Washington Nationals: 3 takeaways from Winter Meetings
By Ron Juckett
The Washington Nationals were not active in this year’s Winter Meetings, but they were busy. Here are some things to watch for as the off-season moves along.
With the 2017 Winter Meetings over, the Washington Nationals turn to Winterfest then the holidays as the off-season marches on.
As the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins made headlines, the Nats stood in the back of the proverbial room and took notes. Expectations of an active week were low before Monday and remained. Re-signing Brandon Kintzler was the highlight.
There were rumors. Jake Arrieta, J.D. Martinez, Zack Greinke’s names made the rounds on social media. But, at no point were the Nats on the verge of a stunner. Except the beat reports missing sleep, the 2017 Winter Meetings in Orlando will go down in Washington history as long forgotten.
Because the transaction websites dare not churning out virtual ink by the carload for Washington does not mean Mike Rizzo and company sat by the pool with a cool drink. They might have attended a seminar or two. Seriously, the groundwork for what is coming later happened this week.
If you expected a show like last year with breathless trade attempts, sorry to disappoint.
Winners of consecutive National League East crowns, there is not much to shop for. Although the Nats have needs for catching help and starting pitching, patience is the buzzword.
What did the Nats accomplish? More than we publicly know. You know Rizzo and the rest of the front office like keeping the rest of us guessing. Even with little for public consumption, here are three takeaways from a week in sunny Orlando.