House That Hank Built
Fansided

From the Atlanta Braves’ Viewpoint: the Off-season in Review (Nationals)

By Alan Carpenter

Sep 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (58) argues with second base umpire Alan Porter (64) after being ejected from the game during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (58) argues with second base umpire Alan Porter (64) after being ejected from the game during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 2
Next
Apr 23, 2015; Washington, DC; A vague, unfocused picture… partly because of a power outage. Yes, that’s the Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2015; Washington, DC; A vague, unfocused picture… partly because of a power outage. Yes, that’s the Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Nationals’ Off-Season:  Still in Chaos

This is the third of a series of looks at the off-seasons of the Braves’ rivals in the NL East.  On Tuesday, we took a look at the Marlins; yesterday it was the Mets.  Today we continue with the Washington Nationals.

  • 2015 RESULT: 83-79 (.512), 2ND PLACE.
  • Opening Day Payroll: $162 million
  • Final 40-man Payroll: $169.2 million (MLB Rank: 5)
  • Owner: Ted Lerner (principal), Lerner, Tanenbaum, and Cohen families; several others
  • Manager:  Dusty Baker
  • General Manager/President of Baseball Operations:  Mike Rizzo
  • Assistant General Managers:  Adam Cromie, Bob Miller, Doug Harris, Kris Kline, Ted Towne
  • Fun Fact:  the Nationals have an absurdly lengthy Front Office page… while I haven’t surveyed all of them, it’s got to be one of the most extensive lists of names in all of baseball.  Maybe having 6 General Managers tells us something?

Off-season transactions:

JANUARY
– SIGNED 2B Daniel Murphy
– SIGNED 2B Stephen Drew

DECEMBER
– TRADE:  3B Yunel Escobar + cash to LA ANGELS for RHP Michael Brady and RHP Trevor Gott
– SIGNED: LHP Oliver Perez
– SIGNED: RHP Shawn Kelley
– SIGNED: RHP Yusmeiro Petit

NOVEMBER
– HIRED:  Dusty Baker as new Manager

Free Agents Lost:
– RHP Craig Stammen
– RHP Casey Janssen
– LHP Matt Thornton
– RHP Doug Fister
– CF Denard Span
– 2B Dan Uggla
– RHP Jordan Zimmermann
– SS Ian Desmond
– LF Nate McLouth
– LF Reed Johnson (re-signed to minor league deal)

Players Lost on Waivers:
– RHP David Carpenter (Braves)

Lethargy, Whining

A lot of energy has been spent by the Nationals in complaining about how injured they have been.  A lot of energy.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t fully stand up to scrutiny.  The Nationals were in the middle of the pack in terms of quality injuries.  The Braves, by comparison, seemed to have fewer injuries overall, but of higher impact (i.e., Freddie Freeman).

Turns out that the same scenario played out in 2014:   Nats in the middle of the pack while other clubs (Texas, Mets in both years)had a lot more room to complain.  Overall, it appears that the team has simply been an underwhelming performer – failing to meet (or even approach) the kind of lofty expectations that a team with this payroll and this talent should have.

Exhibit A was Anthony Rendon:  .287 average, 21 HR, 83 RBI and 6.5 WAR in 2014.  In 2015, he was hurt and only logged 0.9 WAR with 5 HR, 25 RBI, and a .264 average.  But if you want to point at one injury hurting the Nationals, then he’s the one, with knee, oblique, and quad issues in 2015.

Pitching has been solid, but not spectacular (save for Max Scherzer – the only starter with an ERA under 3.40).  The offense, as noted above, had just one contributing member – though Harper was almost good enough to carry the entire club.

However, Jayson Werth is now in those “out years” of his contract (which still runs through 2017 at $21.5m) and Ryan Zimmerman is still going to be hanging around through 2019, so they now constitute 2 holes in the lineup at significant positions, which will severely limit their ability to upgrade.

Next: The Off-Season Response

Home/Braves News