With two open spots on the roster until Spring Training starts, you would think that general manager Mike Rizzo has opportunities in the next 35-days with a couple of free agent signings before Christmas. That would be a nice present to Nationals’ fans. Rizzo could probably find another space or two if needed through a DFA or a trade if he needs more than two slots.
The Rule-5 Draft decision day is the deadline for teams to protect their players from the Rule-5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man rosters. That deadline is 24-hours away at November 19, 2024 at 6 PM ET. Any Rule-5 eligible players who are not added to their team’s 40-man roster can be drafted by any of the other 29 teams.
The Washington Nationals have some tough choices to make, as do all teams. By giving up a coveted 40-man spot for protected players, that takes away a spot that usually leads to a corresponding roster move. In the Nationals case, they cleared several spots by DFA’ing Ildemaro Vargas, Joey Meneses, Michael Rucker, and Thaddeus Ward. The irony is that Ward was a Rule-5 draft pick by the Nats two years ago, and they carried him as a struggling pitcher on their 2023 roster. Last year, the Nats drafted Nasim Nunez and that might work out.
Baseball, a sport deeply rooted in American culture, has been steadily expanding its global reach, captivating fans, and inspiring new generations of players worldwide. The World Population Review even has an entire in-depth section titled “MLB Players by Country 2024” whose statistical analysis of international baseball’s growth showed MLB players coming from twenty-six countries during the 2024 season. The Global Game: The Rise of International Baseball delves into the factors contributing to the rise of international baseball, highlighting key regions and their unique journeys.
Last year at this time, the Washington Nationals were getting projections of 64 wins by FanGraphs. As the Nats added new acquisitions in the offseason leading up to the 2024 season, the number got to 66-wins projected by FanGraphs and 58 by Baseball Prospectus. The Nats beat all of the algorithms and won 71-games.
We arrived in this offseason with some optimism based on the improvement in the pitching staff as the team went from a 5.02 ERA in 2023 to 4.30 in 2024. More encouraging statistics showed that the Nationals finished the 2024 season with the 9th best Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) in baseball at 3.94. FIP is directly affected by defense, and the Nats had a poor defensive season, finishing 5th to last in MLB. They had the worst left-side defense in baseball in 2024. Also consider that the Nats carried Patrick Corbin all season, and his 4.41 FIP raised the team’s average in the wrong direction. In theory, replacing Corbin with a better pitcher could improve the 3.94 FIP dramatically better — and better defense will make this team better in reality.
The process of trying to assess values of players into the future is far from an exact science. Some do not like the WAR formula; however, it appears to be the best indicator we have for values. When we put numbers to paper, we could not reach the objectives laid out by Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo by spending $40 million.
Principal owner Mark Lerner and GM Mike Rizzo in a suite (Photo by Sol Tucker)
Most teams want to deliver the good news before it happens. That is how you excite the fan base and sell more season ticket packages for the upcoming season. A very common practice for many teams is creating a positive brand image. I think that is a key part of marketing. Maybe the Lerner ownership group and their C-Suite generals are not aware of that.
The Washington Nationals seem to always play it safe and never want to over-promise and then under-perform. You want to spend the offseason on positivity when you know you are building to win. That excites your fans, advertisers, and potential new customers. Plus you have a chance to win back previous customers.
There are literally thousands of free agent combinations, and you could plug-and-play dozens of names into a spreadsheet based on a budget. The Washington Nationals are rumored to be spending this offseason. The team has been tied to several of the big names from Juan Soto to Alex Bregman to Christian Walker to Anthony Santander to Pete Alonso. It has been a few years since the Nationals have had their name associated with the top of the free agent stack.
The Washington Nationals have experienced their fair share of highs and lows since their inception in 2005. While they’re celebrated for their 2019 World Series win, their 20-year journey has been peppered with challenges. In this analysis, we’ll delve into the Nationals’ most disappointing years, shedding light on the hurdles they faced, the factors contributing to their struggles, and how those seasons defined the franchise’s history.
With all of the talk about the Washington Nationals potential 2025 lineup, there could be additions of a new rotation arm and bullpen arms for the 2025 season. While it is possible that the Nats could fill those spots from within the organization, the team still could use a true No. 1 starter to seed in front of MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and DJ Herz. That would allow Cade Cavalli and Mitchell Parker to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. On top of that, the team could always use another upgrade in the bullpen.
The rumor mill has not tied the Washington Nationals to any significant free agent in years … until now. In the span of a few days, the Nats have been tied to three of the top free agents in baseball with reports from ESPN, ESPN again, and the USA Today naming the Nats having interest in Alex Bregman, Juan Soto, and Christian Walker — with the two infielders earning Gold Glove this year — and of course all three players had good offense as well.
