At 24-33 heading into June, it seemed highly unlikely we’d see the Washington Nationals crowned 2019 World Series champions almost five months later. Alas, 69 wins over 105 games down the stretch — plus an incredible postseason run — brought the Nats their first championship in the 51-season history of the franchise (35 of those in Montreal; 1969 to 2004).
Young positional stars like Juan Soto, Trea Turner, and Victor Robles, in addition to NL MVP candidate Anthony Rendon, gave the Nationals’ lineup a healthy dose of talent. And guys like Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, Gerardo Parra, Asdrubal Cabrera, and original National, Ryan Zimmerman, made manager Dave Martinez‘s job of making the matchups work a lot easier on a nightly basis.
Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Anibal Sanchez headed up a fearsome Washington rotation and, despite their best efforts, the Nats’ bullpen — led by 32-year-old left-hander Sean Doolittle and trade deadline acquisition Daniel Hudson — held up just enough to get the job done.
Key cogs have departed, but a majority of the Nationals’ impressive core remains. Whether they’ve done enough this offseason to make another run at that coveted hardware is to be determined.
Subtractions
- Anthony Rendon, 3B
- Brian Dozier, 2B
- Fernando Rodney, RP
- Jonny Venters, RP
- Jeremy Hellickson, SP
- Greg Holland, RP
- Koda Glover, RP (non-tendered)
- Spencer Kieboom, C (outrighted; elected free agency)
- Hunter McMahon, RP (traded to MIN)
Additions
- Will Harris, RP (three years, $24 million)
- Starlin Castro, INF (two years, $12 million)
- Eric Thames 1B/OF (one year, $3 million)
- Kyle Finnegan, RP (one year, $563,500)
- Ryne Harper, RP (acquired from MIN)
- Emilio Bonifacio, UTL*
- Fernando Abad, RP*
- Mac Williamson, OF*
- Kevin Quackenbush, RP*
- Welington Castillo, C*
- David Hernandez*
- Paolo Espino, P*
- JB Shuck, OF*
- Jacob Wilson, UTL*
- Tyler Eppler, P*
- Carlos Tocci, OF*
*minor league contract, invite to major league camp
Outlook
Washington certainly made a strong attempt to stay in the race among what’s expected to be a hotly contested NL East. Former first-round draft pick (2016) Carter Kieboom will assume duties at third base. If he can translate his .287/.378/.469 minors hitting line (79 doubles, 45 homers, 208 RBIs in 329 MiLB games) to the major leagues, it’s plausible the Nats will only feel the sting of Rendon’s departure slightly.
The Nationals’ rotation remains in place, with Joe Ross penciled into the fifth spot as of now. With headliners Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin at the top of the staff, the damage quotient for this group will remain uncomfortably high. Sanchez provides quality depth from the back-end and with options to choose from in Ross, Erick Fedde, and others to fill out the chart, Martinez and his staff should be well-prepared for battle.
Doolittle, Hudson, and Harris give Washington’s bullpen a new, presumably more effective foundation. After riding a second-worst in MLB 5.68 bullpen ERA to a World Series title last year, the added weapons and depth guys like right-handers Tanner Rainey and Wander Suero and southpaw, Roenis Elias certainly give this Nats relief corps a head start on last year’s group.
The Nats’ bench is still a strong suit for this roster. Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki figure to share time behind the plate, and Zimmerman, Cabrera, Kendrick, and Michael A. Taylor provide a little bit of everything.
All in all, there’s still a ton of talent in the nation’s capital. As long as the cards fall the right way for this Washington squad, they should afford themselves every chance to keep things interesting through the summer (maybe fall) months.
