Who might join Soto in Nats outfield in 2022 and beyond?

Who might join Soto in Nats outfield in 2022 and beyond?
If you had to pick one position group on the Nationals roster you feel best about in both the short- and long-term, would you pick the outfield? There's a good case to be made it's the most reasonable answer. Not because the Nats outfield is loaded, or even guaranteed to be successful. There's still plenty of uncertainty at two of the three positions. But you can't find anything to complain about at the third position. And there is some ample reason to be optimistic about the future at the...

Stevenson avoids arbitration, agrees to 2022 contract

Stevenson avoids arbitration, agrees to 2022 contract
The Nationals got a jump start on what should be a hectic Tuesday in advance of Major League Baseball's non-tender deadline and Wednesday night's expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, agreeing to terms with Andrew Stevenson on a 2022 contract to avoid arbitration. Stevenson, who qualified for arbitration despite having not yet accrued three years of big league service time as a so-called Super Two player, stands to earn a modest raise from his 2021 salary of $579,100. The...

Four Nats qualify for early arbitration as Super Two players

Four Nats qualify for early arbitration as Super Two players
Four Nationals players will qualify for salary arbitration this winter despite having yet to accrue three full years of major league service time because each has crossed the lower threshold used to designate each year's so-called Super Two players. MLBTradeRumors.com reported Saturday the cutoff for Super Two qualification this winter is 2 years, 116 days of service time. That means Ryne Harper (2 years, 135 days), Austin Voth (2 years, 127 days), Tanner Rainey (2 years, 127 days) and Andrew...

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...

Stevenson struggles as regular, but thrives off the bench

Stevenson struggles as regular, but thrives off the bench
PLAYER REVIEW: ANDREW STEVENSON Age on opening day 2022: 27 How acquired: Second-round pick, 2015 draft MLB service time: 2 years, 127 days 2021 salary: $579,100 Contract status: Possibly arbitration-eligible in 2022, free agent in 2026 2021 stats: 109 G, 213 PA, 192 AB, 22 R, 44 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS, 13 BB, 61 SO, .229 AVG, .294 OBP, .339 SLG, .632 OPS, 74 OPS+, 1 DRS, minus-0.1 fWAR, 0.1 bWAR Quotable: "I try to just mellow out. The bigger spots, the way I kind of look at...

Game 161 lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox

Game 161 lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox
The Nationals put up a fight Friday night against the Red Sox, but couldn't convert a few golden opportunities with runners in scoring position and wound up losing 4-2. In the process, the Red Sox moved a step closer to clinching a spot in Tuesday night's American League wild card game. Their magic number is at two entering the day, so they're in with a win and losses by the Blue Jays (who play at 3:07 p.m.) and Mariners (who don't play until 9:10 p.m.). It's up to the Nats to try to delay...

Game 153 lineups: Nats at Reds

Game 153 lineups: Nats at Reds
The Nationals have finally completed the National League East portion of their 2021 schedule. They played all 76 required games against the Braves, Mets, Phillies and Marlins, going a combined 30-46 along the way. (Not great, obviously.) So what's left on the slate? Three series against non-division opponents: the Reds, Rockies and Red Sox. It begins in Cincinnati with a four-game series that opens tonight. The Reds are trying to hang on the race for the final NL wild card berth, a wild race...

In a pinch, nobody's been better than Stevenson

In a pinch, nobody's been better than Stevenson
When Ryan Zimmerman drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth Friday night, Nationals manager Davey Martinez immediately sent Andrew Stevenson out to pinch-run for the veteran. And wouldn't you know it, but minutes later Stevenson was racing around the bases and ultimately colliding with Mets catcher Chance Sisco en route to scoring the game-tying run. So when Zimmerman drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth Monday afternoon, all eyes turned to the home dugout to see if Stevenson...

Nats finally convert late, rally to beat Mets (updated)

Nats finally convert late, rally to beat Mets (updated)
All weekend, over the course of five games in four days, the Nationals battled their way back against the Mets. Three times they trailed, once by a whopping nine runs, and rallied to tie late, only to ultimately lose in the end. But today, in their final matchup of the season, the Nats finally finished the job. Down a run in the bottom of the ninth but owning at least some confidence in their ability to rally against the New York bullpen, the Nationals stormed back to win, 4-3, getting a...

Nats rally from 9-0 hole, fall 11-9 to Mets in extras (updated)

Nats rally from 9-0 hole, fall 11-9 to Mets in extras (updated)
Erick Fedde is still searching for consistency and the Nationals continue to seek an elusive victory. Francisco Lindor led off the ninth inning with a moonshot two-run homer off Kyle Finnegan and the Mets, who blew a 9-0 lead and allowed the Nats to tie the game on Andrew Stevenson's two-run homer in the seventh, outlasted the Nats 11-9 in nine innings in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Lindor connected on a 97 mph Finnegan sinker, completing a four-RBI day with a...

Game 134 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

Game 134 lineups: Nats vs. Mets
If the Nationals are going to halt their six-game skid, they're going to need a decent start from right-hander Erick Fedde (6-9, 5.08 ERA), who goes in the seven-inning opener of a doubleheader this afternoon. Though he's coming off a loss to the Mets on Sunday at Citi FIeld, Fedde has won two of his last three outings after a stretch that saw him drop four consecutive decisions. In his 9-4 loss to the Mets in his last start, Fedde allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits over 5 1/3...

Robles optioned to Triple-A, Finnegan on paternity leave

Robles optioned to Triple-A, Finnegan on paternity leave
Victor Robles, not long ago a more highly touted prospect than Juan Soto and only two years ago the starting center fielder on a World Series champion, is now a minor leaguer. The Nationals optioned the slumping Robles to Triple-A Rochester prior to tonight's game against the Phillies, a transaction that had shock value in the moment but in truth was weeks in the making. Andrew Stevenson was recalled from Rochester to take Robles' roster spot. The Nats also placed de facto closer Kyle...

Voth, McGowin rejoin bullpen; Guerra, Stevenson off roster

Voth, McGowin rejoin bullpen; Guerra, Stevenson off roster
An ever-changing Nationals bullpen saw the return of two familiar right-handers today, with both Austin Voth and Kyle McGowin activated off the injured list. And an ever-changing Nats roster saw the departures of two familiar faces as a result, with Javy Guerra designated for assignment while Andrew Stevenson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. The transactions, announced about 90 minutes before today's series finale in Milwaukee, give the Nationals a couple of moderately experienced arms, in...

Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)

Nats rally late, but suffer sweep against Mets (updated)
Nationals manager Davey Martinez spent his morning Zoom session with reporters detailing his pitching plans for today's doubleheader against the Mets. After a suspended game on Tuesday and last night's postponement, the mound plans had been thrown into a state of flux. Of course, like much of this season, nothing really ever goes according to plan for the Nationals. But today, the pitching plan held up: Sean Nolin and three relievers got through the first game and Erick Fedde got through four...

Game 115 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 115 lineups: Nats at Mets
And we're back. Seven innings down, seven more to go before the Nationals can finally get out of New York and return home after a long week. Erick Fedde brings a 4-8 record and 5.15 ERA to his late-afternoon start. The last time Fedde faced the Mets, on June 18, he pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts to bring his season ERA to 3.33. Over the eight starts since, the right-hander is 0-4 with a 7.75 ERA. In two starts against the Mets this season, Fedde has only...

Soto out of lineup again, MRI on knee is negative

Soto out of lineup again, MRI on knee is negative
Juan Soto is out of the Nationals lineup for the second straight day with a right knee contusion that required an MRI this morning to be sure the injury wasn't more serious. Soto, who hurt himself while taking a secondary lead off second base in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game at Nationals Park, has been taking part in some pregame drills in Atlanta prior to each of the team's last two games. But manager Davey Martinez said the club wasn't ready to take a chance putting him back in the...

Game 111 lineups: Nats at Braves

Game 111 lineups: Nats at Braves
The Nationals aren't playing winning baseball right now, not anything close to winning baseball. They enter tonight's game in Atlanta having dropped five in a row and 23 of 32 overall. So the focus, of course, turns to individual performances, especially those who figure into the club's long-term plans. So tonight we get an opportunity to watch one of the key building blocks again: Josiah Gray. The 23-year-old right-hander, one of the key prospects acquired from the Dodgers for Max Scherzer...

Martinez not losing confidence in enigmatic Robles

Martinez not losing confidence in enigmatic Robles
Just because Victor Robles is struggling at the plate and has lost his stranglehold on the Nationals' center field job doesn't mean manager Davey Martinez has lost confidence in the enigmatic 24-year-old. It wasn't that long ago that Robles was atop the club's prospect list - yes, even ahead of Juan Soto - and the fact that he's followed the club's instructions to shed the bulk that created problems for him last year is an indication that he can rebound, Martinez said Sunday. "(It's)...

Could Stevenson supplant Robles in center field?

Could Stevenson supplant Robles in center field?
Andrew Stevenson has played an important role for the Nationals since debuting in 2017. A left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions with a great glove and speed that also poses a threat on the basepaths is a manager's dream player off the bench. The only role Stevenson hasn't played is that of a regular starter, aside from filing in for players dealing with long-term injuries. Could that possibly be changing as we see him get more starts in center field over Victor...

Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)

Nats can't get ahead in regulation, lose in 10th (updated)
They waited all night for the hit that would break a deadlocked ballgame. Just one hit at the right moment to drive in the go-ahead run and put them on a path to sweep the Marlins. And when the Nationals couldn't get the job done during nine innings of traditional baseball, they were left to try to do it in extra innings of non-traditional baseball. Which didn't suit them very well. It was Miami that pushed across two runs in the top of the 10th off closer Brad Hand, while the Nats went down...