Assuming the planned Nats trajectory is "do nothing, see you in 2027" do you want a mini-run after the break to get your hopes up?
I say sure. Better baseball is better baseball even in the pursuit of nothing.
Do you have a goal win total for the end of the year
.500 or bust!
Do you want to see these guys traded or re-signed (let's assume reasonable market contract - which means decently big but not crazy
Miles Mikolas or Zack Littell?
Take the bag of balls.
Foster Griffin?
I guess trade - nice find but let me put pitching $ toward something other than a mid-rotation 30yo with half a good season in the bank
Luis Garcia
Hmmm. I've always liked him but I feel like replacing a 1B should be the easiest thing (should - the Nats have shown it's not) and you are trading high. Still he's 26. I guess I say Keep because I like my continuity but I understand.
CJ Abrams?
SIGN
Who do you want to win the East and make the playoffs in general and no stupid "the meteor" answers. Gotta pick.
Phillies for the East. Been ok with them since the Schmidt days.
Brewers and well I don't want the Dodgers but let's be honest with ourselves.
WC, if not the Nats - Pirates, Padres, D-backs
In the AL. Yankees obv, Indians, oh jeez I don't like any of my choices. Texas is the worst. Seattle is a bunch of cry babies - Boston west, Houston has gotta purge all the cheaters... I guess Seattle wins out, yuk.
Being honest again, Rays are at least in as a WC, so them and Twins and Blue Jays. I don't love the Jays but let Toronto be rewarded for trying again.
16 comments:
Re a mini-run: agree that better baseball is sufficient rationale, but I'm also rooting for this FO to be forced into an awkward spot. Both for the entertainment value and for the information we'd learn about their priorities.
Guardians?
I agree on the entertainment value...and sympathize but don't agree on the value of the front office showing its hand. As fans, we want a transparent FO that feeds our fandom and builds public support for the team. However, public transparency is rarely a good thing in the type of high-level negotiations that occur between teams and between teams and players. A certain amount of mystery about Toboni and Mark Lerner's intentions is an asset not a liability.
I'm in the "anyone can be traded ... for the right price" camp. For Littell and Mikolas, that's a bag of baseballs (although someone has to pitch). I'd love to see them make a move to sign Abrams, but I don't expect any long term extensions until after the new CBA is finalized (whenever that is). I'd move Griffin, but it shouldn't be cheap. I'd be fine if the team QO'd him at the end of the season. Yes, it's an overpay, but it would only be for a year and it would give them a chance to see if they can put together an extension. And it's not like they can't afford it.
That's a fair point, but I think the advantages of that mystery are often overstated. In fact, while you certainly want to keep some things close to the vest, often clarity about priorities and understanding where the two parties have overlapping interests is the most important part of a successful negotiation.
Of course, those negot
I'd keep Griffin, for a reasonable price. Who knows -- maybe he likes it here; maybe he's grateful the Nationals signed him. But he'll probably want at least 2, if not 3 years. I'd still sign him (for 2 years). I'd let Garcia go for the right price. Sure, he's hitting well, but he's a platoon first baseman. Nats can move Wood, or Lyle, or any of their outfielders (except Jacob Young) to first base.
Another thing to consider about deadline deals is that we have no idea how good Toboni is at those, but it’s very likely he will be worse than Rizzo, who (for all his faults) made numerous incredible trades at the deadline (Capps for Wilson Ramos, Cristian Guzman for Tanner Roark, Candelario for Herz, Lester for Lane Thomas, etc)
I'm also very much looking at the returns and not really married to trading or keeping any specific player. I'm fine keeping everyone, and I'm fine trading anyone, and the only thing that will piss me off is selling at a bad price.
And as loud as I am about believing the Nats should have resourced this team better in the offseason, there's no way I'd move any meaningful prospect capital. The only buy-side moves I'd be looking at are stuff like picking up replacement level relievers for fringe guys like Dashyll Tejada.
It would be insane to neither trade nor re-sign Griffin. If Toboni can't re-sign him in a week or so, he should trade him. As far as Abrams goes, I would make him a good offer, expect Abrams to take Boras' usual advice, and QO Abrams after 2028. Since Abrams would decline the QO no matter what, we can play Abrams at 2B, and move Nuñez to SS.
Trade deadline will be interesting. What do you do with a team that wins 23-4 on Friday and then loses 15-1 on Saturday? I think the past five games have summed up this team better than words could describe.
1) I'd love to see the team in the thick of the wildcard chase and get eliminated the last weekend of the season. Let's be honest, if they make it as the last wildcard team, the Dodgers or Braves will score 15 runs off of Matt Krook or something. But being in the hunt and almost making the dance will make this year a huge win without a humbling finish.
2) Extend Griffin. If we don't, we'll just be looking for another Griffin in November. 3 years, 4, I don't care. It's not like there are 5 starters better than him in the pipeline.
3) Trade high on Garcia. He's having a stellar year, someone will really pay a lot for him, and between Ortiz and Yoyo, he's got good subs behind him. Plus we can probably get a reliever or two out of the deal, which I think might be helpful.
FWIW, De Bartolo is still on board and he seemed to have handled last year's deadline very well
Wood and Abrams showing they can keep up at least 90% of their performance through the rest of the season would mean a lot, as they have faded in the past and that can't happen on a real competitor, which I think they can be in the future. This, plus Ruiz, Cavalli, and Mead staying about the same or improving, can give some clarity in where their needs lie. They even have a couple of the "nice to have" pieces of the puzzle in Nunez and Young.
If one or more of their injured pitchers could play and look at least semi-decent by the end of the year, that would also be big. That way, they can know just how many starters they need to go after in the offseason.
So Crews doesn’t even fall into the “nice to have” category?
Don’t look now but Elijah Green is on a five game hit streak (10 for his last 15)… in single-A. Baby steps!
…(cries in first round bust)…
We might be misjudging the moment. In the collective bargaining talks, the league has proposed a spending floor aimed at laggards like the Nats. If anything like it survives the negotiations, the Nats (Lerners) will find themselves in a spend-first mode. Their very low payroll ($28 million for 2027) offers a lot of flexibility.
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