It’s amazing what that Gio Gozalez trade has done for the Washington Nationals. A lot of those who squawked that the Nats gave up too much are eating crow these days. Damn, I wanted the Mets to go after him so bad last Winter.
The Nationals were smart in locking him up to a five-year, $42 million dollar contract extension which essentially buys out all of Gio’s arbitration years plus one year of free agency and also includes options for 2017 and 2018. Gonzalez, 26, has a 1.72 ERA in six starts and is among the league leaders in several pitching categories.
And what about pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg? Have you ever seen a better and quicker recovery from Tommy John Surgery than this one? It’s amazing… After Clayton Kershaw, Strasburg might be the best pitcher in the league – hands down.
Read it and weep:
This rotation is the best in baseball. They are young, under team control for many years, and will be a lot more to contend with than anything the Phillies can throw at us.
Ross Detwiler has been a revelation for the Nats, looking even better than he did last season when he joined the rotation and gave the Nats ten effective starts. The young southpaw is oozing with potential.
Much has always been expected from Jordan Zimmerman and after his first full season last year, Zimm ishowed up to Spring Camp in February more confident than ever before, and now he is finally delivering on all that promise scouts have raved about for years.
At 28, Edwin Jackson is the veteran of the group. He was signed to a one-year deal this Winter – a signing that now looks largely unnecessary in hindsight. But hey, who knew?
When you look at the top of the standings and see the Nationals in first place with an 18-12 record, don’t snicker and don’t laugh. This team is legit. And if pitching is everything, than the Nats could dominate the NL East for a long, long time.
