Washington Nationals: 5 Free Agents To Watch In The World Series

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Oct 24, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Indians run in the outfield during work out day prior to the start of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

With the World Series starting tonight, we bring you free agents on the Indians and Cubs to watch that the Washington Nationals might want this winter

While the Washington Nationals are sitting at home, the World Series will get underway tonight in Cleveland, Ohio between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians (8:08 p.m ET, broadcast on FOX). The pitching matchup for tonight will be Jon Lester for the Cubs and Corey Kluber for the Indians.

The Washington Nationals are very familiar with both of these teams as they played both of them during the regular season. They went 2-2 in four games against Cleveland and 2-5 in seven games against the Cubs.

If I had to make a prediction for this series, I say the Indians will win in six games. I think the Indians win this in six games because of their bullpen. Terry Francona has used it well this October and having Andrew Miller available for any situation is going to be crucial against a strong Cubs lineup.

Once the World Series is over, both the Cubs and Indians will have players that will be free agents this winter. Both of these teams are set for the long haul with a lot of their core players under their team control. But, there are still some players that the Washington Nationals could look to target this winter to help them make the Fall Classic in 2017.

So before tonight’s Game 1, here are five potential free agents between the Indians and Cubs to keep an eye on going into the offseason this winter. These potential free agents were not put in any particular order:

Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Mike Napoli (26) hits a RBI double during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Indians 1B/DH Mike Napoli

Napoli had a career season this year for the Indians at age 34. He had a slash line of .239/.335/.465 with 34 home runs and 101 RBI’s (both career-highs). While Napoli was the designated hitter for 51 games this season, he did play in 98 games at first base, a position that the Washington Nationals need offensive production from.

Since 2014, Napoli has played for three different teams (Red Sox, Rangers, Indians). Cleveland signed him this winter to a one-year deal worth $7 million and that move has paid off for them big time.

Plus, if you bring in Napoli, it’s almost a guarantee that your team makes the postseason. Out of the ten years that Napoli has played in the big leagues, he has played in the postseason eight times. He has 29 RBI’s in 59 postseason games with 15 of them coming in 2011 when he was with Texas.

With the lack of premiere hitting free agents, you would think Napoli is going to get a multi-year deal from someone. With Ryan Zimmerman under contract until 2019, the Washington Nationals aren’t going to spend big amount of money at a first baseman.

They are more likely to either keep Clint Robinson as the backup or find another free agent that can platoon with Zimmerman at first base for less money. Napoli also struck out 198 times this season, so he wouldn’t exactly be an ideal fit for a lineup that is looking to find more contact hitting.

Oct 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Cubs Closer Aroldis Chapman

If the Washington Nationals fail to re-sign Mark Melancon and Chapman is still available, he is going to be a closer that the Nats will probably try to sign to sure up the ninth inning. Since Chapman was traded during the season, the Nats would not have to give up their first round draft pick if they signed him.

In 59 games with the Cubs and Yankees this season, Chapman had 36 saves in 39 chances. He began his season in May after serving a 30-game domestic violence suspension.

Chapman did blow three saves in the regular season and has blown two six-out saves this postseason, but he is still one of the best closers in the game. The Washington Nationals have tried to acquire him in the past and Chapman does have a connection with Dusty Baker from his time with the Reds.

This season, the Washington Nationals had one of the best bullpens in the National League, but they needed an elite closer before they acquired Melancon at the trade deadline. The question will be if the Nats fail to re-sign Melancon, will they give Chapman a record contract that it will take to get a deal done?

Out of the five free agents that I am going to profile in this piece, I think Chapman has the best chance of wearing a curly W uniform next season. It’s hard to ignore the connection that Baker has with Chapman and they are going to need an elite closer if they want to be a serious contender for the World Series next season.

Oct 15, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Rajai Davis (20) reaches third base on a past ball against Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) during the third inning of game two of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Indians OF Rajai Davis

This past offseason, the Indians signed Davis to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million. Due to Michael Brantley not playing much at all in 2016, Davis ended up playing 134 games. He split his time in the outfield between center field and left field.

Heading into next season, the Washington Nationals could use another backup outfielder at those positions. Ben Revere is eligible for arbitration, but is coming off of a down year in DC. Another option, Michael Taylor, had a bad season and was demoted to triple-A Syracuse at one point.

With Davey Lopes on the coaching staff, the Washington Nationals had an extra emphasis on stealing bases. This year, Davis stole 43 bases in 49 attempts, which was the highest in the American League. From 2012-2014, Davis finished no lower than third in the AL in that category.

Even at age 36, Davis is still showing that he has the speed that would fit well in this Nats lineup along with Trea Turner. With that being said, he doesn’t have the best defensive numbers. According to Fangraphs, Davis had -3 runs saved as a left fielder and -5 runs saved at center field this year.

If the Washington Nationals could get Davis on a one-year deal, he would be a good fit as a speed option off the bench or as a backup at any of the outfield positions. As was evident this year, Baker does like to use his bench and Davis would be a good tool for him to use in order to manufacture runs.

Sep 7, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Joe Smith (30) reacts after giving up a home run to Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Jonathan Villar (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Cubs RHP Joe Smith

With the amount of quality relievers on the market this year in free agency, the Washington Nationals could wait to sign another right-handed middle reliever. When you look at these two teams, they don’t have many middle relief free agents going into next year.

One player who is a free agent is 32-year-old Joe Smith. Two years ago, Smith had a 1.81 ERA in 76 games for the Los Angeles Angels, who won the AL West that season. This past season was not a good one for Smith. In 54 games, he had a ERA of 3.46 with the Angels and Cubs. While Smith is on the Cubs, he is not on their postseason roster.

In addition to his high ERA, Smith had a tough time striking hitters out this past season. His 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings were the second lowest of his career. Smith battled injuries this season as his 54 games appeared were his lowest since he was with the Indians in 2010. After posting a .172 opponents batting average in 2014, that number has gone up to over .240 each of the last two seasons (.246 in 2016).

With most of the Washington Nationals middle relief coming back next season, there wouldn’t seem to be a fit for Smith. Plus, he is not the reliever that he once was. With the average velocity on his fastball dropping in every season since 2011 (88.3 miles per hour in 2016 according to Fangraphs), he wouldn’t seem to be a fit for the Nats bullpen in 2017.

Sep 26, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Chris Coghlan (8) singles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Cubs Utility Player Chris Coghlan

This season, Coghlan was the super utility player for Joe Maddon’s team. He played at least one game at every position except pitcher and catcher. It was an interesting year for Coghlan as he was traded away from the Cubs to the A’s. Three months later, Oakland dealt him back to Chicago.

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In 99 games for both the A’s and Cubs, Coghlan struggled at the plate. The 31-year-old hit a mere .188 with six home runs and 30 RBI’s. His on-base percentage of .290 was the second lowest of his career in any season (.212 with the Marlins in 39 games back in 2012).

Defensively, Coghlan hasn’t had much success. According to Fangraphs, he had three runs saved as an outfielder this past season. That may seem small, but it is a big improvement compared to the -12 runs saved he had back in 2014.

During this postseason, Coghlan has only had five at-bats, but has yet to record a hit. Even in pinch-hitting situations during the regular season, he was 2-for-13 (.154) with only one RBI. While Baker could use him in defensive situations to spell an injury, he isn’t exactly an upgrade to the Washington Nationals from an offensive standpoint.

Next: Grading Gio's 2016 Season

Washington Nationals fans, we want to hear from you? What is your World Series prediction this season and which of these free agents would you want to see don the Curly W uniform in 2017?

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