it's time for that, but look what has happened to Soriano in Chicago. It's just miserable.

"I understand it would be the equivalent of nuclear war to send the guy down, "

I am by nature a peace-loving liberal. But there are times when nuclear war is the best option.

LOL.

I see this disaster only resolving itself like the Dodger Andruw Jones mess. Where the Dodgers promised to bury him on the bench and he will neve rplay unless he let's them buy him out of the remaining years on the contract.

financial terms of the buyout were never disclosed

In Jones case, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse -- stock in Dunkin Donuts.

LOL. You are in rare form today!