Like last year, the Nationals got a bunch of lower-cost veterans on one-year deals. Also like last year, a lot of them were dealt by August. So now all of Dylan Floro, Jesse Winker, Eddie Rosario and Nick Senzel are gone. Additionally, Lane Thomas and Victor Robles are currently in other markets, Joey Gallo is hurt, and Joey Meneses is in the minors. If the Nationals were going to convince people that they can make a run in 2025, now would be the time.
And the thing is, there is a decent picture of what a competitive version of this Nationals team could look like soon enough. The centerpiece would likely be C.J. Abrams, who's unsurprisingly blossomed into a great MLB player who can hit for power, steal bases and be the hero. The ace might be MacKenzie Gore still, but Jake Irvin has definitely made a case for his own continued presence in the rotation with an excellent campaign with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.097 WHIP. You're also seeing D.J. Herz and Mitchell Parker succeed in big games at the major league level, despite some higher ERAs on account of a worse product. And you're seeing people like Jacob Young, Trey Lipscomb and James Wood play very big roles in the success they've had.
And then you have Luis Garcia Jr., who's taken a while to truly blossom honestly. He struggled in his first few seasons, with defensive stumbles and a lack of offensive production. But now, finally, Garcia is hitting, and has a .282 average with 51 RBIs, 11 homers and 97 hits. He's also one of three current Nationals with over 15 stolen bases.
It's kinda weird that Garcia has a better batting average than Keibert Ruiz, C.J. Abrams and Jacob Young. But it's also weird that Juan Yepez has been a better first baseman in Washington than he ever was in St. Louis, so...the conventional way is not gonna be the main tactic for the Nats. They've gotten people like Harold Ramirez and Ildemaro Vargas in crucial roles for them, and that's pretty damned cool.
It's not certain how long it'll be til the Nats can compete. I don't know how many years away the Bobby Witt Jr. numbers are for James Wood, as he's been decent so far in the majors but not earthshaking yet. I dunno when this rotation will lock into pure domination [probably around when they can tell Patrick Corbin to beat it]. But there is potential, and there's more optimism here than someplace like Miami. It just might be a slow crawl.
Coming Tonight: One of the few decent players left remaining in Detroit.
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