When asked who the Nationals’ best hitter was this season, most people will say Anthony Rendon. Some might argue for Juan Soto, based on plate discipline and power-enhanced upside. But very few will skip to Howie Kendrick. Perhaps that should be rethought. Continue reading “Howie Going to Handle Kendrick?” →

How many good relievers did the Nationals have prior to the trade deadline? In many people’s eyes, the answer was one: Sean Doolittle. Well, Mike Rizzo did not rest on his laurels, acquiring three solid bullpen pieces at the end of July. Two of them (Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland) are controllable through 2021, but the team also added one veteran two-month rental. Continue reading “Will the Nationals Be Lustin’ for Daniel Hudson?” →

There’s no way around it: Jeremy Hellickson had a very forgettable season. After a solid 2018 campaign (3.45 ERA in 19 starts), the right-handed hurler nearly doubled that output (6.23 ERA in nine appearances — eight starts) in 2019. Continue reading “A Brief Moment to Dwell on Jeremy Hellickson” →

Before free agency opened, Yan Gomes was arguably Washington’s most difficult decision. The team had to choose between paying $9 million to keep the timeshare catcher or forfeiting $1 million to get him off the roster. The Nationals decided to cut ties with Gomes, handing primary duties behind the plate to Kurt Suzuki — who became the personal catcher for Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Anibal Sanchez. Continue reading “Yan Gomes No Longer the Metronome Behind the Plate?” →

Brian Dozier was signed by the Nationals to take control of second base until Carter Kieboom was ready — either late in 2019 or to start 2020.

If that was truly the goal, the signing has to be chalked up to a failure, but I’d argue that it wasn’t. Continue reading “What Should The Nationals Do About Brian Dozier?” →

For much of 2019, the Nationals lacked consistent production at second base — and they definitely didn’t have sufficient depth at the position.

As mentioned in my Matt Adams profile, they also didn’t have many respectable left-handed hitters.

On August 3, the Texas Rangers released the switch-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera, who hit .235 with honorable (but unspectacular) power and 51 RBIs in 93 games. Continue reading “Should the Nationals Approve Re-Signing Asdrubal Cabrera?” →

Matt Adams isn’t the Nationals’ most flashy free agent, but he is among their most interesting free agents to follow — it’s a bit nuanced.

Adams had a $4 million mutual option on the table for 2020, with a $1 million buyout attached to it. Washington opted for the latter, exposing him to free agency. Continue reading “Will Matt Adams Hit a Big Fly in Free Agency?” →