The Washington Nationals were 71-91 last year. It was the same record as 2023. However, the Washington Nationals are stacked with young talent including James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, and Dylan Crews. That will allow them to compete in the National League East soon.
This season, the Washington Nationals cannot compete with the big spenders in the National League East. However, the Washington Nationals are doing the right things to ensure long-term competitiveness. When do you think the Nationals will be competitive?
Washington Nationals Starting Rotation
The Washington Nationals starting rotation is led by Gore. He is only 26 years old and may make the All-Star Game this year. He is the type of pitcher a team can build their starting rotation around. Jake Irvin is an excellent No. 2 starter for the Nationals. Trevor Williams (late of the Pirates, and several other teams) is the third starter for the Washington Nationals. He has a 50-55 career record and is better suited to be a fifth starter. He will eat innings.
Mike Soroka, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox last season and the Atlanta Braves before that, will be the fourth starter for the Nationals. He is a journeyman who is just keeping the spot warm. Mitchell Parker is the fifth starter for the Nationals. The lefty was a pleasant surprise in his rookie year. Look out for prospects Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, and Travis Sykora.
Nationals Bullpen
Kyle Finnegan is back to be the closer. He has a 3.62 ERA and 88 saves in the past four seasons. When it looked like Finnegan would not be back, a host of relievers were considered closer material. This could be good or bad for the Nationals. First, the Nationals signed Jorge Lopez from the Mets. He will now set Finnegan up.
Pitcher Derek Law does a great job missing bats, so he can see some late-inning opportunities. Colin Porche came over from the Tampa Bay Rays to provide depth. So will Lucas Sims who joined the team from the Cincinnati Reds.
Catcher
Keibert Ruiz is a solid defensive catcher but needs to do better than the awful .260 on-base percentage he posted last season. Ruiz has not lived up to expectations when he came over in 2021 in the trade for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Ruiz is under contract through 2030, so the Nationals are committed to him. Drew Millas and Riley Adams are battling it out for the backup role. Adams has no minor league options remaining, so that could be a factor in the battle.
Infield
Around the horn in the infield, the Nationals have Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers. At second base the Nationals have Luis Garcia Jr. At shortstop the Nationals have a potentially great player in C.J. Abrams. He had an odd season last year as he made the All-Star team with an excellent first half but struggled badly in the second half. The Nationals hope they get the first half output from the bulked-up Abrams. At third base, the Nationals have the former Kansas City Royal Paul DeJong. One half of the National infield is new players.
Outfield
In the outfield, the Nationals have two great prospects Crews in left field and Wood in right field. Crews was a superstar at Louisiana State University. Wood is massive at 6-foot-7 inches. Jacob Young is very fast and a good defender. He fits in nicely between Wood and Crews. Alex Call and Stone Garrett are good back up outfielders. The outfield can be a strength for the Washington Nationals.
Designated Hitter
Josh Bell is slated to be the designated hitter for the Nationals. He has some power, but more so with the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in his career. The Nationals will want to give him at-bats, but the reader should expect Manager Dave Martinez to use this spot to give breaks to some of his regular players.
Management
Speaking of Martinez, he is an outstanding leader. He is good for this young team. If the Nationals over perform and make the playoffs Martinez will be named National League Manager of the Year. That could happen. General Manager Mike Rizzo has been a solid executive for years and has been in that seat since March 2009.
Conclusion
The future is bright for the Washington Nationals. They have four young stars who all have their best years ahead of them. That differentiates them from a team in their division, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals may not win the National League East this season, but there are a lot of Curly Ws in their future.
