And so we have reached the final installment of a series 20 years in the making. It’s time to reveal the five greatest players in Nationals history. Thanks again to everyone who has read and commented on the previous editions. It’s always great to hear the diverse set of opinions on such a fun topic. For those who haven’t read them yet, here are links to the articles on Nos. 16-20, Nos. 11-15 and Nos. 6-10.

These final five share a lot of things in common. Every one of them excelled while in Washington, all of them performing not only at an All-Star level but at times a Hall of Fame level. All played here for at least parts of five seasons, two of them for more than a decade. Four were homegrown, one acquired in a massive free agent deal. Most importantly, all five played in and were significant contributors to the first World Series title in franchise history.

There will be plenty of discussion about the final order selected below. There’s a reasonable case for everyone from this group to rank anywhere in the top five. In the end, it came down to a combination of excellence, longevity and legacy …

NO. 5 – JUAN SOTO
Outfielder, 2018-22
Stats: 565 G, 2439 PA, 1954 AB, 399 R, 569 H, 108 2B, 9 3B, 119 HR, 358 RBI, 38 SB, 14 CS, 464 BB, 414 SO, .291 AVG, .427 OBP, .538 SLG, .966 OPS, 159 OPS+, 21.3 bWAR, 21.0 fWAR

Soto didn’t come out of nowhere; the Nationals gave him a $1.5 million bonus when they signed him at 16 out of the Dominican Republic. And they always knew he had elite hitting skills and a patient eye to go along with it. But his rise to the majors was shockingly quick. In the span of three weeks in April-May 2018, he was promoted from low Single-A Hagerstown to high Single-A Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg to the big leagues. And then immediately thrived and never looked back.

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We begin the series today looking back at the departures of the final pieces from the 2019 World Series championship team …

The revolving door had been turning since that glorious night in Houston on Oct. 30, 2019. The roster that helped the Nationals clinch their first World Series championship in franchise history would never be assembled again. But that didn’t mean pieces couldn’t linger.

Players – both of the utmost importance and those who were along for the ride – stayed around in the years since. That was until this year when, finally, the last pieces of that championship squad departed D.C.

The first to leave in 2024 was the World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg. After a convoluted and confusing path to get there, the 36-year-old officially retired on April 6, months after plans were already in place to announce the end of his career due to complications from thoracic outlet syndrome.

The hold-up? The money still owed Strasburg, who only pitched 31 ⅓ innings in three years after the World Series, from the seven-year, $245 million extension he signed in December 2019. He was still owed $100 million over the next three years.

When it was revealed Tuesday evening the Nationals had won the Draft Lottery, it was immediately appropriate to mention the two previous times this club held the No. 1 pick and the two iconic players who were selected with those picks.

Obviously, the Nats would be thrilled if the first player taken in the 2025 Draft has the same impact Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper did a decade and a half ago. But there’s a distinct difference to note about this future draft pick from those prior ones. The difference in the state of the franchise at the time of the pick.

When they drafted Strasburg on June 9, 2009, the Nationals were undoubtedly the worst team in baseball. They lost a league-worst 102 games in 2008, which is how they were awarded the No. 1 pick in the pre-lottery days. And on that night, they owned an abysmal 16-41 record, en route to a 103-loss season that would lock up the No. 1 pick again the following year.

It would be three more seasons before the Nats secured their first winning record, which also happened to come with their first division title and postseason berth. By then, the roster had been completely overhauled by still-newish general manager Mike Rizzo, who combined homegrown prospects with experienced veterans acquired via free agency and a few calculated additions via trade.

Strasburg and Harper were a huge part of that. Maybe the Nationals still would have made the 2012 playoffs without either young star, but there’s no way they would’ve won 98 games. And both continued to be critical to the organization’s success over the next several years, leading to three more division titles through the 2017 season.

Most members of the 2019 Nationals enjoyed long, distinguished careers, playing for multiple franchises and experiencing personal highs and lows along the way. None of them, though, ever played for a team quite like that one.

Because of how the season ended, yes. But also because of the bond they all created along the way.

“I’d still be playing if we had that group in 2019 over and over again,” said Brian Dozier, who retired in 2021. “It was a great group.”

The members of the franchise’s first World Series roster are forever connected, and when they gathered back at Nationals Park this weekend for the five-year celebration of that achievement, they were instantly transported back to the greatest season of their lives.

Twelve players from that roster were in attendance, including alumni Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Adam Eaton, Kurt Suzuki, Aníbal Sánchez, Sean Doolittle, Gerardo Parra, Javy Guerra and Dozier. Many of the 10 players still actively playing elsewhere sent in video messages. All received rousing ovations from the crowd that assembled to celebrate a championship in a way that wasn’t possible in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.

It’s been noted many times before the Nationals never got to enjoy the traditional “victory lap” that comes the season after a team wins a championship, because the 2020 season was delayed, condensed and played in empty ballparks due to COVID-19.

Nearly five years later, the club will attempt to make up for lost time with an anniversary weekend celebration of the 2019 World Series champs.

With the Astros in town for a three-game interleague series, it only made sense to revisit that epic series now, even if five full years have yet to pass and this is only the second homestand of the current season. So the weekend will feature a number of special events and giveaways, plus the return of several members of the championship roster and coaching staff.

Tonight’s series opener features a postgame fireworks show, with a distinct 2019 theme to it. The first 20,000 fans to attend Saturday’s game will receive a replica World Series ring and have the opportunity to listen to Q&A sessions with players and coaches. And Sunday’s finale, geared toward kids, includes a 2019 World Series viewing toy for the first 8,000 fans 12 and under, plus autograph sessions with several alumni.

The list of scheduled attendees includes the five members of the World Series roster who either still play or coach for the Nationals: Patrick Corbin, Sean Doolittle, Gerardo Parra, Tanner Rainey and Victor Robles. Seven retired players from the team are also scheduled to appear: Brian Dozier, Adam Eaton, Javy Guerra, Howie Kendrick, Anibal Sanchez, Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Zimmerman.

After a long delay while working out the financial details of his contract, Stephen Strasburg’s retirement became official Saturday night per the Nationals’ official transactions page, with the right-hander and the team releasing statements Sunday morning.

Although this announcement has been a long time coming, the finality of the official release made for an emotional morning yesterday at Nationals Park as former teammates, coaches and front office members reflected on the right-hander’s career.

The roster looks a lot different from the last time Strasburg stepped into the clubhouse back in 2022 when he was trying to revitalize his career while coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. But there are still a handful of familiar faces around.

“You look back at his career and how special of a player he was. He's a huge part of why I decided to come here,” said Patrick Corbin, who was Strasburg’s teammate for four years after signing with the Nats as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season. “Hopefully, he and his family are happy now, and he can move on with life and be with his family, which I know he wants to be. So you just feel for somebody like that who was such a good player for a long time. Just unfortunate with the injuries and some setbacks, but he tried everything to come back and be part of this team. Things just didn't work out.”

Strasburg hasn’t been able to pitch since June 9, 2022, when he made his only major league start that season while giving up seven runs in 4 ⅔ innings against the Marlins. After he was unable to fully overcome thoracic outlet syndrome, he finally admitted last year that a return to the mound wouldn’t be possible.

For the second straight day, CJ Abrams remains out of the Nationals lineup for this afternoon’s series finale against the Phillies.

The young shortstop was a late scratch from the lineup yesterday with a bone bruise in his left pinky finger suffered while sliding into second base Friday night.

“He's still a bit sore. So it's still going to be day-to-day,” manager Davey Martinez said of Abrams before the finale. “We'll see how he feels throughout the day. He's getting treatment. And I'm hoping that he could pinch-hit for us today late in the game. I just don't want to push it too much. I don't want to aggravate it.”

Nasim Nuñez replaced Abrams at shortstop yesterday and went 0-for-2 before being subbed out for pinch-hitter Luis García Jr. late in the game. Ildemaro Vargas is playing short today and batting seventh.

Abrams was off to a strong start to the season before the injury, slashing .321/.387/.607 with a .994 OPS, one triple, two home runs, five RBIs, three walks and a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases without committing an error in the field.

The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg have finally reached agreement on financial terms of the right-hander’s contract that allowed him to officially retire from baseball today.

A formal announcement is still forthcoming, but two sources familiar with the agreement confirmed it has been finalized with terms amenable to both the pitcher and the organization, ending a long and protracted negotiation that threatened to ruin the Nats’ relationship with one of the most important players in club history. Major League Baseball's official transactions log shows Strasburg retired today.

Strasburg has not been able to pitch since June 9, 2022, when he made his one and only major league start of that season, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in Miami. Unable to fully overcome the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, even after his 2021 surgery, he finally conceded last year another comeback would not be possible.

Strasburg and the Nationals had plans to formally announce his retirement in early September 2023, but those plans were scrapped only days before the expected ceremony when the two sides couldn’t agree on the financial details of the arrangement.

Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $245 million extension in December 2019, less than two months after winning World Series MVP honors, is still owed a little more than $100 million over the next three years. His contract, like all long-term major league contracts, was guaranteed, but the Nationals wanted to alter those terms, or at least spread out his remaining payments over a longer period of time, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

CINCINNATI – Victor Robles is on the Nationals’ Opening Day roster for the sixth straight year. He is not, however, in the starting lineup for the first time.

Opting for what he hopes will be a better offensive matchup, manager Davey Martinez decided to start veteran Eddie Rosario in center field, with Jesse Winker in left field, for today’s season opener against the Reds.

“They’re both really good against right-handed pitching,” said Martinez, whose team is facing Cincinnati righty Frankie Montas. “I looked at the matchups, and I like the matchups. … This is the matchup I wanted to go with today.”

It’s an alignment the Nationals tinkered with during spring training, after Rosario signed a minor league deal in early March. The 32-year-old has played almost exclusively in left field throughout his long career with the Twins, Guardians and Braves, but he does have 58 games of big league experience in center field (albeit none since 2019).

Martinez, though, didn’t want to sit Winker, another mid-spring acquisition who struggled last season in Milwaukee but produced a .942 OPS in Florida over the last month to earn a spot on the team. And with Joey Gallo (a two-time Gold Glove Award outfielder) starting at first base, Joey Meneses is forced to be the designated hitter.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – With less than two weeks remaining in spring training, the two members of the Nationals’ projected lineup most in danger of losing their jobs got a muted vote of confidence from general manager Mike Rizzo, who nonetheless made it clear he needs to see more improvement from Luis García Jr. and Victor Robles.

García and Robles came to camp with an edict from club officials to show long-sought improvement, told they would be pushed by others in search of their starting jobs over the course of the spring. Each has enjoyed some success at the plate – García is 8-for-29 with two doubles and a homer, Robles is 6-for-18 with a homer and three walks – but each has come under some criticism following fundamental mistakes.

Asked about both García, 23, and Robles, 26, this afternoon, Rizzo expressed disappointment in those mistakes while also acknowledging their relative inexperience.

“I think they’re playing hard, they’re playing well,” Rizzo said. “We have to eliminate the mental lapses and the mental mistakes. But when you think about it, they’re both still young men chronologically. Although they seem like they’ve been here forever, they’re still young people. Luis is still 23 years old. If they didn’t have ability, obviously you wouldn’t be putting up with the mental mistakes that they make. But they have a lot of ability. They’ve shown it in the past at this level. We just have to get them over that, because that’s not helping the team.”

García in particular came under fire last week after committing errors on back-to-back plays, then getting picked off first base the following day.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s impossible to miss inside the Nationals clubhouse. It’s prominently located, at the end of a row of lockers belonging to the rest of the members of the team’s starting rotation.

It’s the same locker Stephen Strasburg has used since the organization began training here in 2017. And it continues to be adorned with his name, his jersey, his shoes and a stack of correspondence, virtually unchanged from the state it was in one year ago.

And as was the case one year ago, Strasburg isn’t here using his locker. He remains at home in Northern Virginia, having conceded last summer he could no longer attempt to revive his pitching career.

But because Strasburg and the Nationals have not been able to agree to the financial details of his retirement, he remains on the club’s 40-man roster. Which means he still gets a locker. Which, it appears, the organization now believes he is obligated to use.

Do the Nats actually expect Strasburg to come to West Palm Beach this spring?

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2023. We continue the series today with the inevitable (though still not official) end of Stephen Strasburg’s career …

As a new crop of Nationals players embarked on a new year in West Palm Beach some 10 months ago, it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. More specifically, the prominently located locker that still bore the same nameplate, number and uniform it did when the franchise first opened the facility in 2017.

The only thing missing: The player who has always used that locker.

Stephen Strasburg never reported for spring training. He never reported to the clubhouse at Nationals Park, either, at least not during the times when the entire team (and media members) were there. He was – and still is – technically a part of the team. But he has zero tangible presence anymore after an agonizing year that confirmed what everyone hoped wouldn’t be true: His pitching career is over.

Strasburg made one final attempt to build his body and his arm up for the rigors of major-league pitching last winter. But once he attempted to pitch off a bullpen mound, the nerve pain in his shoulder and arm returned, and that was the sign he and the Nats regrettably knew meant the end of a storied-yet-unsatisfying career.

NASHVILLE – The Nationals’ winter wish list – first base, third base, left field, starting pitcher – reads a whole lot like it did one year ago, when Mike Rizzo filled those needs with one-year deals for Dominic Smith, Jeimer Candelario and Corey Dickerson, plus a two-year deal for Trevor Williams.

So, is it fair to assume the same type of approach this winter, or might the Nats take a different tack this time around?

“We’ve got several holes to fill,” the general manager said tonight in his first media session of the Winter Meetings. “We’ve got our work cut out for us this year, and I think we’re going to take our aggressive approach when it suits us and wait for the market when it suits us. I think we’re going to be busy here.”

“Busy,” of course, doesn’t necessarily mean the Nationals will leave town with any new players signed. It may refer only to meetings they take with agents, which could eventually lead to the signing of new players.

Rizzo doesn’t deny, though, what he’s looking for.

The Nationals set their 40-man roster for the offseason as required by Major League Baseball this afternoon, activating five players who had been on the 60-day injured list (including Stephen Strasburg) and designating minor league reliever Matt Cronin for assignment to clear the spot needed to get the organization down to the correct number.

With 41 players under club control but only 40 slots available now through Opening Day, the Nats decided to drop Cronin, a 26-year-old lefty who looked like he would be a part of the team’s long-term plans entering this season but fell from grace following a rough season that ended in injury.

Cronin, a fourth-round pick in 2019, posted a 2.42 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 48 games with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester in 2022. But he struggled to a 5.02 ERA and 1.884 WHIP this season in Rochester and had surgery in August for a herniated disc in his back.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Robert Garcia, Jose A. Ferrer and Joe La Sorsa this year left the Nationals with several left-handed options for next year’s bullpen, further making Cronin expendable.

If Cronin goes unclaimed, he could be outrighted to the minors and remain in the organization, albeit no longer a member of the 40-man roster.

The World Series ended five days ago. That means, for all intents and purposes, the offseason begins today.

While there have been a few newsworthy developments up to this point, today marks the more official start of the Hot Stove League. Free agents may begin to sign contracts. Teams must set their 40-man rosters. Decisions of real consequence will start being made.

What might this offseason have in store for the Nationals? Here’s a primer to get you in the right frame of mind for what comes next …

* SETTING THE 40-MAN ROSTER
The first order of business is setting the organization’s 40-man roster, which for the last seven months has included more than 40 players. That’s because anyone on the 60-day injured list didn’t count against the total.

But there is no IL during the offseason. Healthy or not, everyone must be included on the 40-man roster or else be placed on waivers, made available to other teams or just flat-out released altogether.

The statement was released at 5:41 p.m. Friday, roughly 90 minutes before first pitch at Nationals Park, attributed to Mark Lerner and pertaining to one of the most important players in club history.

“Stephen Strasburg is and always will be an important part of the Washington Nationals franchise,” it read. “We support him in any decision he makes and will ensure that he receives what is due to him.

“It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media. While we have been following the process required by the collective bargaining agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally. However, no such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly. It is unfortunate that external leaks in the press have mischaracterized these events.”

A rare public pronouncement from the Nats’ managing principal owner, but an understandable one given the confusion over what was supposed to be a formal press conference to announce Strasburg’s retirement later today.

But then came the final two lines of the three-paragraph statement, which Lerner closed with an unexpected bang: “It is our hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the individuals involved. Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to spring training.”

MIAMI – The Nationals just so happened to be heading back to Miami after the news broke. They were wrapping up their series against the Yankees in New York and about to board a flight to South Beach when it was reported that Stephen Strasburg was planning to retire.

Then ironically enough, the baseball gods had them at loanDepot Park the next, the site of what is now Strasburg’s last major league start.

And as Riley Adams prepared to take the field behind the plate against the Marlins, he recalled when he did the same thing on June 9, 2022, in this very ballpark to catch Strasburg.

“It was actually here that his start was,” Adams said. “So yeah, it's obviously a little bittersweet knowing that that was the last start. I've only known Stras for a little bit since I've been here. He certainly means a lot and hearing all the stories from the team in 2019 and the magical run, he played a huge part in that I think, too, growing up as a San Diego kid, you always knew Stras, you always knew how good he was. To see the career he's had, to see everything, it's really special. I kind of wish I wasn't the last guy to have caught him in a game. But I was happy at least I got to catch him in a start. But I certainly wish that wasn't the last one.”

Strasburg gave up seven runs on eight hits, a home run, two walks and a hit batter with five strikeouts over 4 ⅔ innings. The results of his 83 pitches, 53 strikes, wasn’t necessarily all that important. It was more the fact that, at the time, the often-injured ace seemed to come out of the game healthy.

NEW YORK – What had sadly become obvious earlier this year is now becoming reality: Stephen Strasburg will be forced to retire from the Nationals, unable to recover from his 2021 thoracic outlet surgery enough to pitch again in a major league game.

The Nationals are not publicly announcing anything yet, but a source confirmed the decision has been made and there are plans for Strasburg to hold a press conference at Nationals Park during the team’s next homestand. The Washington Post first reported the news.

"For Strasburg and his family, I'm not going to make any comments about what's going on," manager Davey Martinez said, fighting tears following his team's 6-5 win over the Yankees this afternoon. "What I do know is that he means a lot to me and this organization, and the fans. I'll just keep it at that."

It had become clear earlier this year Strasburg was not going to be able to make a full recovery after several attempts to rehab from the July 2021 surgery that derailed his career. He made one start in Miami in June 2022 but could not avoid another trip to the injured list, and one final attempt to come back this spring was cut short due to continued pain and discomfort in his arm, neck and shoulder.

Because he still has three years remaining on the seven-year, $245 million contract he signed after the 2019 World Series, Strasburg needed to work out some kind of financial arrangement with the Nationals. In voluntarily retiring, the 35-year-old would normally forfeit any money still owed to him. Sources familiar with the situation said negotiations had been taking place for months, delaying the final resolution until now.

The notion that Stephen Strasburg might still come back to pitch for the Nationals again, sadly, seemed to pass months ago.

When manager Davey Martinez revealed on the first day of spring training Strasburg was unable to complete an offseason bullpen session without a recurrence of the nerve pain that has plagued him for several years, the writing was on the wall.

And when general manager Mike Rizzo said on Opening Day the 34-year-old needed to rehab his injury “if nothing more, just to play with his children, get back to regular life,” it underscored the severity of the situation, far beyond anything that takes place on a baseball field.

Strasburg has not appeared at Nationals Park this season during the hours leading up to, during or after a home game. His locker remains where it has always been, his jersey and belongings neatly arranged, essentially untouched. Teammates he barely knows walk past it every day, with little reason to think about the pitcher whose name hangs above it.

Strasburg isn’t currently participating in any rehabilitation activities, as The Washington Post reported over the weekend. He resides on the 60-day injured list, technically still a part of the team but not on anybody’s immediate radar.

While speaking to reporters in New York a few days ago to wrap up the 2022 regular season, general manager Mike Rizzo said this year was a “disappointment” for the Nationals.

That should be a given after the Nats finished with the worst record in the major leagues at 55-107, setting a new club record for the most losses in a single season.

When we look back on the 2022 Nationals season, we probably won’t do so fondly. There was a lot of bad. But there was also some good. Put them both together and you get a memorable season for better or worse.

Looking at some of the final results, it is mostly bad. As bad as we’ve ever seen in Washington baseball.

At no point during the regular season did the Nationals reach the .500 mark. Their longest winning streak was only three games, which they accomplished five times. Their longest losing streak was nine games from July 7-16. They never swept a series and were swept 12 times. They were shut out 12 times and only shut out their opponents four times. They were walked off five times and only walked off twice, both not coming until September. And they by far had the worst run differential in the majors at -252.