Washington Nationals: Three players who will not last the season in D.C.
Not everyone on the Washington Nationals Opening Day roster will last the whole year. By several different means, these three players are the most likely to end their 2018 in another team’s uniform.
There aren’t very many question marks with the Washington Nationals Opening Day roster. Spring Training will not feature multiple competitions for a roster spot. This is a team secure with what they have.
Like with any MLB team, not everyone who opens the year in a Nationals uniform will be present at game 162. These three players, for three very different reasons, will end their upcoming season somewhere else.
Shawn Kelley
Relief pitcher Shawn Kelley will play the part of Joe Blanton this year. Or maybe he’ll play Oliver Perez. Whichever member of the 2017 Nationals you want to choose, Kelley is the least interesting among the team’s relievers. If not for the $5.5 million guaranteed to him, the Nationals might make him fight for a roster spot this spring.
Last year was a miserable one for Kelley. Nearly half of the hits he allowed were home runs. Limited due to injuries, Kelley went from the Opening Day setup man, to closer, to a forgotten member of a very talented team.
The way I envision Kelley’s season going, at some point, the Nationals will follow all of the steps necessary before he is released. This isn’t the time to toy with any roster spot. Blanton and Perez took up two vital seats in last year’s bullpen. If he performs anything like he did last year, the Nationals should cut Kelley loose before he occupies space.
We can give Kelley a mulligan for last year’s poor performance. For now, I’m not sold on him rebounding with a quality season. His questionable health alone has me confident that he follows in Chris Heisey’s footsteps and gets the mid-year pink slip.
Pedro Severino
Catcher Pedro Severino looks poised to begin the year as the Washington Nationals backup catcher. Behind Matt Wieters, he’s their best backstop.
Unfortunately, Severino’s inconsistency in Triple-A last season gives me doubts that he can last a full year in MLB. Even as a backup, the Nationals should look for upgrades behind the plate.
A likely scenario for the Nationals in 2018 involves them upgrading over Wieters, thus pushing Severino back to the minors. Whether it’s a trade for J.T. Realmuto or someone else, it’s difficult to imagine the Nationals going the full year with the Wieters/Severino combination behind the dish.
Another possibility, the Nationals get an excellent performance from Wieters but see Severino struggle in his first full season. Upgrading the second-string catcher would cost a lot less than trying to find a legitimate starter at the trade deadline.
Because the Nationals let Alex Avila slip away to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they may have more confidence in Severino than I do. Until proven otherwise, he’s on my list of in-season casualties. Fortunately, he won’t go anywhere other than Syracuse.
As an added annotation, Severino is the one guy on this list who may not even begin the year with the Nationals. Jonathan Lucroy is still a possibility to join Washington. If he does, Severino will need to wait another year before making his MLB impact.
Michael Taylor
Outfielder Michael Taylor did everything asked of him and more in 2017. When Adam Eaton suffered an early season-ending injury, he took over and put together a career-year. What does 2018 hold for him?
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As previously predicted, Taylor is on the block to become a victim of the Victor Robles hype. Once Robles is MLB-ready, someone will need to move over. Taylor looks like the one to suffer.
Fortunately for Taylor, his time in Washington will not end due to poor performance. Instead, I see him getting shipped somewhere else to a center field needy squad. Whether it’s in exchange for minor league talent or possibly to upgrade their bullpen, I see the Washington Nationals flipping Taylor this summer.
The Nationals already have plenty of outfield depth. Behind Taylor, Eaton, and Bryce Harper they have the more-than-capable Brian Goodwin. Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo can also combine to play all three outfield positions. Putting it simply, the Nationals aren’t handcuffed to keeping Taylor if they have more significant needs.
For Taylor’s sake, I do hope to see him land with a contender. An injury could always open up a trade possibility to a contender.
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Taylor just doesn’t seem to fit into the Nationals’ future plans. While they would have room for him on the 2019 roster, the Nationals need to do what they can to win this year. If that means dealing Taylor for a relief pitcher, it’s a sacrifice I support.