How Nationals’ offseason moves set expectations for 2023 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The rebuild is on in D.C.
It’s been a quiet winter for the local nine in the nation’s capital, where the Nationals are coming off a 107-loss season that saw them finish with their worst winning percentage since arriving in 2005. They’ve shuffled some pieces around, added a few free agents on low-risk deals and addressed the fringes of their roster rather than making any splashes.
When taken in the context of a rebuild, there are plenty of moves to like. The Nationals made their first Rule 5 selection in 12 years, drafting Red Sox pitching prospect Thad Ward to gamble on a standout from the Arizona Fall League. They claimed former top prospect Jeter Downs off waivers when Boston gave up on him after 41 big-league plate appearances. Jeimer Candelario, signed to a one-year, $5 million deal, is a bounceback candidate only one year removed from leading the majors in doubles.
Just how much the Nationals’ on-field product will improve in 2023 likely hinges more on the players they already have. The addition of Trevor Williams (two years, $13 million) should provide some stability their rotation lacked last year and Candelario will likely be an upgrade over the carousel they rolled out at third base, but the rest of the roster is full of young, unproven players the Nationals hope can tap into their potential.
Such is the life for a team rebuilding from the ground up, especially one that doesn’t have an established franchise cornerstone to either trade or build around. The Nationals spent the last two trade deadlines unloading the stars who led them to a World Series title in 2019 and converting them into prospect capital.
As their lack of spending has shown, the Nationals are content with seeing how those young players develop before jumping into the fray in free agency. Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, the pitcher-catcher battery that highlighted their return for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, will look to take steps forward in their second full seasons. CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, the two MLB-ready players from their historic package exchanged for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, should get plenty of run to establish themselves at the big-league level.
They won’t be alone, either. Cade Cavalli is expected to join Gray and Gore in the Opening Day rotation. Luis Garcia will hold down second base opposite Abrams up the middle. All three outfield spots are up for grabs between Lane Thomas, Victor Robles, Alex Call and offseason signing Stone Garrett. The bullpen is full of pitchers with intriguing pitch mixes who could be reliable relievers if they can either stay healthy or improve their control (or both).
Like it was in 2022, the Nationals’ success next summer won’t be measured by the number of wins they accrue. Even if their young players take a few steps forward, wins against their divisional rivals are going to be just as tough to come by.
Washington went 17-59 against the NL East last year, the worst interdivisional record of any team in baseball. And that was before the Phillies signed Turner to a $300 million deal, the Braves traded for one of MLB’s top catchers in Sean Murphy and the Mets doled out over $800 million in free-agent contracts pending the completion of Carlos Correa’s 12-year, $315 million agreement. Even the Marlins signed the underrated Jean Segura to a two-year pact.
The Nationals have a long way to go before they’re ready to compete with teams of that caliber, and it’s going to take both internal player development and savvy player acquisitions to get there. They will attempt the latter once the former begins to bear fruit. For now, they’re waiting to see what the next wave of young, Nationals talent looks like.
