Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
Finesse is a large makeup of this current Washington Nationals pitching staff. It is not necessarily a bad thing unless you are a bad “finesse” pitcher. Gone are the days of the big power arms in the Nats’ rotation, and just by circumstance it is a bunch of pitchers trying to get you out with “stuff” — sort of. Clearly the recipe isn’t working well, but it is what it is.
Manager Dave Martinez has a bunch of power arms in his bullpen, and he just has to hope that his starting pitchers like Anibal Sanchez, Paolo Espino, and Erick Fedde can get you zeros without having the over-powering fastball. Josiah Gray is somewhere in the middle with the highest average fastball in the rotation at 94.2 mph, and Patrick Corbin still thinks he is a power pitcher.
All in all, it is just not working and besides top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli, there is no other minor league pitcher who looks like he can help out in an attempt to improve this rotation. Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross are both mostly likely gone for the season due to injuries, and they might never be part of the future plans. Going forward, it might just be Cavalli, Gray, and Fedde plus two new arms. Cavalli might not even be part of the 2023 Opening Day roster. The team can compete with every other team for pitchers in free agency — or they could make a blockbuster trade in the next 10-days to change the future direction of this team.
The trade deadline is just around the corner and any minute now we could hear the news that some will dread while others know is a necessity to get better. Some refer to needing a “Herschel Walker” type of trade which the Cowboys pulled off at the cost of the Vikings future. It is how the Cowboys found the last shred of real success they had with Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin after the team drafted with the Vikings’ picks: Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson. Trust me, you don’t have to know football to know just what an impact those players had. The Nats need that in a trade. Just a superstar with a few star players who will part of the core going forward.
Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Stadium: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
1st Pitch: 8:10 pm EDT
TV: MASN2; Bally Sports Arizona, MLB App (out-of-network only)
Nats Radio: 106.7 The Fan and via the MLB app
Lineups (subject to change without notice):
