Washington Nationals Need To Keep It Simple At The Winter Meetings

Jun 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (R) talks to general manager Mike Rizzo before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (R) talks to general manager Mike Rizzo before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
washington nationals
Jun 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (R) talks to general manager Mike Rizzo before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Heading into the Winter Meetings in Maryland, the Washington Nationals might be best to just keep their moves simple

With the MLB Winter Meetings just days away, the Washington Nationals are likely going to be one of the more active teams throughout the week. They’re in need of several upgrades and replacements; however, they recently addressed one of their most glaring holes with the acquisition of Padres catcher Derek Norris on Friday.

Norris will fill the void at catcher, likely signaling the official end of the Wilson Ramos era in Washington. While Norris was a key addition, he likely won’t be the last, but it’s important that Washington doesn’t outthink itself in the process.

With Norris aboard, the Nationals will likely look to add an outfielder and a closer; however, they’ve recently been linked to Rays starter Chris Archer and most notably White Sox southpaw Chris Sale. Both Archer and Sale are among the best arms in all of baseball, and could help aid any rotation, but could Washington be an exception?

The Winter Meetings in Maryland are going to either make or break the Washington Nationals; however, despite the bevy of deals that are likely to take place, the Nationals would be wise to upgrade via free agency, rather than the trade market.

Here is my gameplan on how the Nats should keep it simple at the Winter Meetings: