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.