The Nationals are struggling big time. Despite being one of the preseason World Series favorites, Washington has dipped under .500 and now sits 4.5 games behind the Mets in the division and 9.5 back in the Wild Card.
They’ve lost six straight as well as 17 of their last 24, leaving some to speculate that manager Matt Williams is on the hot seat. Last night, John Harper of the New York Daily News took that one step further, suggesting that the Nationals could tap Wally Backman to manage the club.
GM Mike Rizzo has stood firmly behind Williams, but, as Harper points out, he also has a relationship with Backman going back to their days in the Diamondbacks organization.
The crux of Harper’s piece, however, is a potential Backman hiring could “mess with the Mets’ mojo.” With a pretty young team, a lot of current Mets have played under Backman in the minor leagues.
Backman also would certainly provide a change of pace for the Nationals, as Williams is a low key, quiet manager while Backman, as we have seen, is as fiery as it gets. He could be the jolt of energy that Washington needs to turn things around.
Backman or no Backman, if the Nationals keep struggling, the pressure to fire Williams will only grow, as will speculation of possible replacements.
