Email a copy of 'Offseason Outlook: Washington Nationals' to a friend
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By Jeff Todd | at
Email a copy of 'Offseason Outlook: Washington Nationals' to a friend
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Paddy
I cannot wait until next winter when Boras takes Harper to free agency and Harper signs with the Yankees, the team he has wanted to play for his whole life!
stl_cards16 2
Harper will not be a free agent next winter. So hopefully you can wait.
misterb71
Too bad you weren’t aware that Harper is under team control until 2019 at the very least.
JPZ7
Boras has great relationship with DC, Bryce loves the Hype in DC AND the fans. The Nats would do anything to make sure he stays. Bryce wouldn’t sign with Yankees… Most likely a team on the West coast or a contender for the playoffs.
nymlagares
I think he ends up with the Dodgers, I just don’t think that the Nats will be as competitive as he wants them to be and the Dodgers can pay him basically whatever he wants
Plus in the next few years they have money coming off the books
2018 – Adrian Gonzalez: $21.5M
2017 – Carl Crawford $21M
2018 – Andre Either $17.5M
2018 – Brandon McCarthy $10M
2018 – Yasiel Puig $7.5M
2018 – Hyun-Jin Ryu $7M
That’s $84.5M at least between 2017-2018, so if Harper wants $40M, he might be able to get it
nymlagares
I have one question, were the Nationals really as good as everyone thought they were?
In 2014 they weren’t challenged what so ever to win the division as the other 4 teams were pretty bad. In 2013 they were challenged by the Braves and didn’t deal with it too well. In 2012 they were good during the regular season, but again in a weak division (albeit I still think they would have won the NLDS with Strasburg). Now to 2015 people said they should win 100 games and that the Mets and Marlins would be lucky to compete for a second wild card, and again, they lost and barely held onto a winning record.
For 2016, are they really gonna be that much better? They’re losing Span, Zimmermann, Desmond, and Fister. Sure they have prospects who are poised to replace them, but we all know that we could think they’re the surest of sure things and don’t pan out.
The division should still be weak with the Braves and Phillies and possibly the Marlins (you never know what they’ll do). But then again Zimmerman, Scherzer, Escobar, and Werth are another year older and their pen is weak.
Obviously, you can’t predict the future and the Nats could win 110 games or could lose 110 games, but if I were a Nats fan, I don’t think I’d be all too comfortable with the way the team stands, especially after last year
jccfromdc
As a Nats fan (and a baseball fan for over 40 years) I have enough perspective to be completely comfortable with the way the team stands now, in November. They had a perfect storm of crap last year – and still finished with a winning record, largely thanks to Harper and Scherzer. After sitting through 2005-2011, a winning record sounds pretty good.
I do expect that they will make moves to improve the team between now and Opening Day. But the core is quite good. And there is no way to disaster proof a roster. Which is why predictions on Opening Day are crap. And if predictions on Opening Day are crap, why get strung up worrying about predictions before Thanksgiving?
Out of place Met fan
When I reviewed my entry for the top 50 FA contest, I found I didn’t have the Nationals getting anyone. Of course I edited it, (adding Parra and a RP) but to me it demostrated how varied their off-season can go
dhud
Dear Nationals, please put together an offer so overwhelming for Chapman that even the Reds’ front office can’t help but accept. Love, hopeful Reds fans everywhere
porplesmcgee
Dear Reds Fan, Aroldis Chapman is an overrated and pricey commodity that the Nats will not be willing to overpay for.
LH
We have our problems, but rizzos ability to trade is not one of them.
dhud
Hardly…
2.17 ERA, 146 saves, 546 strikeouts in 6 years. Yes, that’s what I call overrated
rivera42
Did somebody just say that Chapman is overrated? That’s funny. Also, Gardner for Storen is a joke of an offer.
lonechicken
Rizzo’s going to have to get creative to trade Papelbon… and even more creative to somehow get Chapman in return for Papelbon. Like including Michael Taylor and a pitching prospect not named Giolito or Ross.
I almost feel like it’s less a headache for the Nats to just cut Papelbon and let him rot, so that their offseason thinking isn’t clouded.