Once again, there seems to be little reason to doubt that the Nationals will end the season as the NL East champions. They're somewhere in the realm of a unanimous pick to win the division. This is in part because the Phillies and Braves are believed to be about a year away from competing, the Mets are flawed and injury-riddled, and the Marlins are implementing Project Wolverine. At the same time, they have studs at several positions, arms to spare, and some exciting upside guys. It's the same core group that quietly won 97 games last year and 95 the year before that.

Once again, everyone is just going to be waiting for that first Best-Of-5 series to see whether they can get over the metaphorical hump (https://www.mlb.com/news/dave-martinez-brings-camels-to-nationals-camp/c-267470018). Despite not being outscored in their last three playoff series, they have failed to win any of the four since the franchise was rechristened. That shadow will loom larger as October draws near. If it weren't for the Dodgers and Indians failing to get over their own humps, the Nationals post-season failure would be a bigger deal outside of DC.

It's Bryce Harper's last year on the books. Another story that will flare up every team the Nationals play a big market team with space in the outfield. It's also the last year on the books for Gio Gonzalez, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Madson, Matt Wieters, and Shawn Kelley. So while the Nationals have enough in the cupboard to be good in 2019, it starts to drift into the too many variables conversation with all the aforementioned other franchises.

Their starting pitching is still excellent. Scherzer and Strasburg are a top flight 1-2. Gio and Roark are solid behind them. A fifth starter never emerged last year but things still worked out. The bullpen tire fire that began 2017 no longer haunts the team. There are some health concerns with older vets like Zim and Murphy. Eaton is back from major surgery. Catcher seems to be a hole itching to be rectified by a midseason move (rooting for a Wilson Ramos encore). Dave(y) Martinez is going to be a little different than anything DC has had in the dugout to date. In my opinion, it's the guy they should have hired in 2014 but here we are.

But I think this team is too talented not to win 90+ again in a sub-par division. And I don't buy any of the "not gritty enough to win in the playoffs" bullshit. The Cubs were seasoned, defending champs when they eeked it out against the Nationals in a weird Game 5. Then they got dunked on in the next round by the Dodgers. The most talented team in baseball with flair and a dude that posed on a single to the outfield. The Dodgers were talented and seasoned after 5 straight division titles and then they lost to the Astros. Houston was a smart, young, and super-talented team that had never won a playoff series. None of this shit makes any sense. People just make it up as they go and then mold narratives looking back.

I figure, one of these years has to work out. And if it doesn't, fuck it. What am I going to do? Not devote 6 months of my life to obsessively watching grown men play a kids' game for a team whose name bears the city where I was born? Not likely.

What's the chances Bryce re-ups with the Nats? About as likely as he is to play for the Yankees?

With Judge and Stanton already on the books for a long time and other holes to throw money at.

I think the Nationals chances of signing him are stronger now than they have been in a while. Mostly because the off season market was so unbelievably tepid this year, it feels less likely anybody is going to go north of $300 million when two years ago baseball people were floating $400 million. It will take a long time for these things to come to light, but I suspect that there's a chance he already turned down the best offer he will see anywhere from the Nationals sometime in the last year or two.

That said, Harper seems to want to break the bank. And if he wants to break the bank, there is not a whole lot of assurances anywhere. You have to imagine that the Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, and Cardinals are right there in the mix. But there's always a mystery team out there. Like when the Diamondbacks swooped in and gave Greinke 6/$206.5 in his opt out year. It would be really cool if the Nationals signed him because generational talent doesn't come along very often, but nobody ever really felt like he was going to be here forever.

If they add Bryce, they can fill Judge out. That outfield will get crowded but they could add him. I personally dont think he will go to the Yankees but I honestly have no idea if he'll resign in DC.

...there won't be any middle ground. as with any season, avoiding injury will be key. and if players don't perform up to their averages or regress, then it could be a long season until the offseason speculation noise becomes front and center.

you also forgot to add that Rizzo hasn't received his extension thus far. the sooner this is resolved, the better.

let's say everyone leaves. Harper, Gio, Murphy, Wieters, Madson and Kelley...all gone. the look of this team will change DRASTICALLY!!! i anticipate more short-term FA signings because the farm system doesn't quite have the prospect depth it once did.

but the Dominicans are coming. each year, they climb up another rung on the ladder. the Nats have a lot of quality Dominican players in Rookie and A leagues, but it might take years for them to hit the majors. the talent level does drop off in AA and AAA.

whether they win it all or not, this is a pivotal year for the franchise.

For the long term outlook of the franchise, he's probably more important than Harper. He's assembled a contending team through a mix of draft, trade, and free agency. He's landed big fish, he's pulled off trades that left people scratching their heads, he's rolled the dice on high picks and hit, and found some serviceable guys outside of the Top 5 rounds. A couple contracts didn't quite work out like we might have hoped but overall, he's been about as good as anyone in baseball since he took over. The issue now becomes if he wants to get paid like it and the Lerners have to dig deep which might not be something they're interested in.

whatever comes will come. we have been fortunate to have some really fun summers watching the Nationals and I remember the ones that were not fun at all.

Long season but here's to a fun ride! What we got starting the season:

-New Manager
-bullpen set from Day 1 (difference a year makes)
-Injured players returning (Eaton and Murphy at some point)
-MAT...I want to see how he responds to being 'the man' from jump with no true competition for his spot
- and the elephant.....Bryce contract!

Reds aren't good, but they took three on the road. Three good starting outings. Bullpen was fine. Lots of different offensive contributors. Infield defense is going to be a thing at times this year.

I'm quietly rooting to win tomorrow in Atlanta en route to taking 2/3 because it will put the Nationals in position to be a wire-to-wire division champion, which is something that they have never done.

Starting pitching was excellent...bullpen was solid but its the Reds.

In 124 April games he is hitting
.324/.430/.646 with 35 HR in 438 ABs

I think when he's 100%, he's the best out there. If baseball had a 30 game season, we'd be talking GOAT.

The problem to date is, he gets hurt. One year he clearly played through something. And he's missed time in many years.

Rizzo on board through 2020. So a good day to be a Nationals fan.

Strasburg v. deGrom with a high of 54°.

especially with Bryce's impending FA.

Also, AJ Cole.......yea, I think I'm done. That was ugly.

14th opener for me. What the hell did I do with my life before this?

https://twitter.com/masnNationals/status/982681136265596928

nice little cherry on top of a four-game losing streak

Injury concerns sure. But they have a great team on paper.

The OF and C spots are really solid. Especially at the plate. deGrom and Synerdgaard are great. I think Harvey and Matz are damaged goods.

Bullpen is kind of unknown. Familia had a bad year last year, could be a fluke or a trend. Gsellman and Lugo are moving out of the starter role, I feel like Gsellman will play better but question marks. Blevins should be good. Ramos I don't trust.

But in the infield, there are 3 guys who past their prime, though Cabrera is still pretty serviceable, and a 22-year old who is still probably a year away from figuring it out.

I think they could compete for a wild card if they're healthy, I just don't see a 90 win team there.

Starting pitching has been good. Bullpen hasn't been bad. But the line-up isn't healthy and the guys that surprised last year (Zimmerman, Taylor, Difo) aren't really pulling their weight. They're looking to drop to 8-10 and a full 7 games back in the division.

Murphy and Rendon will be healthy soon. Maybe Eaton soon-ish. Until that happens the team is left treading water hoping the Mets come back down to Earth. Damn if this don't feel like 2013.

Harper, Trea, Rendon and Eaton playing 40 more games a piece than last year will be an overall net improvement. Harper and Rendon have some legit injury history, so it's no given, but the lineup should be fine in the end.

Zimmerman and Taylor were bad for long stretches last year. figure they'll continue to run hot and cold due to one's old age and the other's style. if they both fall off a cliff the rest of the bats should be able to mitigate it.

we just need the Mets killer back.

Robles comes up in a month. Severino drags the catcher spot above replacement level. They'll be fine by summer.

can't complain too much about luck, the team is only +1 in run differential (to go with allowing the fifth-most runs in the NL).

not one major leak to point at, just have to play better collectively.

...still a bit shaky out the gate, but they haven't gotten down on themselves.

...serious question.

Robles and Soto are REALLY good. Soto has the better bat of the two, but Robles has so much speed.

is it worth it to offer Harper 5 yrs/$175M, when you have two talented team controlled OF prospects through at least 2023?

I think the Nationals top two OF prospects a nice consolation if Harper goes elsewhere, but Bryce Harper is really, really good at baseball. He's had a so-so couple of weeks. He has a head-scratching .185 BABIP but amazingly his OBP is still over .400. From 2015 through today the only better hitters in baseball were Trout and Votto. Over the next 5 years, I don't think there are 5 hitters in the Majors better than a healthy Bryce Harper. A 2020 OF of Soto-Robles-Harper would probably be on the shortlist for best in baseball. And at that point, it's costing the team something like $35 million for that production.

I think the consideration with Harper is mainly around health/aging. How good is he going to be in 2026 and will how good he is in 2019 be enough to offset that? Somebody will take that bet next year. I think people have gotten bored with Bryce Harper just being really really good and not Mike Trout good every year.

Regardless of how it works out, the fan base gets to do this whole dance all over again next year on a smaller scale with Anthony Rendon.

Harper will go because he wants to play in a more traditional baseball market and Lerner will let someone else sink a bazillion dollars into his next contract.

but any team with Harper on it is going to be better. there's no cap or even max contracts; it's all funny money and dependent on the owner/team revenues.

Soto/Robles/Harper OF at some point this year would be exciting, just from a talent ceiling standpoint

...THE DOMINICANS ARE COMING!!!

ALL OF 'EM!!!

DIFO!!!
ROBLES!!!
SOTO!!!
SEVERINO!!!

two of 'em will be starters next year. all of 'em could be starters by 2020!!!

they don't have that great Dominican arm in the farm system yet, but those kids are INSPIRED down there in Boca Chica! they know that if they play well, they'll move through the ranks and into the league.

...giving the Nationals more than what they bargained for?

like he ain't giving slightly better production in some areas, through the same number of games THIS season that Eaton has? EXCEPT...he's 19 yrs old.

his hitting numbers are slightly better than Bryce's too at the same stages of their careers. except Harper did work his way up to hitting lead off in his 10th game; he did bat 2nd tho'...which ain't too shabby.

defensively he's on par with Eaton and Goodwin.

yeah, yeah...i know, i know. small sample size. but if he continues, Juan Soto going to be a PROBLEM!!! especially if he can stay healthy. he's had some injuries, but he bounces back from 'em.

i KNOW y'all seeing these games. don't wait to chime in during the Braves series. we're a half game back from being in first. thus far, gotta give props to Davey too. he's getting legs under him as a 1st year manager and doing it while maintaining the player's respect.

>defensively he's on par with Eaton and Goodwin.

Adam Eaton before he injured and re-injured himself was on the short list for best defensive OFs in baseball. Like right behind Heyward, Gardner, and Juan Soto.

Goodwin is not a particularly good OF. Like you would think since he runs decently and such, but nah.

Soto is raw but a pretty good athlete. I think he'll figure it out, but the best you can say about him right now is that he's not a liability and has some upside.

>his hitting numbers are slightly better than Bryce's too at
>the same stages of their careers. except Harper did work his
>way up to hitting lead off in his 10th game; he did bat 2nd
>tho'...which ain't too shabby.
>O

>yeah, yeah...i know, i know. small sample size. but if he
>continues, Juan Soto going to be a PROBLEM!!! especially if he
>can stay healthy. he's had some injuries, but he bounces back
>from 'em.

I get the sense that you know you're getting ahead of yourself, but I think it's important to reiterate that Bryce Harper basically had the greatest 19 year old season of all-time. By fWar and rWar he's first and even if you don't want to trust somebody's best guess about Mel Ott's defensive prowess at the Polo Grounds, he's top 3 with a bat along with Tony Conigliaro. And whenever it's a push against guys who played against white dudes with jobs in the winter and modern athletes, I'll give the nod to Bryce.

Soto has been really impressive. That 3 walk game in his second start shows crazy, crazy maturity. Maybe he is the truth. But I just want to point out that there has never been a 19 year old ballplayer who was more productive than Bryce Harper. Not Trout, not Mantle, A-Rod, Griffey Jr., Andruw Jones. Not a one.

Maybe Soto gets there. And the two greatest 19 year olds of all time played in the same OF together in SE. But at the same time, it's wild to think that Soto might not even be the best 19 year old ballplayer on the east coast with Vlad Jr. in New Hampshire.

That said, team started feasting on a soft part of the schedule, got some good momentum going into this Braves series. Some people were grumbling about not saving Scherzer for Atlanta, but I think it's way to early in the year not to take it one day at a time.

...and trampling pedestrians, but Soto is legit.

even last night, he went opposite field for a single after going 0 for 3 which drove in a run to put the team up 2-0. but the amazing thing was watching him kinda talk about the approach for the AB when he was at first with the 1B coach. couldn't hear it, but his gestures indicated that he wanted to the ball to go opposite. he's 19, but that right there said to me he sees the game at an advanced level and is trying to execute. he's been more successful than not thus far; even defensively.

we all know baseball is a game of overcoming failure. but he's making it look too easy. like he won't turn 20 'til after the season is done. hell yeah he's got upside.

the difficult part is that he'll be sent back down to Harrisburg or Syracuse, but he's shown he belongs. i'm not even pumping the brakes, i'm just tapping 'em lightly to let the slower traffic to pass in order to switch into a faster lane.

...while Bryce out here 0 for 4 with 2 Ks. it’s one game, but i don’t care. neither does Soto.

1st multi homer game for a teenager since ‘96! he wasn’t even a thought back then and gives 0 f*cks about MLB pitchers now.

>1st multi homer game for a teenager since ‘96! he wasn’t
>even a thought back then and gives 0 f*cks about MLB pitchers
>now.

Andruw did it in Game 1 of the 1996 Series

Bryce had two multi-homer games as a 19 year old in 2012 in the span of 8 days.

Only ten 19 year olds have ever done it.

The ones who have done it twice is a pretty special group:

Bryce Harper
Andruw Jones
Ken Griffey Jr.
Mel Ott

Soto's got 4 months to join. I think I like his odds. And he went opposite field again. More BBs than Ks so far.

...Bryce never had a 2 HR, 4 RBI game as a 19 yr old. even in his multi HR, RBI games he didn't carry the bulk of the scoring for a team win.

at the same age, Soto's plate discipline is ridiculous! his combination of hitting for power, average and getting on base is something i've never seen from a player this young in their career.

YO!!! even Tony 2 Bags was caught in the dugout just astonished at the BOMB Soto hit for the second HR (Childish Bambino works for him too).

people are commenting on this article as if it's ok for Bryce to leave! https://wapo.st/2MsNc2v

he's making it really hard for Davey to keep him off the field.

Bryce Harper
Andruw Jones
Ken Griffey Jr.
Mel Ott
Juan Soto

Today, he is probably going to play in a game that happened before he made his debut.

...he damn near hit the ball to the point where it could've ordered from Shake Shack!

it also was a game winner!

and he was able to double up on the runner at 2nd in the 7th!

it can't be this easy, but...he just makes plays.

https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1008863008137805824?s=19

deep gets deeper.

I liked Perkins, wasn't sold on Gutierrez, and have never heard of Yohanse Morel. I don't think they traded away anybody that looks like a future big league regular at this point.

I like Herrera. With Britton coming off the injury, he's probably the best available arm. Not even sure who would be third. Adam Ottavino? Maybe Familia.

read this WaPo article that basically says Max should be NL MVP: https://wapo.st/2KmD7mr. it's not an easy feat; few pitchers have done it.

dunno why, but...it made me think about how the Nats have gotten so much better since arriving in DC. just a few observations:

2012, 2014 and 2017 were the only seasons where the Nats had 4 players in the Top 5 finish with a WAR of 4+; 2014 and 2017 all 5 were above 4 WAR.

Ryan Zimmerman has been in the WAR Top 5 for 7 seasons; in 3 of those seasons he was the best player but the team had a losing record in all 3 seasons. his best WAR year (7.3 in '09) happens to be the Nats worst season (59-103). he hasn't been in the WAR Top 5 since '13.

Jordan Zimmerman was in the WAR Top 5 for 5 consecutive years ('11-'15); his best WAR year (5.5 in '12) led the team which also reached the post season for the first time.

Bryce Harper has been in the WAR Top 5 for 4 seasons; his best year was his MVP season in '15 (10 WAR). it's the only season where he was the best player on the team.

Stephen Strasburg has been in the WAR Top 5 for 2 seasons; that's the same number of seasons as Tanner Roark. one less than Gio Gonzalez and Anthony Rendon.

Max Scherzer has been in the WAR Top 5 since joining the Nationals in '15; he has led the team in WAR the past two seasons and leads this year too.

feel free to add on any observations...

Yr: 2005 Record: 81-81
John Patterson, 27, 4.5, $322k,
Livan Hernandez, 30, 3.8, $8M, All-Star
Jose Guillen, 29, 3.6, $3.5M,
Nick Johnson, 26, 3.6, $1.45M,
Esteban Loaiza, 33, 3.5, $2.9M,

Yr: 2006 Record: 71-91
Alfonso Soriano, 30, 6.1, $10M, All-Star
Nick Johnson, 27, 5.0, $3.2M,
Ryan Zimmerman, 21, 2.9, $327k,
Chad Cordero, 24, 1.8, $525k,
Austin Kearns, 26, 1.8, ,

Yr: 2007 Record: 73-89
Ryan Zimmerman, 22, 4.7,
Ryan Church, 28, 3.3, $395k
Austin Kearns, 27, 2.6, $3.5M
Shawn Hill, 26, 2.2, $380k
Ronnie Belliard, 32, 2.0, $750k

Yr: 2008 Record: 59-102
Cristian Guzman, 30, 4.6, $4.2M, All-Star
Willie Harris, 30, 2.9, $800k,
Ryan Zimmerman, 23, 2.8, $465k,
John Lannan, 23, 2.4, ,
Elijah Dukes, 24, 2.3, $392k,

Yr: 2009 Record: 59-103
Ryan Zimmerman, 24, 7.3, $3.33M, All-Star
John Lannan, 24, 3.4, $424k,
Josh Willingham, 30, 2.5, $2.95M,
Cristian Guzman, 31, 1.6, $8M,
Nyjer Morgan, 28, 1.6, ,

Yr: 2010 Record: 69-93
Ryan Zimmerman, 25, 6.2, $6.35M
Livan Hernandez, 35, 3.1, $900k
Josh Willingham, 31, 2.8, $4.6M
Adam Dunn, 30, 2.5, $12M
Sean Burnett, 27, 2.0, $775k

Yr: 2011 Record: 80-81
Mike Morse, 29, 3.4, $1.05M,
Tyler Clippard, 26, 3.3, $443k, All-Star
Danny Espinosa, 24, 2.9, $415k,
Jordan Zimmermann, 25, 2.9, $415k,
Wilson Ramos, 23, 2.1, $415k,

Yr: 2012 Record: 98-64
Jordan Zimmermann, 26, 5.5, $2.3M,
Bryce Harper, 19, 5.2, $500k, All-Star
Gio Gonzalez, 26, 4.8, $3.25M, All-Star
Adam LaRoche, 32, 4.2, $8M,
Ryan Zimmerman, 27, 3.9, $12M,

Yr: 2013 Record: 86-76
Jayson Werth, 34, 4.7, $16M,
Ryan Zimmerman, 28, 3.8, $14M,
Ian Desmond, 27, 3.7, $3.8M,
Bryce Harper, 20, 3.7, $2M, All-Star
Jordan Zimmermann, 27, 3.6, $5.35M, All-Star


Yr: 2014 Record: 96-66
Anthony Rendon, 24, 6.6, $1.8M,
Jordan Zimmermann, 28, 4.9, $7.5M, All-Star
Tanner Roark, 27, 4.5, $506k,
Doug Fister, 30, 4.2, $7.2M,
Jayson Werth, 35, 4.0, $20M,

Yr: 2015 Record: 83-79
Bryce Harper, 22, 10.0, $2.5M, All-Star
Max Scherzer, 30, 7.3, $17.1M, All-Star
Jordan Zimmermann, 29, 3.0, $16.5M,
Gio Gonzalez, 29, 2.4, $11M,
Ian Desmond, 29, 2.1, $11M,

Yr: 2016 Record: 95-67
Max Scherzer, 31, 6.5, $22.1M, All-Star
Tanner Roark, 29, 5.6, $543k,
Daniel Murphy, 31, 4.5, $8M, All-Star
Anthony Rendon, 26, 3.9, $2.8M,
Stephen Strasburg, 27, 3.8, $10.4M, All-Star

Yr: 2017 Record: 97-65
Max Scherzer, 32, 7.4, $22.1M, All-Star
Stephen Strasburg, 28, 6.4, $18.3M, All-Star
Gio Gonzalez, 31, 6.2, $12M,
Anthony Rendon, 27, 6.0, $5.8M,
Bryce Harper, 24, 4.7, $13.63M, All-Star

Primarily as a staunch Strasburg supporter, I went through the numbers using Fangraph Wins Above Replacement. Some differences:

-Ryan Zimmerman is Top 5 for 6 seasons and still #1 for 3.

-Jordan Zimmerman is now Top 5 4 seasons, and only odd years.

-Strasburg has the biggest change. He goes from two Top 5 seasons to a team best seven, including six straight years from 2012 through 2017.

-Max drops from #1 to #2 behind Rendon in 2017.

2005:

Loaiza - 4.7
Patterson - 4.3
Johnson - 4.2
Guillen - 3.7
Livan - 3.2

2006:

Soriano - 5.4
Johnson - 4.9
Zimmerman - 3.8
Kearns - 2.0
Church - 1.9

2007:

Zimmerman - 4.5
Kearns - 3.4
Church - 2.8
Belliard - 2.3
Rauch - 1.7

2008:

Harris - 3.0
Guzman - 2.8
Dukes - 2.7
Zimmerman - 1.9
Belliard - 1.5

2009:

Zimmerman - 6.6
Nyjer - 2.9
Willingham - 2.5
Zimmermann - 1.9
Lannan - 1.4

2010:

Zimmerman - 6.6
Dunn - 3.0
Livan - 2.9
Willingham - 2.5
Stras - 2.3

2011:

Zimmermann - 3.7
Espinosa - 3.3
Morse - 2.9
Ramos - 2.6
Werth - 2.3

2012:

Gio - 4.8
Stras - 4.8
Harper - 4.4
Desmond - 4.3
Zimmerman - 4.1

2013:

Werth - 4.4
Desmond - 4.3
Harper - 4.1
Zimmermann - 3.5
Stras - 3.4

2014:

Rendon - 6.4
Zimermann - 5.5
Werth - 5.3
Stras - 4.6
Span - 4.2

2015:

Harper- 9.3
Max - 6.8
Gio - 3.6
Stras - 3.4
Zimmermann - 3.0

2016:

Max - 5.8
Murphy - 5.7
Rendon - 4.4
Stras - 4.2
Ramos - 3.5

2017:

Rendon - 6.8
Max - 6.2
Stras - 5.7
Harper - 4.9
Murphy - 4.5

...dunno how many more ways you can say, "we're either not playing our best or we're not as good as we thought we were."

either way, Jayson Werth ain't there to kick none of these dudes in the chest to make 'em wake up. Eaton hasn't been there long enough, but i would think Werth's understudy/mini me would have SOME cache to be the voice to right the ship.

...not enough young prospects in the farm system; too many free agents after this season.

if Bryce isn't coming back, is it better to take the extra draft pick or get two/three prospects via trade?

pivotal decision are gonna be made in the next 24 hours. hopefully the Nats are prepared to make 'em and deal with the whatever comes.

Outside of Bryce, who do we sell that will give us fair value. The obvious candidates are:

Rendon - Not sure we want to part with him especially with another year of control.
Murphy - He is still working his way back and a FA after this year.
MAT - Not sure he draws the picks or value they looking for

So not sure if we wanted to sell, Bryce would be the only piece.

https://twitter.com/jorgecastillo/status/1024670571211251713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I heard it was more about ongoing friction with Martinez and other clubhouse stuff, but that's a new one.

...it feels like Drew Storen was on the mound instead of Madson.

all i need is one strike...
all i need is one strike...

it's a wrap. season's done. i would say get ready for September call ups, but...they don't have much to bring.

Otherwise, just watching Scherzer starts and rooting for him to get 300 Ks and a sub 2 ERA

...for pennies on the dollar.

Daniel Murphy? SEE.YOU.LATER!!!
Matt Adams? SEE.YOUUU.LATER!!!

this is the spectacularly bad outcome i thought this season would have. too many free agents with a rookie manager? not a good mix. plus, throw in the fact that the GM didn't get his extension until the start of the season.

yeah, this season didn't start off on a good note at all. it's not surprising where the team is now. this is a HUGE off season too. not just with Harper, but Gio can walk. Wieters can walk. which could mean they could start next season w/o a lefty SP or a C that can muster up some offense. the farm system is in decline because most of the good prospects have been traded off.

yet barring injuries, the infield is solid; the outfield has depth; and the starting pitching has a couple of spots open. bullpen? eh.

overall, there's a lot to be optimistic about; but there's reason for concern too.

So it's basically that or no consideration.

This team should be competitive going forward, the biggest problem is that the Braves and Phillies have now arrived and will be here for the foreseeable future. This was the last year that 90 wins would breeze into a division.

Gio and Wieters were not going to get resigned anyway. Murph was going to be hard to sign especially with alot of $$$ going to Harp's deal. They do need at least 2 SP, catcher and bullpen help.

I think I was more excited when this team was just bad

the season's not over, i know. but Wieters is TRASH!!! let him walk. i wish the team's catching prospects were better offensively, but...they're not.

that leaves either trading for a top prospect (with no real viable trade assets) or signing a free agent (possibly someone else's trash).

the top FA Catchers are (in no particular order): Wilson Ramos; Yasmani Grandal; and Martin Maldonado

the top minor league prospects are (in no particular order): Danny Jansen (AAA); Zack Collins (AA); and Austin Allen (AA)

team prospects: Pedro Severino and Raudy Read

dunno what the fuss for J.T. Realmuto is about, but...i'd take Ramos back on a free agent deal first or Grandal.

anybody but Wieters.

O's declined to give him a qualifying offer. Apparently nobody out there was giving him a multi-year contract. Scott Boras does what Scott Boras does and gets the Nationals to step-up and overpay. They don't want to give a multi-year deal but they give him a one year with a PLAYER option. Bidding against themselves for no damn reason. Then he goes out and is terrible. If he were a free agent, nobody would have given him a major league contract. But he exercises that player option and the Nationals are stuck paying him another $10+ million. Maybe if he's healthy in February he can earn his way into a time share and get 10 years service time so he can get a full pension.

But yeah, garbage. Severino didn't not step up. Read had a good half year in AA, but yeah. A competing team needs a better options behind the plate.

...but he still might not get NL ROY.

that's okay tho', he'll get better.

>...but he still might not get NL ROY.

Harrison Bader and Brian Anderson have had solid rookie years, but I think it's shaping up into a two-horse race between Acuna and Soto. It's probably Acuña in the lead right now mostly because he's on the better team and hit more dingers, but I think it's close enough that it could swing in the last few weeks.

It's very convenient for comparison purposes that Acuña and Soto have roughly the same amount of plate appearances and play the same defensive position.

I suspect Soto will ultiamtely be runner-up

>that's okay tho', he'll get better.

The greatst walk rate from a teenager in the history of baseball and maybe the best offensive season by the time he's done.

>It's very convenient for comparison purposes that Acuña and
>Soto have roughly the same amount of plate appearances and
>play the same defensive position.
>
>I suspect Soto will ultiamtely be runner-up
>

...i think Soto edges him statistically on offense and defense. plus he's been named NL ROM twice; only once for Acuña.

i just hopes he becomes a better base runner and minimizes getting picked off. his plate discipline at this age is other worldly, but if his power improves - which it might as he ages - he could be Griffey-esque. which wouldn't be a bad thing because he didn't get ROY either.