The Beginning of the End in Washington

 

The trade deadline is August 2nd this year. That leaves teams 12 days to either deal for any pieces that can help them compete or get rid of any pieces that could ensure a quicker rebuilding process. The Washington Nationals are expected, like last year, to sell at the deadline, and are looking to move pieces like Josh Bell, Nelson Cruz and Carl Edwards.

And then there is the Juan Soto factor. Soto just turned down an offer to stay in Washington. The Nats denied him the use of their planes to make it to the All-Star Game. Soto has made it clear that he wants off the Nats, and whether it will happen this month or during the offseason is up to what teams are willing to offer. I do think that...pulling together a Soto deal in 15 days when teams weren't sure he'd be on the block at all is a bit tricky, but it could definitely happen. If Soto changes hands this deadline, I won't be too shocked. 

But the thing is...where does that leave the Nationals? Uh...not in a great place.

I think that getting rid of Bell and Soto could free up a bit of room for them in terms of budget. The team misguidedly has two more years of Patrick Corbin and FOUR MORE YEARS of Stephen Strasburg. Keep in mind, he hasn't pitched a full season for the Nats since they won the World Series. They re-signed him thinking they'd compete for years, he IMMEDIATELY lands on the IL, and has pitched 31.1 innings in the entire time he's been on that 2020 contract. He pitched ONE START this year, and he might not get another one. And the Nats have four more years to hope that he shows up again. 

Then, at the same time, they don't have a lot of true lineup heroes left. Yadiel Hernandez is a decent outfield bat with a .264 average and 33 RBIs, but he's a 34 year old sophomore who seems to have passed his peak years in foreign leagues. Victor Robles is a great defender but he still can't hit. Keibert Ruiz is decent but is still building towards his peak. Luis Garcia is hitting .294 but his defense is dragging him behind. And there are so many replacement players here that it's kind of puzzling that the Nats are still keeping some minor league pieces down. Of course, you look at the Rochester Red Wings and you see a team filled with lots of career minor leaguers and late-20s/early-30s guys. The Nats are being careful with Cade Cavalli, but are they more eager to end the season pitching people like Joan Adon and Erick Fedde? Probably.

I don't think this team's gonna get any better if Soto leaves. I don't know if a trade piece is gonna land their way that's gonna change everything, because Keibert Ruiz is not that guy and neither really is Josiah Gray. I think they might need to tank for a few seasons and see if that leads them anywhere. Sucks that teams still need to do that, but hey.

Coming Tomorrow- A long-haired reliever for a short-staffed team.

Nationals Update: Starting a 33-Year-Old Rookie Edition

 

This just sums up the Nationals' season right here. I had a Joe Ross custom prepared for today, but now he's out for the season, and I'm gonna have to hold that custom til December, for Year by Year. And because so many people left this team at the deadline, I don't have many easy options to make a Nats custom for. So my best option was 33-year-old rookie Yadiel Hernandez.

Who is now a starting outfielder for the Nationals. That is where we're at.

I mean this with no offense meant towards Yadiel Hernandez, who's hitting .295 and is adding some versatility and contact work to this outfield in Schwarber's absence. But he's very much a replacement player, and this Nats team is just running on numerous replacement players right now. Instead of Trea Turner, the Nats now have Alcides Escobar, and even if he is, in fact, having his best season since 2015, he's still a fill-in player. Tres Barrera, Luis Garcia and Carter Kieboom have gone from backups to starters, and while at the very least Kieboom is finally hitting for average in the majors, how do they compare to Gomes, Harrison and Castro. And there's also perennial Nats bench man Adrian Sanchez who's been great in his first 9 games.

I will say that some of these rookies are raising some eyebrows in backup roles that wouldn't have existed without these trades. Josiah Gray now has a definite place to start games, and he's been excellent so far in 3 starts. Lane Thomas has only had a few at-bats since the Jon Lester trade, but now that he's got more room to prosper he's been hitting a bit more. Mason Thompson, the return for Daniel Hudson, has been strong so far in relief. The pieces that were MLB-ready are proving that they're ready to help the Nationals now, which means even if it's a bit until the next time the Nats get to compete, they still have pieces to use that aren't being plucked out of the minors early.

Cause as much as I frown upon 30 year old rookies, it's better than a 20 year old rookie who's out of his element. 

Coming Tonight: The team that broke through out of nowhere in April has fallen apart completely. This pitcher's doing all he can.