Do Nats fans have reunion fatigue at this point?

As the latest tribute video for a pair of key members of the 2019 World Series team wrapped up just prior to Monday night’s game at Nationals Park, the crowd of 22,423 applauded and Trea Turner and Daniel Hudson each waved back in appreciation to the fans.

It was a nice moment, but hardly anything that gave anyone in the park goosebumps.

Nor was the moment a short while later when Turner stepped to the plate to bat for the first time as a visiting player in his former home ballpark. Some in the crowd stood and applauded. Some remained seated and barely moved a muscle.

The ovation, if you want to call it that, wasn’t loud enough or sustained enough to provoke Turner to step out of the box and tip his helmet to everyone.

Not that fans here don’t like Turner. Not that he left the team on bad terms. Quite the contrary. He always expressed an interest in staying here long term, but when the Nationals front office decided to sell last July, Turner was lumped in with Max Scherzer and traded to the Dodgers for four prospects.

Nats' most significant moves in January

Nats' most significant moves in January
As the calendar turns to a new year this January, a new baseball season is on the horizon. When it will actually begin, however, remains to be seen. The lockout is currently keeping teams from making any major league roster moves, which is a shame because Mike Rizzo is usually very busy during the year's first month. No matter the pace of an offseason's free agent market, we have seen the Nationals general manager put together a competitive roster well before the start of spring training year...

Most players Nats traded didn't perform as hoped for new teams

Most players Nats traded didn't perform as hoped for new teams
The eight players the Nationals traded away during the final days of July all had value to their acquiring clubs, each of them believing those players would help lift them into the postseason and in some cases deep into October. The Nats didn't just deal away anybody. They purposely traded veterans in the final year of their contracts (aside from one notable example who had two years to go until free agency) who would be appealing to contenders and could potentially make a real difference over...

How the eight players Nats traded are faring with new clubs

How the eight players Nats traded are faring with new clubs
More than two weeks have now passed since the craziest trade deadline in Nationals history. And that means all of the players involved in the club's sell-off have had ample time to start making a name for themselves with their new teams. Some have risen to the occasion and become instant fan favorites. Some are still trying to figure things out. Here's a look at the eight players the Nats traded away at the deadline, and how they're performing so far ... MAX SCHERZER The biggest name of them...

Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)

Eight veterans in total dealt before deadline (updated)
When the clock reached 4 p.m. and it was all said and done, the Nationals had traded away eight veterans off their 2021 roster, four of them key contributors to the club's World Series title only 21 months ago. In their place will come 12 prospects of varying pedigrees from six other organizations, all of them now trying to win this season while the Nats begin a rebuild they hope is neither too long nor too painful. In the final moments before this afternoon's deadline, general manager Mike...

The breaking up of a champion, and the task of building another

The breaking up of a champion, and the task of building another
Breaking up is hard to do. How do you cut ties with your first true love, say goodbye to someone who brought you so much joy, explain to them you're finally ready to move on? How do you do it? First, you come to the realization yourself that it's time. Then you suck it up, tell it to their face in simple, honest terms, tell them how they'll always hold a special place in your heart and then turn around and walk away, confident you made the right decision, resisting the urge to look back over...

Schwarber to Red Sox, Hudson to Padres (updated)

Schwarber to Red Sox, Hudson to Padres (updated)
The dismantling of the Nationals' 2021 roster continued into the night when general manager Mike Rizzo struck deals to send Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox and Daniel Hudson to the Padres in exchange for three more prospects in total, this only hours after agreeing to a blockbuster trade that will send Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, this after starting the day by shipping Brad Hand to the Blue Jays. The trade deadline doesn't arrive until 4 p.m. Friday, but the Nats might well be...

Scherzer starting in Philly, four players go on COVID-19 IL

Scherzer starting in Philly, four players go on COVID-19 IL
Max Scherzer will start today's doubleheader opener in Philadelphia in what could very well be both his swan song after seven seasons with the Nationals and one last showcase for scouts of several clubs interested in acquiring the three-time Cy Young Award winner before Friday afternoon's trade deadline. Scherzer will take the mound at Citizens Bank Park for a Nationals team that needed to place four players (Trea Turner, Daniel Hudson, Austin Voth, Alex Avila) on the COVID-19 injured list...

Game 101 lineups: Nats at Phillies (plus roster moves)

Game 101 lineups: Nats at Phillies (plus roster moves)
All eyes will be fixated on the transaction wire over the next 30 hours or so, not only as we get closer to tomorrow's 4 p.m. trade deadline, but also because the Nationals had to make a number of roster moves this morning after 13 members (four players, nine staffers) tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Not to mention the potential of needing to fill other roster spots if some players depart later today via trade. As if that weren't enough of a wrench thrown into today's plan, the...

How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?

How far are Nats willing to go in selling at the deadline?
The Nationals are going to be sellers this week, of that there can be no doubt at this point. If it wasn't already clear after Sunday's walk-off loss in Baltimore, it surely was after Monday's walk-off loss in Philadelphia. But there are different approaches to selling at the trade deadline, and that's where the real intrigue comes in as general manager Mike Rizzo starts fielding phone calls from his counterparts across baseball and decides how to proceed. Are the Nats just selling veterans...

Hand coughs up lead in ninth, Nats are swept by O's (updated)

Hand coughs up lead in ninth, Nats are swept by O's (updated)
Caught in a bad riddle with no easy answer, the Nationals can't seem to decide whether they're struggling more to keep opposing hitters at bay or whether their sagging offense is putting additional unnecessary pressure on a pitching staff that's been stretched thin. Actually both are intertwined, and one swing of Ryan Zimmerman's bat almost proved enough to save the Nats from a sweep and momentarily end the debate and halt a three-game skid. Zimmerman hit a go-ahead three-run homer and...

Escobar's ninth-inning hit caps emotional win for Nats (updated)

Escobar's ninth-inning hit caps emotional win for Nats (updated)
At the end of a weekend dominated by tragic events that occurred outside Nationals Park, the energy level inside the ballpark was understandably down. Some of that had to do with circumstances out of the home team's control, but some of it also had to do with the performance that team had put forth against a Padres club that clearly looked superior throughout the series. A wild, back-and-forth affair that saw the Nationals blow the lead, then retake it, then blow it again left everyone in the...

Nationals second-half storylines

Nationals second-half storylines
A roller coaster of a first half ended for the Nationals last weekend with a sweep in San Francisco, the final unexpected twist to 3 1/2 months of baseball that featured all kinds of unexpected twists. What, then, do the next 2 1/2 months have in store for this team? Can anyone truly say they know? You can make a compelling case for just about anything to happen to the Nats in the second half. Get healthy and surpass the Mets to win the National League East? Sure, that's possible. Completely...

Hudson activated, bringing bullpen closer to full strength

Hudson activated, bringing bullpen closer to full strength
With only five days to go until the All-Star break and five more games to be played against a couple of National League West contenders, the Nationals are aggressively fortifying their pitching staff with some big names returning from injury. On Tuesday night, it was Erick Fedde and Kyle Finnegan coming off the injured list and pitching against the Padres. Tonight, it's Daniel Hudson activated off the 10-day IL, seemingly ahead of schedule. The Nationals announced the return of Hudson (and the...

Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA

Turner and Gomes return to lineup, Tuesday's starter is TBA
A Nationals club desperate for more healthy bodies is getting two of them back for tonight's series opener in San Diego, with more potentially coming in the next few days. Trea Turner and Yan Gomes are both in tonight's lineup, Turner returning after missing four games with a jammed left middle finger, Gomes back after taking a pitch off his right arm Saturday night. The impact on Davey Martinez's batting order is significant, with Turner able to bat second in front of Juan Soto and Gomes...

Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second

Turner and Mercer out, Nats forced to start Avila at second
The Nationals didn't submit tonight's starting lineup until 45 minutes before first pitch, the sense being they were waiting to see if any or all of Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Jordy Mercer were available to play after departing Wednesday's win over the Rays with injuries. Then the lineup came out, and Turner and Mercer were missing. Which leaves the Nats in a most precarious position: Backup catcher Alex Avila is starting at second base for the first time in his career. Yes, you read that...

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon

Bullpen thin today, but help could be coming soon
Asked during his pregame Zoom session with reporters around 2:15 p.m. who he planned to have pitching the late innings today if the Nationals hold a lead, Davey Martinez laughed like a manager who knew there was no simple answer to that question. "Actually, I've got a meeting at 3 o'clock with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, so we're going to start figuring this stuff out," Martinez said. Suffice it to say, the situation is more complicated than it normally would be. Four key late-inning...

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP

Robles out of lineup with sore knee, but able to take BP
Victor Robles is out of the Nationals lineup, his right knee still bothering him enough to keep him from starting against the Mets one day after he was struck by a pitch in Miami. It was not bothering the 24-year-old center fielder enough, though, to keep him from participating in batting practice, suggesting he may not need to miss much time. Robles took a full round of BP with teammates, and though he wasn't moving around at full strength, he didn't appear to be significantly...

Martinez on Bell's return and Parra's start

Martinez on Bell's return and Parra's start
When the Nationals posted their lineup for this afternoon's game in Miami, two things jumped out: Josh Bell was back at first base after sitting out two games with a sore right side that required a precautionary MRI and Victor Robles was on the bench, with Gerardo Parra getting his first start in center field since 2019. Bell has been one of the Nationals' hottest hitters over the past six weeks, batting .298 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage and a .904 OPS since May...

Hudson should be ready to throw off mound before Strasburg

Hudson should be ready to throw off mound before Strasburg
Davey Martinez had to get creative with his bullpen in order to win Wednesday's wild, 13-12 game in Philadelphia, ultimately asking Austin Voth, Tanner Rainey and Paolo Espino to record the final six outs. That's because closer Brad Hand was unavailable after pitching four of the previous five days, and because Daniel Hudson remains on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. And it's still going to be a little while before Hudson is back on the active roster pitching in...