Most significant stories of 2021: Trade deadline teardown

Most significant stories of 2021: Trade deadline teardown
As we reach the end of the year, we've been taking a look back at the Nationals' most significant stories of 2021. Some of them were uplifting. Some of them were depressing. All of them were significant in telling the story of the 2021 season. We conclude today with the most significant story of them all: the dismantling of the roster at the trade deadline. ... The Nationals' season lasted six months, and over the course of those six months, there were countless stories and developments of...

The Nats' surprising history of Christmas Eve transactions

The Nats' surprising history of Christmas Eve transactions
Christmas Eve and baseball. They go together like, well, Christmas and hot dogs. This just isn't historically the time of year to be thinking much about the national pastime. Especially when the national pastime is nearly one month into a work stoppage. And yet for the Nationals, Christmas Eve has been the source of a surprising amount of news. Big news. Go back through the annals and you'll find six significant transactions made by the Nats in the final 72 hours leading up to Christmas,...

What if the Nats never traded for Jonathan Papelbon?

What if the Nats never traded for Jonathan Papelbon?
Last week, we opened our "What If?" series wondering what might have been had Jordan Zimmermann accepted the Nationals' long-term extension offer after the 2014 season, a decision that had long-lasting ramifications on the organization. This week, we look at a big decision the organization made the following summer that absolutely had immediate consequences for the club, and probably had long-lasting ones as well: The trade for Jonathan Papelbon. Prepare to cringe. As the 2015 trade deadline...

What's a realistic expectation for Cavalli's arrival in D.C.?

What's a realistic expectation for Cavalli's arrival in D.C.?
We spend the majority of our time here talking about major leaguers, but with the lockout now preventing teams from making any transactions involving players on 40-man rosters, let's take an opportunity to delve deeper into some of the Nationals' top minor leaguers. We'll start this weekly series with the organization's No. 1 prospect ... RHP CADE CAVALLI Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 230 lbs. Age on opening day 2022: 23 How acquired: First-round pick, 2020 draft, University of Oklahoma 2021...

Nats have questions they can't answer until lockout ends

Nats have questions they can't answer until lockout ends
The baseball world came to an abrupt halt at midnight Thursday, and we don't know when the machine is going to be turned back on again. It would be weeks. It could be months. Which leaves every club and a whole lot of players feeling helpless for the time being. Normally, everyone would be gearing up for the Winter Meetings, which were to begin Monday in Orlando. Trades would've been made, free agents would've been signed, Scott Boras quips would've been trotted out to a throng of reporters...

Last chance to make moves before tonight's expected lockout

Last chance to make moves before tonight's expected lockout
After an awfully quiet start to the offseason, then a furious 48 hours of nonstop news, now baseball has fewer than 24 hours to wrap up any remaining business before the collective bargaining agreement expires and a league-imposed lockout is expected to commence. All of this has made for an unusual couple of days as clubs around the sport rushed to make moves both big and small before a transactions freeze brings a stop to all activity until owners and players can agree on a new CBA. It could...

De Jon Watson named new director of player development

De Jon Watson named new director of player development
The Nationals officially named De Jon Watson as their new director of player development this afternoon, promoting one of general manager Mike Rizzo's many lieutenants to the position that oversees the organization's minor league system. A veteran of 37 years in professional baseball, Watson had been a special assistant to the GM the last five seasons, during which time he was one of Rizzo's top scouts and talent evaluators. Watson now returns to a role he previously held elsewhere: He led...

For Nats' possible offseason road map, look back to 2009-10

For Nats' possible offseason road map, look back to 2009-10
The last time the Nationals found themselves in this position - 95-plus losses, a franchise rebuild - Mike Rizzo had just completed his first season as a major league general manager. His 2009 club was a mess, a 103-loss train wreck made up of parts left over from Jim Bowden's tumultuous tenure, with an in-season managerial change (Manny Acta to Jim Riggleman) but a No. 1 overall pick ready to be spent on a once-in-a-generation right-hander from San Diego. In discussing his decision to embark...

Dreading three more years of Soto speculation

Dreading three more years of Soto speculation
At the end of a week that included the latest over-the-top session between agent Scott Boras and reporters at the general managers' meetings in California, a response from Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, another Silver Slugger Award, the prospect of an MVP award coming in a few more days and previously unfathomable dollar figures being thrown out there to suggest what a Juan Soto contract extension might look like, you can't help but be left with one prevailing thought. Ugh, are we really about to...

Soto wins second straight Silver Slugger Award

Soto wins second straight Silver Slugger Award
Juan Soto's monster second half was enough to earn the young Nationals star his second straight Silver Slugger Award. We'll find out in one week if it was enough to earn him his first MVP award. Soto was honored tonight as one of the recipients of the 2021 Silver Slugger Award, handed out annually to the best offensive player at each position in his league, as voted on by managers and coaches late in the regular season. He joined former teammate and fellow MVP candidate Bryce Harper along...

What kind of payroll is reasonable to expect from Nats next year?

What kind of payroll is reasonable to expect from Nats next year?
The Nationals' lengthy run as one of baseball's most consistently successful franchises coincided with ownership's willingness to spend like one of the sport's richest franchises. In each of the last nine seasons, dating back to 2013, the Nats had one of the majors' 10 highest payrolls. They peaked, appropriately, in 2019, spending more than $205 million on players' salaries en route to their first World Series championship. And while the final tally has fluctuated a bit year to year, it...

An offseason of uncertainty begins for Nationals

An offseason of uncertainty begins for Nationals
The World Series ended last week. They held a parade in Atlanta. More than 180 players officially became free agents. The general managers' meetings are currently taking place in Carlsbad, Calif. Suffice it to say, the offseason has begun. And for the Nationals, it's an offseason loaded with more questions and less certainty than anyone around here has experienced in a long time. Some winters, the storylines and the objectives are crystal clear. This winter? It's anybody's guess, with the...

How will the Nats approach finding a new closer?

How will the Nats approach finding a new closer?
Watching everyone's memories of the 2019 postseason run, a World Series win in Game 7 in Houston on Howie Kendrick's clanger and the ensuing celebratory parade in D.C. has been a blast. I've always preferred memories over memorabilia, because memories can't be bought, sold or traded. They'll be with us until the day we die. Man, what a fun postseason we had two years ago, full of memories to last a lifetime. But the 2021 campaign is over, and it's time to throw another log into the hot...

Nats can hope, but can't count on Strasburg returning to form

Nats can hope, but can't count on Strasburg returning to form
PLAYER REVIEW: STEPHEN STRASBURG Age on opening day 2022: 33 How acquired: First-round pick, 2009 draft MLB service time: 11 years, 118 days 2021 salary: $35 million ($11.4 million deferred) Contract status: Signed for $35 million annually from 2022-26 ($11.4 million deferred each year), free agent in 2027 2021 stats: 1-2, 4.57 ERA, 5 GS, 0 CG, 21 2/3 IP, 16 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 21 SO, 1 HBP, 1.385 WHIP, 90 ERA+, 5.71 FIP, 0.0 fWAR, 0.0 bWAR Quotable: "He looks great, he feels great....

With strong finish, Ruiz showed he's ready to be No. 1 catcher

With strong finish, Ruiz showed he's ready to be No. 1 catcher
PLAYER REVIEW: KEIBERT RUIZ Age on opening day 2022: 23 How acquired: Traded with Josiah Gray, Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey from Dodgers for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, July 2021 MLB service time: 64 days 2021 salary: $570,500 Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2025, free agent in 2028 2021 stats (LA/WSH): 29 G, 96 PA, 88 AB, 10 R, 24 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 6 BB, 9 SO, .273 AVG, .333 OBP, .409 SLG, .742 OPS, 104 OPS+, 1 DRS, 0.3 fWAR, 0.5...

After abysmal start, Bell proved to be hitter Nats expected

After abysmal start, Bell proved to be hitter Nats expected
PLAYER REVIEW: JOSH BELL Age on opening day 2022: 29 How acquired: Traded from Pirates for RHP Wil Crowe and RHP Eddy Yean, December 2020 MLB service time: 5 years, 53 days 2021 salary: $6.35 million Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2022, free agent in 2023 2021 stats: 144 G, 568 PA, 498 AB, 75 R, 130 H, 24 2B, 1 3B, 27 HR, 88 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 65 BB, 101 SO, .261 AVG, .347 OBP, .476 SLG, .823 OPS, 124 OPS+, minus-1 DRS (at 1B), 2 DRS (at LF), 1.4 fWAR, 3.1 bWAR Quotable: "This is a guy...

Nats must start turning draft picks into quality big leaguers

Nats must start turning draft picks into quality big leaguers
At the crux of the Nationals' decision to trade away eight veterans and begin a franchise rebuilding project this summer was an acknowledgment by the front office that its farm system desperately needed to be restocked. Had their system been filled with more prospects who could step in and take over when veterans either got hurt or saw their skills fade, the Nats might well have stayed the course and made an attempt to continue winning now instead of shifting focus to the future. But that...

Defensive drop-off after trade deadline hurt Nationals

Defensive drop-off after trade deadline hurt Nationals
The Nationals entered the 2021 season determined to be a better defensive club after ranking last in the majors in that department during the previous, pandemic-shortened season. And in late July, a quick glance at the sport's defensive rankings showed they indeed had achieved that goal. On the morning of July 30, the Nationals as a team ranked sixth in Defensive Runs Saved, a massive improvement from 2020. Of course, by the end of that day, their roster looked nothing like it did 24 hours...

Nats' offseason plan must start with improved pitching

Nats' offseason plan must start with improved pitching
Since taking over as Nationals general manager in 2009, Mike Rizzo has believed in one path to success above all else: Elite pitching. And not just elite pitching, but elite starting pitching. It was the hallmark of the franchise's eight-year run as a contender from 2012-19. Pick any year the Nats reached the postseason, and you'll find a rotation that ranked among the majors' best. "Our mantra here has been that starting pitching is the most important thing, and pitchers have to go deep in...

After a season that crumbled, Nats have a lot to do

After a season that crumbled, Nats have a lot to do
The high point of the 2021 season for the Nationals, as it turned out, came June 30, probably right at the moment Trea Turner slid into third base to complete the third cycle of his career. The Nats were well on their way to a 15-6 romp over the Rays, completing a 19-9 month of June to raise their record to 42-40, standing in second place in the National League East, only 2 1/2 games behind the Mets. Everything seemed to be right there in front of them, and an exciting second half of baseball...