Admittedly bored

 I don't know.  I thought the kids would interest me more.  Maybe once the season starts. I think there's general malaise at this not being THE season everything starts. 

Anyway the Nats resigned Kyle Finnegan.  Is it exciting? Nope.  Does he make the pen better? Well simple question - is he better than who would have been the worst guy in the pen? Answer - yes.  So answer to the first question - yes. 

I will take a moment to do my usual ST schtick. 

Did you know Trey Lipscomb hit .400 in Spring last year?  Joey Meneses .296.  Trevor Williams threw to a 7.20 ERA. Richard Bleier to a 1.69 ERA. 0.75 WHIP?   

Again - don't believe these stats

Monday Quickie - Paul DeJong and giving up

Over the weekend the Nats signed Paul DeJong. DeJong (pronounced de-young to rob everyone of fun El Kabong references) started his career in 2017 as a promising young IF hitting with power and average and fielding SS very well, but his inability to ID the strike zone killed the average and he became a "pop only" guy. But still if you can field and hit homers that's a nice combination. That lasted for a few years but in 2020 he got COVID, in 2021 he broke a rib, and since then he's battled back pain. The combination stomped on the corpse of what was his average and he was a liability at the plate for several seasons. He managed to get his power back for the first time since 2019 last year, but he also had his first poor season in the field even though he was playing only 3B. Did the Nats need another DH?

Actually that might be interesting in a weird way.  Josh Bell, DH apparent, is a switch hitter but unlike a lot of switch hitters he is better from the right side of the plate hitting lefties. DeJong is a RHB but hits right handed pitching better than LHP. So platoon? OK sure, but neither are 'mashers'.  Its a platoon to get half a WAR better, not any real advantage

So he might hit but he also might be a DH and he turns 32 mid year. What's the point?

I don't know. The age and recent past don't suggest a good trade candidate. Presumably the Nats signed Amed Rosario for some reason. 

All I can think of is trade. If you were going to try to move Brady House or CJ Abrams or Luis Garcia for something well then a bunch of 2B/3B/SS fill-ins would be necessary but this would be PRE-SEASON.  There isn't need for fill-ins come September. 

When a signing like this happens it matters where it fits in the process. This isn't a final piece, complementing several bigger moves. This is one move of many trying to find something that works. That's worrying. That feels like a white flag going up for 2025. 

Bregman a Red Sox

The Nats could have afforded to sign him.  Honestly they can afford to sign anyone with this payroll. 

While it seems like a huge overpay it really isn't based on the current market rates for production and what Bregman does. The gamble is that he doesn't get injured or continue his slide. The former is just something you have to live with.  The latter is more worrisome but is what makes him available. It took teams a couple of years but they realized current Bregman (does nothing wrong) isn't past Bregman (a beast) and they began challenging him, getting ahead, and getting him to chase more. The end result was production bouyed by the quirk of defensive stats.

The hope would be he does really well and opts-out or does about what he did the past couple of years but decides to stay, so you get him without committing to his down years. 

 It's a good contract. Has risks. But it doesn't bind the Red Sox for too long.

 Seems like the Nats would have had to put out something like 5/200 to get him. 

 Just spitballing bc pitchers and catchers interest no one after Day 1.  

Pitchers and Catchers Report - Let's try to be excited

Yes it's disappointing the Nats have seemingly passed on the season. But there's still reason to be excited about baseball this year in DC.  Let's think about it. 

1) This is the first full season for James Wood, who was good last year, and Dylan Crews, a consensus Top 5 prospect in baseball. The future is NOW (even if it is JUST the future) 

2) Luis Garcia took a real step forward last year and it'll be interesting to see if that's a fluke, his ceiling, or the prelude to a break-out

3) CJ Abrams had extended moments of looking like one of the most exciting players in baseball. If he can string more of those together....

4) Nathaniel Lowe is pretty good!  That'll be fun after a year of crappy 1B.  Nats fans appreciate a solid 1B

5) Trevor Williams looked like an ace every time he was on the mound last year. If that keeps up the Nats will have a steal

6) Gore and Herz and Parker are 26 and under and pitched better than their ERA suggested.  Gore has the pedigree. Herz had something of a break-out season continuing the numbers he showed in the minors despite fancy stats suggesting he might not. Arms to watch! 

That's a pretty decent list right? 

There is a youth movement here that should blossom into something better than the team is now. There is talent here and the likelihood of more fun and interesting baseball in 2025.  Will it be more WINNING baseball. Well, the team left it up to the baseball gods but while that's a shame it doesn't mean the season is 100% over or unwatchable.

AND if they do blossom and it's a fun season of near contention then we can REALLY yell if they don't put money in next off-season 

Sure got quiet out there

 We got a column a week ago from Barry that was basically "Is this it?" 

It's getting late as pitchers and catchers will start to trickle in next week and the Nats still seem like a team whose off-season is only 75% done and that's factoring in the lowered expectations. 

The Nats solved the 1B issue in their typical "savvy but let's not go crazy" way and stuffed the rotation with... well stuff... in the hopes that a strong rotation emerges from the intriguing if not inspiring raw materials.

But the bullpen seems 2-3 arms short, 3B is to be manned by hopes and dreams and the DH question was answered with a shrug. 

 The answers being so limited and the questions still remaining all point to the same thing. The Nats aren't trying to compete this year.  

That's disappointing for a team now 6 years removed from their last winning season. A lost season (say under 75 wins) this year is completely possible and it would give DC the longest stretch it has seen without hitting 80 wins. 

 Fans got their championship and it's lucky that they did bc I think they'd be turning on the management otherwise. 

But this is the lot we've been given this year. Wait and see... again. Evaluate... again. Look to next offseason... again. The first time, after 2023, was understandable. That would have been aggressive. This time, when the window should be opening with some young talent on hand, feels overly cautious if one wants to be generous. Next time will be unforgivable if it happens. 

But there's still time to try something and we don't evaluate until things are over. And it's not bleak. It just remains cloudy and dull when if could have been sunny and exciting.

Monday Quickie - Flaherty off the board

It was seeming more and more a pipe dream with the depth of non top-line starters the Nats have brought in but in case you were hoping for that one guy that might head the rotation, well... stop hoping. Jack Flaherty signs with the Tigers. There are guys still out there (Kyle Gibson, Nick Pivetta) but none that you can convince yourself could lead a rotation. Now he's probably NOT a rotation leader, so it's not like they lost out on the next Scherzer, but the combination of skill, age, and last year performance suggested it wouldn't be a total surprise if he pitched like a 1/2 in 2025 and a few years more. 

The Nats appear done in FA to some degree though we still hope we'll see some more RP moves. 

Could something happen in trade? It hasn't been rumored but guys, until we hit the end of February let's assume it's all still a work in progress,