What went right, what went wrong, and what are the top priorities for the Washington Nationals this offseason?
In many ways, the Washington Nationals had a very good 2017 season. They won their division by 20 games and had the second-most wins in a season in the history of the franchise. Only the 2012 team won more games. Also, the only team in the NL with more wins was the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On the individual front, two of the Nationals’ starting pitchers, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, were named among the three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award and third baseman Anthony Rendon should join them as possible top 10 finishers in the voting for NL MVP.
Of course, it wasn’t all roses and chocolates. The Nationals made the playoffs for the fourth time in six years, but once again lost in the NLDS, just like the previous three times they made the postseason. They have the second-most wins in baseball since 2012 but haven’t won a postseason series.
Their five-game playoff loss to the Cubs this year resulted in the dismissal of manager Dusty Baker, despite back-to-back seasons with 95 and 97 wins. The new manager is Dave Martinez, who played 16 seasons in the big leagues and has been a bench coach with Joe Maddon for 10 years. Martinez takes over a club that is built to win right now. Making the playoffs is a requirement, winning a playoff series is highly recommended.
With most of the team’s top talent coming back, the Nationals are big favorites to win the NL East for the third straight year. They will be facing some added pressure, though, because this is the final year of team control over Bryce Harper and the final year of Daniel Murphy’s contract. Both can be free agents at the end of the season.
An added concern for the near future is the escalation in pay for Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg after this season. Both will see their salary increase from $15 million in 2018 to $35 million in 2019. Losing Harper and Murphy and having two pitchers increase a combined $40 million in salary will make things difficult for the Nationals in 2019 and beyond. The window for contention may be closing more quickly than they think.
Here is a look at what went right, what went wrong, and the team’s top offseason priorities.