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Bill Buckner Passes Away

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Former major league first baseman/outfielder Bill Buckner has passed away after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia, as his wife, Jody, confirmed to Jeremy Schaap of ESPN. Buckner was 69 years old.

Buckner is best known for one play – an error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series that helped propel the Mets to a title over his Red Sox – but that doesn’t do justice to his career. A second-round pick of the Dodgers in 1968, Buckner debuted a year later and didn’t conclude his career until 1990 with the Red Sox. He also spent time with the Cubs, Royals and Angels, hitting .289/.321/.408 with 174 home runs and 183 stolen bases in upward of 10,000 plate appearances.

In what was likely the crowning personal achievment of his career, Buckner won the NL batting title as a Cub in 1980 with a .324 average. A year later, he earned his lone All-Star nod. Buckner logged a few more productive seasons thereafter, including with the Red Sox, though the way ’86 ended left a bad taste for Boston fans. Eventually, ill feelings between them and Buckner were put aside. Buckner returned to Fenway Park to a roaring ovation in 2008, four years after the Red Sox broke an 86-year championship drought and one season after they took home yet another title, to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. Buckner later poked fun at himself in a 2011 episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” in which he made a life-saving catch.

Since Buckner’s passing, there has been an outpouring of support from the many who respected him as a person and a baseball player. MLBTR echoes those sentiments.

Latest On Possibility Of International Draft

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Major League Baseball continues its quest to implement an international draft, per recent reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN and Ben Badler of Baseball America. MLB has discussed the possibility of introducing a draft by 2020 or 2021, according to Badler, with the league having held talks with members of its Trainer Partnership Program – a group of Latin American trainers known as buscones. To this point, though, the league hasn’t engaged in talks with the MLBPA on the subject of a draft.  It’s one of several important issues the two sides will have to iron out before the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, 2021.

Thus far in MLB’s preliminary discussions on the matter, it has considered a 15-round, 450-selection draft with a hard-slotted system, per Badler, who adds teams would be able trade picks. It appears players who go undrafted would be able to sign for up to $50K, though Badler notes that number could change. Players still wouldn’t be able to sign until the age of 16, but clubs have been known to exploit that – which has been a key part of talks between the league and the buscones.

No fewer than four Latin players from the 2021-22 international signing period agreed to deals with teams when they were just 13, Passan reports. Furthermore, some international players drop out of school when they’re as young as 10 to focus on baseball, and Passan writes that performance-enhancing drug use among these children has been incentivized as they attempt to garner interest from MLB clubs. As a result, there are some influential buscones who are on board with a draft, Passan relays. But others are less enthusiastic about the idea because the financial cap on draft picks would further limit the players’ earnings (and the trainers’ in turn).

Under the current system, an international signing period that begins July 2 and runs into the next June, most teams have somewhere between $4.3MM and just under $6.5MM in their bonus pools. The lone exception is the Braves, who have a penniless pool thanks to violations from their previous front office. Back in 2017, the league issued a permanent ban to ex-general manager John Coppolella and stripped the Braves of 13 international prospects thanks to the misdeeds of him and some of his Atlanta cohorts on the foreign market. However, it’s clear there are still seedy elements at play under the present international setup, and it seems that’s on MLB’s mind as it attempts to shift to a draft.

Considering the frayed relationship between the league’s owners and players, this will be a situation worth watching over the next couple years as the two sides try to avoid a work stoppage. Notably, some Latin players – including Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarnacion – have spoken out against an international draft, which Adrian Burgos of La Vida Baseball covered in 2017.

10 Low-Cost MLB Deals Paying Dividends

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We’ve spent some time looking at one-year MLB deals recently, with separate posts checking in on the highest-paid position players, starters, and relievers. More often than not, the results have been underwhelming for those players. There’s still time for turnarounds, but we’re already one quarter of the way through the full duration of those contracts.

Scan a bit further down the list in terms of dollars promised, however, and you’ll find some more promising outcomes. Indeed, quite a few players earning relative peanuts on one-year MLB contracts are turning in downright excellent results. (Note: we’re talking about deals that were guaranteed at the time of signing, not minor-league contracts.)

Here are the ten most impressive, ordered from most to least expensive:

Avisail Garcia, Rays, $3.5MM: An under-the-radar aspect of the Rays strong opening to the season has been the bargain-basement score of Garcia, who has stung the ball early on. He’s humming along at a .283/.343/.507 clip with eight long balls and three steals through 166 plate appearances. Contact quality will probably always be king for Garcia, who isn’t especially strikeout prone but doesn’t walk much. What’s he doing differently? I’m not exactly sure, but he’s barreling the baseball far more (14.3%) than ever before and is underperforming against Statcast’s expectations (.360 wOBA vs. .385 xwOBA).

Jonathan Lucroy, Angels, $3.35MM: The venerable backstop had fallen on hard times over the past two seasons. It was most noticeable at the plate, where the long-productive hitter fell into a deep hole, but the former pitch-framing posterboy also stopped winning strikes for his pitchers. The bounceback has been a rare bright spot in Anaheim, as Lucroy is slashing .265/.326/.439 and once again earning strong marks for his receiving ability behind the dish.

Adam Jones, Diamondbacks, $3MM: The esteemed veteran was all but frozen out of the free agent market this winter until the D-Backs came along with a decent offer. Jones hasn’t exactly morphed into a star, but he’s providing strong offensive output in an everyday role. Through 202 plate appearances, he’s slashing .265/.323/.476 with nine dingers, which is a rather vintage performance at the dish. That sort of production played better back when Jones was capable of playing center, but it’s good value regardless for a player who’s also a plus in the clubhouse.

James McCann, White Sox, $2.5MM: Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list when you look only at the top-line numbers, the younger of the two catching McCanns has been utterly on fire to open the season. He’s slashing a heretofore unheard of .340/.381/.538 in 113 plate appearances. Yeah, yeah … it’s not full-time action. And the regression warning lights are flashing, with a .421 BABIP and -.061 x/wOBA imbalance. McCann is also not getting the ravest of reviews in the framing arena. Still, at this cost, there’s no cause whatsoever for complaint. Bonus: McCann is arb eligible this fall.

Jordan Lyles, Pirates, $2.05MM: Many Pirates fans rolled their eyes and scoffed at this signing, and not without reason. It’s nice to find great value, but was Lyles really a buy-low candidate or just a cheap fill-in piece for a team that should be spending more? He has been one of the most cost-efficient starters in baseball thus far, providing 45 2/3 frames of sub-2.00 ERA ball in eight starts. His peripherals (9.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 43.0% GB%, 0.79 HR/9) don’t scream “ace,” but they do suggest he has been quite strong thus far. There’s good reason to think that Lyles has finally found himself after so many missed opportunities, with the Bucs benefiting.

Brian McCann, Braves, $2MM: The original behind-the-dish McCann hasn’t been flashy but has delivered everything the Braves hoped for when they brought him back to town. He’s producing right at the league average offensively through 92 plate appearances, grinding out tough at-bats by walking nearly as often as he’s striking out. The grizzled veteran is obviously valued as much or more for his ability to work with pitchers and nurture a youthful clubhouse as he is for his on-field contributions. It seems fair to say this is working out quite nicely thus far.

Neil Walker, Marlins, $2MM: If you look back at Walker’s career numbers, his rough 2018 season stands out as an outlier. Typically a steady producer at the plate, Walker looked like much the same hitter as ever but suffered from an unseasonably low .257 batting average on balls in play. This year, the BABIP gods have repaid him with a .363 mark, and his output has risen to a strong .290/.371/.427 level. Walker is helping hold down the fort for now in Miami but seems like a rather likely mid-season trade piece, as he ought to be able to help out a contending team as a multi-position infielder.

Blake Parker, Twins, $1.8MM: The Angels would take a do-over on their non-tender decision, as Parker has turned in 16 1/3 innings of 1.10 ERA ball for a bargain rate of pay. True, he’s carrying just 6.6 K/9 with 3.9 BB/9, but his strong 56.1% groundball rate is a nice base to work from. There’s really no reason to think that Parker will keep up the immaculate results, as he’s highly unlikely to carry a .195 BABIP and 96.2% strand rate all year long. Still, he has saved eight games for the streaking Twins and now seems to be a key part of the bullpen picture for a surefire postseason team. Parker is also eligible to be tendered a contract through arbitration one more time this fall.

Tim Beckham, Mariners, $1.75MM: It was a crafty move for M’s GM Jerry Dipoto to double down on the buy-low middle infielders. After acquiring J.P. Crawford, he grabbed a seat-warmer/bounceback piece in Beckham. That combination spread the bets and boosted the upside potential. It has been a hit so far, with Crawford hitting well at Triple-A and Beckham showing big thus far in the majors. Through 171 plate appearances, the former first overall pick owns a .259/.316/.506 slash with nine long balls. Regression may well be in store — Beckham is striking out at a 29.2% clip and hasn’t sustained prior breakouts — but it’s nice to have the production for the time being and he could still be flipped via trade or tendered for 2020.

Brett Anderson, Athletics, $1.5MM: You have to tip your cap to Anderson, who’s still pushing to get to the mound despite a lengthy run of injury woes. He has been able to stay active this year, turning in ten starts and 54 1/3 badly needed innings for the pitching-starved A’s, who brought him back on a late-breaking deal. Anderson isn’t exactly shoving, with a 4.14 ERA and just 4.6 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 along with a sturdy 51.9% groundball rate, but thus far he’s tamping down the long balls and doing just enough to succeed. Not convinced of the value? Just take a look at the return other teams have received on higher-priced, one-year starters.

10 Early-Season Breakout Relievers

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The pitching arms race is in a fascinating place. There’s velocity everywhere you look. Pitch development and analysis has grown by leaps and bounds. Physical tools interact with tunneling and sequencing/location strategies. It’s an ever-changing landscape, leaving ample room for players to emerge — particularly in the relief realm, where a hurler may only be a tweak or two away from emerging as a dominant force. (The opposite also holds true.)

Let’s take a look around the league at some relief pitchers who have debuted or exhibited intriguing new performance levels in 2019 and consider which seem most likely to continue:

Nick Anderson, Marlins: When you’re a relief pitcher with a rebuilding club who turns 29 in the summer of your debut season, expectations just aren’t going to be all that high. A seemingly minor pre-Rule 5 trade acquisition, Anderson has taken off in Miami with 11 innings of 2.45 ERA pitching and a whopping 22 strikeouts on an 18.4% swinging-strike rate. He has only handed out two free passes, both of them intentional walks. The Twins would surely like a re-do on the decision to part with Anderson. (Their own late-blooming relief success story, Ryne Harper, doesn’t have nearly the shiny peripherals to support his useful showing thus far.)

Robert Stephenson, Reds: It was do-or-die time for the 26-year-old former top prospect, who’s out of options. He’s doing quite nicely thus far, with a 2.08 ERA and 12.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 over 13 innings of action. While the talent has never been in question, the results have never really been there for Stephenson. But he’s thriving in a pen role and showing that the stuff plays legitimately against MLB hitters, with a 19.4% swinging-strike rate. He’s leaning heavily on his slider (59.3%), mixing that primarily with a 94.9 mph fastball. It seems the tools are there for continued success.

Sam Gaviglio, Blue Jays: Sometimes, moving from the rotation to the pen results in a boost, and that seems to be the case here. All the arrows are pointing up for the righty as he closes in on his 29th birthday: K%-BB% (25.9%); swinging-strike rate (16.9%); groundball rate (54.3%). He still doesn’t throw hard, but he’s closer to 90 mph on average than ever before with his sinker. And in a relief capacity, Gaviglio has been able to go much more frequently to his slider (44.6%). With a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings, the results have followed.

Brandon Brennan, Mariners: 9.6 K/9 vs. 2.4 BB/9 and a 58.3% grounder rate? That’ll work. It’s a 15-inning sample, but an impressive one for a player who was plucked in the Rule 5 draft after signing a minor-league deal with another club. He’s carrying a hefty 16.3% swinging-strike rate while punishing opposing hitters with equal doses of a mid-nineties heater and evidently improved change. Seattle may well have a keeper in the 27-year-old righty.

Trevor Gott, Giants: After failing to turn the corner for several seasons with the Nats, Gott has finally seemed to get it in San Francisco. Through 13 innings he owns a 2.08 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. Gone are the grounders that were once his greatest attribute; also missing so far are the homers that plagued him. Gott is now working primarily off of a four-seamer instead of a two-seamer, allowing him to nearly triple his swinging-strike rate from last year (5.6% to 14.2%).

Luke Jackson, Braves: Though he threw 91 1/3 innings with Atlanta over the prior two seasons, Jackson was bounced from the 40-man roster on several occasions and was never secure in a role. He may be on to something in 2019, though. He’s still handing out too many walks, but Jackson has also bumped his swing-and-miss capabilities (11.9 K/9, 15.0% SwStr%) by boosting his slider usage (52.2%) and drawing more chases out of the zone (41.1%). Most fascinating of all? Through 11 1/3 innings, Jackson is a groundball monster, with 21 of the 28 balls put in play against him classed as grounders. Average opponent launch angle? A smooth -5.6 degrees.

Connor Sadzeck, Mariners: While he got results in a brief stint last year with the Rangers, there were glaring walk issues. Sadzeck has righted the ship so far with his new organization, allowing one earned in eight frames with nine strikeouts and three walks. He’s going to his slider more than half the time and generating a solid 13.6% swinging-strike rate thus far. Most importantly, getting strikes on 60.0% of his first pitches has set Sadzeck up to continue limiting the free passes.

Nick Wittgren, Indians: In the bullpen game, you win some, you lose some. Miami parted with Wittgren after the 27-year-old turned in a solid but hardly overwhelming 2018 season. He seems to have found another gear in Cleveland, though it remains to be seen whether it’s sustainable. Wittgren has eleven strikeouts without a walk through eight innings and is carrying a 58.8% groundball rate — markers of dominance he has never previously hinted at. He’s throwing much the same pitches at much the same speeds and generating only an 8.4% swinging-strike rate, so it seems there may be some short-sample hijinks at play.

Ian Kennedy, Royals: The 34-year-old is a veritable rookie as a reliever, having spent the virtual entirety of his pro career to this point in a rotation. He’s finding new life as a pen piece, working to a 1.42 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 along with a 48.5% groundball rate over 12 2/3 frames. He hasn’t found new heights in the swing-and-miss department (10.3% is at, but not over, his career ceiling as a starter) but is working with newfound velocity (94.2 mph average four-seamer) and seems to have benefited from shelving his change in favor of his curve.

Jake Newberry, Royals: A much younger K.C. entrant takes the final spot (which could also have gone to newcomer Richard Lovelady or a few other contenders). Another hurler who is finding success with heavy slider usage, Newberry has boosted his swinging-strike rate from under ten percent last year to 15.8% in 2019. He’s rarely in the zone (31.5%) but has a 10:1 K/BB ratio over eight innings since he is getting first strikes three out of five times and having no problem convincing opposing batters to chase out of the zone (36.8%). The 24-year-old is inducing loads of fly balls, which could spell trouble if they begin to leave the yard. It’s a delicate balancing act that’ll be tough to sustain.

Honorable mention (or: “what about [player x]?!”):

Guys like Matt Barnes, Reyes Moronta, and Lou Trivino have had too much success in the past to be considered, even if they are making further strides. Marcus Walden and Ty Buttrey were closer cases given their thinner track records, but largely showed their current form last season. Nick Burdi might have been considered despite his ugly ERA but for his unfortunate recent injury. Wander Suero, Giovanny Gallegos, Adam Morgan, Daniel Stumpf, Luis Cessa, Buck Farmer, and Kyle Ryan are among the pitchers who have shown quality swinging-strike rates or other intriguing developments. But they all had less innings and/or greater warts than the players listed above. I’d almost certainly have given a spot to John Means, but he’s not being utilized as a traditional short reliever.

The Market Landscape For Gio Gonzalez

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Gio Gonzalez’s first trip through the free-agent process didn’t treat him well this winter, but being a free agent who’s already stretched out in mid-April — he threw 93 pitches in his last Triple-A start with the Yankees — should lead to more interest in the lefty. Clubs throughout the league might have been content to lean on internal options rather than promise a roster spot to Gonzalez over the winter, but injuries and poor performances early in the year have created an abundance of fits, and the market now has few remaining alternatives. Unlike fellow veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel, Gonzalez isn’t attached to a qualifying offer, and he’s pitched recently in a professional setting.

The asking price on Gonzalez isn’t known, but at this point, it’s difficult to imagine it’s especially exorbitant. Gonzalez settled for a minor league deal with the Yankees that came with a $3MM base rate and a hefty $300K per start in terms of incentives. At this point, a mid-range guarantee on a one-year deal that promises him a spot on a big league roster seems like it should be sufficient to sign Gonzalez, and any salary to which he agrees would be pro-rated to exclude the portion of the season that has already been played out anyhow. Put another way, signing Gonzalez to a one-year deal with a pro-rated $5MM base salary would mean adding roughly $4.3MM in spending through season’s end.

In yesterday’s MLBTR chat, it was a bit surprising to see the number of questions centering around Gonzalez. He’s a fine pitcher with an established track record, but the level of interest in him among our reader base was greater than it was at any point throughout the winter. That makes sense in mid-April, though. There are few legitimate upgrades on the free-agent market this time of year — Keuchel is a notable exception but has a much higher asking price — and teams are generally reluctant to make trades at this juncture of the season. If you’re a fan hoping to see your favorite team make even an incremental upgrade in the rotation, Gonzalez is quite possibly the best bet as far as someone who can be ready in short order. Given the general intrigue surrounding him, plus the fact that it’s April 23 and there are minimal transaction/hot stove-related storylines to monitor, the following is a way-too-in-depth look at where Gio Gonzalez could plausibly be expected to sign.

To kick things off, it seems unlikely that Gonzalez’s preference would be to sign with a non-contender. It’s true that Dan Straily recently did just that by signing with the Orioles, but he has a lesser track record and presumably faced a more limited market. Gonzalez has reportedly already drawn interest from a pair of contending clubs, and he likely wants to return to the postseason. It’d be a surprise to see him land with the Orioles, Marlins, Royals, Giants or White Sox. Clubs that entered the season unlikely to contend but have gotten off to solid starts, such as the Tigers, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Rangers, are all a bit likelier but still seem somewhat like long shots from here. There’s a case to be made for each of those clubs to take a look, and all have shown some willingness to spend at the levels it might take to land Gio, but a realistic assessment of their chances doesn’t really support an early-season investment.

Modest as Gonzalez’s asking price figures to be, not every team will rush to commit even a few million with the season underway. The Indians barely spent in free agency, and while they’ve lost Mike Clevinger for a couple months, they surely wouldn’t displace any of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer or Shane Bieber for Gonzalez. Pirates ownership is even more averse to spending, and Gonzalez doesn’t represent a clear upgrade over any of the current starting five (based on their early performances, anyhow).

The Cubs’ rotation is already expensive and performing well, and ownership set hard budgetary restrictions over the winter. The Red Sox are looking at 75 percent tax on any dollars spent, and they only expect Nathan Eovaldi to miss six weeks with his recent injury. They’re likely to stay in house.

Other teams are likely content with what they have in house. The Rays don’t have a set five-man rotation, but the trio of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow is formidable. Yonny Chirinos is something between their fourth starter and the top followup arm to an opener, and the Tampa Bay organization seems content to continue on with that opener tactic rather than adding another conventional starter. The Nationals have the game’s most expensive top four and a respectable fifth starter in Jeremy Hellickson. The Phillies are a bit of a tight fit with Jerad Eickhoff back in action and Nick Pivetta still in the picture.

The Dodgers are already teeming with rotation options and have Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill back from injury. Out in Colorado, the Rox have finally found a homegrown slate of starters who’ve gotten the job done. Cincinnati has had success with its revamped rotation and will soon welcome Alex Wood back from the IL. The Braves have more young starting pitching options than any team in the game. Over in Houston, it’s tough to Gonzalez as a compelling upgrade, especially with some intriguing young arms stashed in the upper minors. Similarly, it seems doubtful that the Twins would pull the plug on their Martin Perez experiment after all of 12 innings.

More than half the teams in the league seem unlikely to represent a landing spot for Gonzalez, but there are plenty of viable on-paper fits in both the American League and the National League.

The Angels have again been hit hard by injuries, and Gonzalez could easily step in over Chris Stratton. Elsewhere in the division, Oakland’s injury woes date back to 2018, and offseason signee Marco Estrada has already seen his longstanding back issues flare up. De facto fifth starter Aaron Brooks has struggled, too. Perhaps the Mariners shouldn’t be taken as legitimate postseason contenders just yet, but they’re seven games over .500 with baseball’s second-bet run differential. Adding Gonzalez to deepen a rotation that currently contains rookie Erik Swanson and a perhaps fading Felix Hernandez would be a risk-free move that could help maintain their performance to date.

There are several National League contenders that arguably ought to take a hard look. The Padres’ bold plan to cycle through young starters is sure to have its ups and downs throughout a long season; plugging in a durable, well-established veteran holds obvious appeal. In the central division, the Brewers and Cardinals have both seen cracks form in their starting staffs to open the year. The Milwaukee organization, in particular, has a connection to Gonzalez and is already rumored to be in on him now. Also rumored to have interest are the Mets, who are surely thinking of replacing the struggling Jason Vargas.

It’s tough to anticipate any kind of bidding war here. But there are enough clear landing spots to think that Gonzalez may be able to push the price up a bit and command a MLB rotation gig right out of the gates.

Cardinals Place Harrison Bader On 10-Day IL, Promote Lane Thomas

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The Cardinals announced an outfield roster switch this morning. Harrison Bader is headed to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain while Lane Thomas will join the active MLB roster for the first time.

Bader’s placement is retroactive to April 14th, so he’ll be sidelined through at least the 23rd. There’s no indication to this point that he is dealing with a significant injury, but it was obviously enough of a tweak to require a dedicated period of rest. Bader, the club’s regular center fielder, joins fellow outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the shelf.

That combination of injuries has opened the door for Thomas. After a 2018 upper-minors power outburst, the 23-year-old was added to the 40-man roster last fall to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He’s off to a .229/.383/.286 start through 47 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

MLB Opening Day on ESPN+

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Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals

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This is the latest post of MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series, in which we take stock of every team’s winter dealings.

After a disappointing 2018 season, the Nats made a broad array of additions to bolster a still-talented core — and then bid adieu to the organization’s most famous player.

Major League Signings

Trades And Claims

Option Decisions

Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

[Washington Nationals Depth Chart | Washington Nationals Payroll Information]

Needs Addressed

The Bryce Harper question hung over the entire 2018-19 offseason for the Nationals, but the public saga may not really have reflected the behind-the-scenes situation. By the time he left for the Phillies, that had already become clear, making for a rather anti-climactic moment from the D.C. perspective.

It was possible to imagine a reunion for much of the winter, but the youthful superstar’s departure was ultimately paved by a variety of smaller decisions in the run-up to his free agency — the decision to extend Stephen Strasburg, the acquisition of Adam Eaton, the failed pursuit of J.T. Realmuto, which left top outfield prospects Juan Soto and Victor Robles in Washington.

That last point also helped to jump-start the Nats’ winter efforts. Having determined that Realmuto would not be their next catcher — he later went to Philly before being joined by Harper — president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo decided instead on a tandem. Upgrading behind the dish was a top priority: the combination of Matt Wieters, Pedro Severino, and Spencer Kieboom was among the worst in the game last year.

To do so, the Nats brought back old friend Kurt Suzuki and swung a deal for Yan Gomes. The former is a launch-angle disciple who has a bigger bat now than he did in his first tenure with the team. The latter became too expensive for the Indians but still looks like a solid value at his $7MM salary, with a pair of club options still available thereafter. Gomes is known more for his glovework but also turned in a bounceback season with the bat in 2018.

The bullpen was also addressed early. Rizzo placed a value bet on Tommy John returnee Trevor Rosenthal, a flamethrower with some highly successful seasons but also occasional control issues. The team picked up Kyle Barraclough — nearly as filthy and even wilder than Rosenthal — for a song. Veteran southpaw Tony Sipp signed on late, replacing Sammy Solis when the club didn’t like what it saw from him in camp.

Another powerful, control-challenged relief arm arrived in the form of Tanner Rainey, but his acquisition was more about re-shaping the rotation. That swap sent out Tanner Roark, who followed Gio Gonzalez (traded away last fall) in wrapping up lengthy stints on the D.C. staff.

With open roster space and some funds to work with, the Nats decided to pursue a big rotation improvement. The offseason’s most active bidding war broke out early in the winter on lefty Patrick Corbin, a still-youthful hurler who established a new ceiling in 2018. While the Nationals emerged victorious, they reportedly ended up topping the Phillies’ and Yankees’ best offers by a sizable margin. If they’re right about Corbin, they may have a nearly-unparalleled trio atop the staff. If not, the lost opportunity cost could sting.

That still left a pair of rotation openings to address. The Nats might conceivably have gone after Dallas Keuchel, but another long-term entanglement was perhaps not wise. A reemerged Anibal Sanchez was tapped instead, more or less stepping into Roark’s salary slot on a two-year arrangement. It remains to be seen whether he can continue to thrive after finally solving a longstanding home run problem last year with the division-rival Braves. While the Nats could have allowed Joe Ross and Erick Fedde to battle for the final rotation spot, they preferred instead to bring back veteran Jeremy Hellickson on another low-cost deal. He’ll presumably again be tasked with getting through opposing lineups two times before handing the ball off to the pen.

Losing Harper obviously takes some thump out of the Nationals’ lineup, but they did add some pieces to account for that loss. Brian Dozier was a star-level performer who averaged nearly 35 homers from 2015-17 before hitting a wall last year. Facing a need at second after trading away Daniel Murphy late last year, the Nats will hope that Dozier enjoys a bounce back to form in his age-32 season. The club did bring back one of the players it shipped out in the midst of an extremely disappointing 2018 campaign, nabbing lefty slugger Matt Adams on an affordable deal after he struggled in late action with the Cardinals. Adams will complement Ryan Zimmerman at first base and function as a late-inning, lefty bench bat — a Rizzo roster staple.

Questions Remaining

That’s quite a lot of action. The Nationals were plainly resolved to plug their roster holes and get back on the horse after stumbling last year. Losing Harper doesn’t change the fact that the club has a highly talented core. Veteran hurlers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg front the staff. Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon hold down an excellent left side of the infield. Soto is one of the game’s most exciting young hitters, while Eaton is an accomplished hitter who’s renowned for his gritty play. Closer Sean Doolittle was nearly untouchable last year.

The talent is there. But there are some questions buried in the roster as well:

Let’s start with the bullpen, an area that has long been a thorn in Rizzo’s side. The current mix is … explosive. In both senses. Doolittle’s heath problems are well documented. Rosenthal is now well removed from the TJ procedure and throwing triple-digit heaters, but he’s got the downside to match. Barraclough calls to mind old friend Henry Rodriguez. The middle-relief unit isn’t particularly inspiring. Sipp is useful, but there’s a reason he sat on the market all winter. Justin Miller and Matt Grace emerged last year but don’t have lengthy track records of success. Wander Suero has earned the final relief spot over a group of other unestablished arms. Koda Glover is hurt again. There are some other options on the 40-man, though none are especially promising.

If the Nats need a long-term replacement solution in the relief unit, Ross and Fedde may be the best options. For the time being, they’ll remain stretched out as rotation depth along with Kyle McGowin and Austin Voth. That’s not a bad group to have on hand at Triple-A, but the hope will be that the starting five doesn’t need much supplementation. So … will it? That depends. Can Scherzer continue to be utterly dominant in a season in which he reaches his 35th birthday? Will Strasburg be available for most of the year? Can Corbin, Sanchez, and Hellickson approach their overall 2018 output?

That’s mostly picking nits. It’s as good a starting group as you could reasonably hope to compile. Likewise, the lineup is rather loaded on paper, even with some uncertainty baked in. Eaton and Zimmerman have long struggled to stay on the field. Robles is exceptionally talented but needs to show that he can hit against MLB pitching. It wouldn’t be completely surprising if Dozier, Suzuki, and/or Gomes sag a bit at the plate.

There are some moving parts in the final spots on the roster. Howie Kendrick and Michael A. Taylor are working back from spring injuries and disappointing 2018 seasons (the former due to health, the latter due to performance). They could be major contributors but come with some uncertainty. Utility infielder Wilmer Difo is in something of a make-or-break year. Injuries opened the door for Andrew Stevenson and emerging prospect Jake Noll to make the Opening Day roster. It remains to be seen what courses their careers take.

That leaves the team’s steadiest player, the quietly outstanding Rendon. It seemed for much of the winter that he was a prime extension candidate. But even with long-term deals all the rage this spring, he was left as one of the top potential free agents for the 2019-20 winter market.

2019 Season Outlook

There’s no doubt of the goal and expectation in D.C.: a National League East crown and some progress in the postseason. The Nats have been one of the game’s few truly sustained winners since a breakout 2012 campaign. Having transitioned to a (mostly) new core, the club is primed to keep the window open for some time to come. But late-season disappointments have continued to plague the franchise. Will this finally be the year that the organization enters November feeling truly satisfied about how things shook out?

How would you grade the Nationals’ offseason moves?  (Link for app users.)

How would you grade the Nationals' offseason?
B 46.23% (741 votes)
A 27.82% (446 votes)
C 17.16% (275 votes)
F 4.74% (76 votes)
D 4.05% (65 votes)
Total Votes: 1,603

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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