Washington Nationals: Top Five Offseason Storylines To Watch
With the regular season over, what are the Washington Nationals storylines to watch this winter?
Now that the Washington Nationals 2016 playoff run is over, it’s time to look ahead to this winter and what changes the team might make to help them finally get past the first round in the postseason. At the very least, this offseason will be a lot less hectic than last offseason.
One reason for that is there is no hot seat surrounding general manager Mike Rizzo after the team picked up his two-year option during the regular season. Plus, there is no managerial search this year. Dusty Baker did a good job in his first year as manager as the Nats won 95 games and a NL East title.
Not many Washington Nationals are free agents this year and the one who is (Wilson Ramos) just underwent successful surgery on his torn ACL and meniscus. You wouldn’t think the Washington Nationals would give him a qualifying offer that is set to be worth $17.2 million over one year.
This season, the Washington Nationals had arguably the NL Cy Young frontrunner in Max Scherzer and one of the top candidates for MVP in Daniel Murphy. Nobody thought last winter that the signing Murphy would be as critical to the 2016 season as it turned out to be.
Plus, with the Winter Meetings being in Maryland this year, do the Nats make a big splash that surprises everyone? With that being said, here are my top five Washington Nationals storylines that I will be focusing on as the winter unfolds this year.
Do Bryce Harper Extension Talks Happen?
Despite a down season from Harper in 2016, he is still one of the best players in baseball. While there are two more years until Harper is a free agent, the question this winter is whether or not the Nats and Harper can get closer to a long term extension this offseason?
While there is no pressing need to get a deal done, the anxiousness will continue to grow amongst fans if Harper isn’t signed as he has just two years left on that deal. Normally, with Scott Boras clients, the player goes to free agency.
But, with Strasburg avoiding free agency, that does leave some hope that Harper could sign an extension early. Last year, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Nats talked extension with Harper, but nothing was formal. Will we see those talks continue to progress more this winter?
Despite having a down season compared to his MVP year in 2015, Harper still hit 24 home runs and had a .373 on-base percentage this season. The other question surrounding Harper will be whether or not we hear more news about how much his shoulder bothered him this season.
All in all, i don’t expect any extension to happen this winter between Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals. But, it will be interesting to see if these two sides continue to move closer to a deal as his free agency gets closer and closer.
Gio Gonzalez/Do The Nats Add Another Starter?
With Stephen Strasburg signed to a seven-year extension earlier this season, the Washington Nationals will likely not be big players on the free agent market for starting pitching. The only question in their rotation right now is Gio Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has a $12 million team option going into next season, I would expect the Washington Nationals to pick that up because they don’t have many left-handed starters and with the price of starting pitching these days, $12 million isn’t that much.
However, even if they bring back Gonzalez, I do think they could use some veteran depth in the rotation. Last year, the Nats signed Bronson Arroyo, but he never pitched a game for them. In the middle of the season, they signed Mat Latos, who appeared in six games and even hit a home run.
If Strasburg’s health continues to be a concern, the Nats need to add some veteran depth so they don’t have to rely heavily on Joe Ross, Reynaldo Lopez, and Lucas Giolito. With the lack of dominant starting pitching on the free agent market, the pitching prices might go up for average pitchers this winter.
Down the stretch, Gonzalez was mediocre to say the least. He had a 7.43 ERA in his final five regular season starts and he couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning in Game 3 of the NLDS. Rotation won’t be a significant need for the Nats this winter. But, the rotation could be more of a strength in 2017 if Gonzalez somehow bounces back.
Do The Nats Add Another Veteran Catcher?
Before Wilson Ramos tore his ACL, the storyline would be whether or not Ramos would be re-signed after a career season. Ramos hit .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBI’s to go with a .354 on-base percentage. Now, at age 29 and after a second ACL surgery, will the Nats bring back Ramos?
Right now, with Ramos out of the picture, Pedro Severino and Jose Lobaton are the two catchers on the 25-man roster. Severino showed good things in a limited amount of time with hiss strong defense behind the plate, but his offense has to improve in order to be an everyday catcher.
Lobaton is under team control for one more season and the pitchers do like throwing to him behind the plate. As for the offense, he did have the big home run off Rich Hill in Game 2, but he is not a player known for excelling with the bat.
If the Washington Nationals don’t bring back Ramos, they could go the free agent route or the trade route to find their next catcher. With their history of signing Scott Boras clients, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters could be an option. This season, Wieters hit double-digit home runs (17) for the first time since 2013, which was the last time he played in more than 100 games until this season (124).
As for the trade route, a name that has been floated out there is Yankees catcher Brian McCann. With Gary Sanchez the catcher of the future in New York, McCann could be a good trade option for the Nats. He only has two more years left on his deal, he can hit 20+ home runs, and he has played 130+ games in three straight seasons.
Severino and Lobaton are decent options, but if the Nats are going to replace Ramos and add some depth to this lineup, they need to go out and get another catcher that can drive in runs. Wieters and McCann are good examples of that.
Does Trea Turner Stay In Center Field?
One of the reasons that 2017 should be an exciting year for the Washington Nationals will be that Trea Turner gets to start the season with the team as opposed to waiting until June to make his season debut this year. Turner had to learn to play center field on the fly, but did an adequate job fielding the position.
Turner has become one of the best young players in the game due to his electric speed. The only question about him going into next year is whether or not he remains a center fielder. Danny Espinosa is a very good defensive shortstop and is a 20+ home run guy, but he did hit .209 this year.
If the Washington Nationals decide to trade Espinosa and go with Turner at shortstop, then they will have to upgrade at center field. Ben Revere had a rough first year in DC. He hurt his oblique in the first game of the regular season and never recovered. Plus, Michael Taylor continued to strike out at a high rate and did not do well with regular playing time in the minor leagues.
Last year, Mike Rizzo was trying to get outfielders like Jason Heyward and Yoenis Cespedes to strengthen the outfield. Cespedes, who might opt out and be a free agent this year, does play center field. However, it’s not his favorite position.
With one year left on that Revere deal, does he start in center or does Rizzo stick with Turner and give him a full spring training to continue his growth in center while Espinosa plays short?
Re-signing Mark Melancon Needs To Be A Priority
At the trade deadline, Rizzo went out and got the dominant closer that the Washington Nationals needed when he traded for Pirates reliever Mark Melancon. In DC, Melancon went 17-for-18 in saves, had a 1.82 ERA, and did not give up a run in three postseason appearances.
The Washington Nationals have found their closer, but will they be able to keep him? The 31-year-old right-hander is a free agent this winter. With teams always looking for closers, Melancon will be in high demand because of his consistency over the last few seasons.
Since the Washington Nationals won’t be giving Ramos a lucrative deal, they could spend some of that money and put it on Melancon to give them a big advantage in the ninth inning. If they can’t re-sign Melancon, other dominant closers that will be free agents are Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen.
The bullpen ended up being one of the best in the National League in terms of ERA. While they have a reliever who could become the closer down the road in Koda Glover as well as an experienced veteran in Shawn Kelley, having a dominant closer can help the Nats take the next step in 2017.
Next: Three Takeaways From NLDS Game 5 Loss
Washington Nationals fans, we want to hear from you. What is the storyline you are keeping an eye on this winter? Feel free to share with us in the comments section.