The Washington Nationals finished in last place in the NL East last year with a 65-97 record, and they aren’t expected to be much better this year. They have one of the best young players in the game in Juan Soto, but not a whole lot to support him after trading away multiple big names at last year’s deadline. They brought in Nelson Cruz to help fuel what could be a decent offense, but their pitching situation is brutal.
Here’s a glimpse at what this NL East foe will look like this season.
Projected Starting Lineup (per Roster Resource)
- César Hernández – 2B
- Juan Soto – RF
- Nelson Cruz – DH
- Josh Bell – 1B
- Keibert Ruiz – C
- Lane Thomas – LF
- Alcides Escobar – SS
- Maikel Franco – 3B
- Victor Robles – CF
Lineup Assessment
The most notable player the Nationals brought in is free agent Cruz. The addition of the DH to the National League increases their flexibility in terms of getting him in the everyday lineup. Cruz is nearly 42 years old, but he still put up a solid .832 OPS in 2021.
They also brought in free agents César Hernández and Maikel Franco, both of whom Mets fans should be familiar with from their Phillies days. Hernández is now 31 and was unspectacular between the Indians and White Sox last year. Franco had a tough 2021 season with Baltimore, hitting just .210 with a .253 OBP.
Dee Strange-Gordon and Ehire Adrianza are two more free agent infielders Washington signed this offseason. They should round out the bench.
While the Nationals aren’t expected to win a lot of games this year, it will be interesting to see if young players like Keibert Ruiz and Victor Robles can establish themselves as big leaguers. Ruiz came over from the Dodgers in the Max Scherzer–Trea Turner deal, and was a highly touted catching prospect for LA.
Robles has been a disappointment for Nationals fans, especially last year when he batted just .203/.310/.295 in 107 games. Still, he’s only 24 years old and should get a chance to perform on a team that probably won’t win many games.
Lane Thomas and Alcides Escobar are two relatively new bats in the lineup, with the Nationals acquiring them in July trades. Josh Bell should be the everyday first baseman, and possibly a bright spot on this team having posted an .823 OPS last year (and a .936 mark with the Pirates in 2019).
Of course, the biggest bright spot is Soto, the 23-year-old phenom who put up a monstrous 163 wRC+ and 6.6 fWAR last year. He has a career 156 wRC+ in just over 2,000 plate appearances, with a walk rate higher than his strikeout rate. He’s one of the best players in baseball, and he’s only just entering what should be his prime.
Overall, the Nationals’ offense could be decent if some of the weaker hitters step up. At the very least, the two-three-four spots should be powerful. Soto will be fun for any baseball fan to watch, but the rest of the lineup doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence for a bounceback season.
Players Lost
The biggest losses for the Nationals came not during the offseason, but during the season when they essentially tore everything down. They traded eight major players before the trade deadline: Scherzer, Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Brad Hand, Daniel Hudson, Yan Gomes, Josh Harrison and Jon Lester.
Lester has since retired, while all the rest remain with other teams. The only remaining star is Soto, who the Nationals look to build around.
In terms of losing players in free agency, there wasn’t a lot of action regarding the Nationals this offseason, in large part due to trading away most of their major players beforehand. Wander Suero signed a minor league contract with the Angels, while Luis Avilán, Gerardo Parra and Aníbal Sánchez all re-signed with Washington on minor league deals. Starlin Castro, Kyle McGowin, Jordy Mercer, Ryne Harper and Hernán Pérez remain unsigned.
Pitching
The rotation doesn’t look great for the Nationals. Scherzer is obviously gone, and Stephen Strasburg is down with thoracic outlet syndrome, the same injury that led to Matt Harvey‘s downfall. Their best healthy starter is Patrick Corbin, despite posting a terrible 5.82 ERA last season. He was really good from 2017-2019, but at 32 years old, he may be losing his way.
After Corbin, it will be interesting to see what Josiah Gray can do with a full season of work. Like Ruiz, Gray was acquired from the Dodgers in the Scherzer-Turner trade. He pitched in 14 games at the major league level last year — two with the Dodgers and 12 with the Nationals. He put up a 5.48 ERA in 70 2/3 innings of work.
The 24-year-old will try to prove his worth this year in a rotation that doesn’t have too many options.
Also in the rotation is the previously noted Sánchez. The 38-year-old had a 6.62 ERA last year and has looked terrible this spring, which doesn’t particularly inspire a lot of hope. Josh Rogers was solid in six games for the Nationals last year, but he’s not exactly a proven major leaguer. Erick Fedde, who’s been steadily mediocre over the last few seasons for Washington, currently slots in as the fifth starter.
Overall, this rotation has the potential to be a disaster, and probably the biggest weakness for a mediocre team. The biggest development to watch will be how Gray does.
The bullpen looks a little more respectable than the rotation with the Nationals bringing in Sean Doolittle and Steve Cishek, despite both being 35 years old. Kyle Finnegan is the projected closer, while Tanner Rainey rounds out the back end. They also signed former Met Tyler Clippard to a deal.
Top Prospects
The Nationals’ top prospect is the previously discussed Ruiz, who will look to take over the everyday catching duties. The only other top prospect close to the majors is right-hander Cade Cavalli, who’s projected to start at Triple-A. Those are the only two Nationals prospects in the overall top 100.
It’s likely going to be another tough year for the Nationals as they trudge through a rebuild of their once star-studded team.
