Going into the offseason the Washington Nationals had three things they have to take care of. They needed to get a back-end starter that can solidify the rotation, a lefty reliever and a better bench option. Well two-thirds of this are complete.
The Nationals traded for Doug Fister earlier in the week, sending Steve Lombardozzi, Ian Krol and Robbie Ray to the Tigers. This came out of nowhere as Rizzo kept his cards close and out of the media, like he does ever so well.
Next was the signing of Nate McLouth yesterday to bolster the bench. This also came out of nowhere and will help the Nationals a lot. I wrote yesterday that McLouth will help the Nationals in many ways.
The last thing the Nationals need is a lefty option of the bullpen. This can be found on the free agent market, from a trade or an option already inside the organization. If Ross Detwiler doesn’t win the fifth starting spot he could end up being the final lefty option out of the pen, but Rizzo needs to make a deal before then if he is going to do so.
Overall the Nationals have had the best offseason in the National League East and maybe even the entire National League. Rizzo has done a great job of going out and getting what the team needs without giving up anything important. If he can get a solid lefty option to finish the deal, the Nationals will have the best offseason in the National League.