So, to recap: the Nationals aren't going to make the playoffs. Not even remotely. But that doesn't mean they can't decide some outcomes by still being alright enough to beat competitors.
This team is still relatively dangerous, even without Daniel Murphy and Gio Gonzalez. Max Scherzer is still a Cy Young caliber ace, Bryce Harper's still hitting home runs, and there's still a ton of versatility here, with a lot of players just popping up and being good at several things at once. Plus, we're getting a fuller performance from Adam Eaton for the first time since 2016, and he's been doing a great job in center as...well, technically a backup for Michael Taylor, but Eaton's having the better year.
Now, obviously there are problems, like the back half of the rotation, which is now beginning to show due to Gonzalez' loss; Erick Fedde and Jefry Rodriguez aren't really up to the caliber that the rest of this rotation is used to. Plus, the Doolittle-less bullpen is weaker, especially now that Madson is in LA, and it's been illuminated that there wasn't really a succeeding closing option in Doolittle's absence (so thank god he's back).
This team will be going into another off year, and will be losing Bryce Harper, and possibly more, at its end. And they need to figure out if they want to ride high on their farm system, which isn't yielding much else right now, or if they still want to try to squeeze one more playoff team out of this lineup. But it's a tough choice.
Coming Tomorrow- A team that's so much of a playoff gimme that even their catcher's name sounds like 'yawn'
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