Are you happy?
That's the question for Nats fans as they look at an off-season that right now stands as this :
- Signed the rehabilitating Mike Soroka and the potential fluke Trevor Williams to shore up the rotation.
- Traded for the perfectly good Nathaniel Lowe to play 1B
- Signed Josh Bell to DH.
If I were to give an off-season evaluation RIGHT NOW (which matters only slightly more than an evaluation on November 1st) I'd say they tried to solve the first base issue, punted on the DH issue, and it looks like they've decided to run another year of kids in the rotation trying to evaluate what exactly they have.
It's the off-season for a team on the path to contention (you don't trade for Lowe otherwise) but not looking to contend in 2025. If it happens they'll take it, but this looks like a team aiming to break .500 not close in on 90 wins. This isn't just me but the general consensus out there.
Is that the right move? You know I don't think so. At some point you have to commit to a run and I think now is the time. I think the Nats are running a year behind where they should be. There will likely always be questions. We thought this year might clear up what guys like Gore and Abrams are. It didn't or at least not enough to plan on. While Garcia became less of a question, Ruiz and Gray became greater ones. That's the way seasons go. Waiting for absolute clarity on what must be done might mean waiting forever.
There are four big FAs left (Alonso, Bregman, Santander, and Flaherty) and any one of them fits into the Nats well. However, the signing of Bell likely rules out Alonso or Santander. Signing just one of Bregman or Flaherty likely isn't enough to make them a contender. So sign both? Or sign neither and hope next year the pieces you need will be there AND you can get them?
I'll admit that's not an easy call outside of "not my money - sign everyone" thinking. Which of course is my thinking. So sign both.
But in reality they are probably done with SP signings and their potential to land Bregman lies with Boras using the Nats as a 1yr stopping point if the contract he wants isn't out there. Our best bet for financially based improvement lies in the bullpen where solid quality arms still are out there. That's my expectations. A couple of solid FA RP signings then head to camp with an eye on getting over .500 and maybe getting to 3rd place, catching whichever Mets/Braves/Phillies team stumbles.
If that's 2025... well sure hope those kids like Wood and Crews are exciting bc it's not a season that interests me much. Wait 'til next year is not what you want to hear in March.
