Washington Nationals: Predicting the Opening Day roster after latest cuts

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Opening Day is quickly approaching for the Washington Nationals, but they have not yet finalized their roster. We take a shot at predicting who will break camp with the team.

After a long, uneventful offseason for the Washington Nationals, Opening Day is finally on the horizon. The Nats have had a productive spring training, but everyone is ready for the games to finally mean something.

Only two games remain on the Nats’ exhibition schedule, so it is time for them to begin finalizing their roster. Most of the roster has been determined for a while, but there are a few spots up for grabs.

On Saturday, the Nats made their largest round of roster moves of the spring. Some uncertainty remains, but most of the main roster questions have now been answered.

Among the Nats’ many moves were optioning Austin Adams, Pedro Severino, and Andrew Stevenson to Triple-A. Tim Collins, Chris Dominguez, Edwin Jackson, Spencer Kieboom, Tommy Milone, Moises Sierra, and Chris Smith were also reassigned to minor league camp.

Finally, Reid Brignac and Ryan Raburn were released. Raburn’s career is likely over, as he made it clear he intended to retire if he did not make the team, but Brignac could be resigned on a minor league deal.

If the Nats did not release Brignac, they would owe him a $100,000 retention fee because of his extensive service time. Now that he has been released, the team can potentially bring him back on a minor league deal to keep him in the organization.

The Nats did the same thing with Matt Albers last year, which ended up paying huge dividends. If Brignac remains in the organization, he could make an impact with his tremendous versatility.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the Opening Day roster may look like.

Starting rotation

The Nats’ roster was mostly set when spring training began, but one of the few roster battles laid within the starting rotation. The first four of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark was obvious, but the fifth spot was up for grabs.

A.J. Cole entered the season as the frontrunner, and while Erick Fedde, Milone, and Jackson put up a good fight, Cole ultimately won the job.

Cole was almost guaranteed a spot on the roster due to the fact that he is out of options, but he earned the rotation spot, as opposed to being converted to a long reliever.

However, Cole may not last long in the rotation. He had a bit of a shaky spring, pitching to a 4.85 ERA in four starts. He struggled to find the zone at times, issuing five walks in four innings in his final spring outing, which must improve during the season.

If Cole cannot harness his control, Jeremy Hellickson may take over the fifth spot in the rotation.

Hellickson was signed very late into spring training, so he will not be ready for Opening Day, but he has made a good impression thus far.

In Hellickson’s first spring outing, he allowed just one run on three hits and a walk in four innings. Although he was limited to about 60 pitches, he made a great impression, especially considering that was his first appearance of the spring.

The rotation is set for now, but that doesn’t mean it will remain the same come May.

Law firm and righty relievers

A recurring theme over the last few years has been a weak Nats bullpen to begin the season. Fortunately, for the first time in what seems like forever, the Nats will have a strong bullpen to begin the year.

Led by Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson, and Brandon Kintzler, the Nats have one of the best late-inning bullpens in the league. Although the middle relievers are not quite up to the lofty standards set by “the law firm”, they complement them nicely.

The two right-handed middle relievers will likely be Shawn Kelley and Trevor Gott.

Kelley battled various arm injuries last year, en route to a horrific season. He has had a few concerning outings this spring, leading people to believe that his arm may be done, but he will get a shot to prove himself in the regular season.

If Kelley is able to return to form, he can be a dominant member of the ‘pen.

Along with Kelley, Gott will serve as a right-handed middle reliever. The 25-year-old was acquired for Yunel Escobar a few years ago, but has not made much of an impact at the major league level.

Gott had lofty expectations placed on him upon arriving in DC, even being named a future closer, but 2018 will be his first extensive opportunity in the majors.

Madson and Kintzler alone would make for a nice right-handed side of the bullpen, but Kelley and Gott complement them very well.

Left-handed relievers

On the left side, the Nats will have Doolittle, Sammy Solis, Enny Romero, and Matt Grace. This makes for an eight-man bullpen, which is somewhat unorthodox, but it is possible due to the Nats’ versatility off the bench.

Solis, a 29-year-old reliever, is excellent when healthy. Unfortunately, he has battled a few injuries throughout his career. If he is able to stay on the field, he can be a stellar lefty out of the ‘pen.

Although Solis is talented enough to make the roster, he may be hurt by the fact that he has an option remaining. Romero and Grace are both out of options, so the Nats would have to pass them through waivers if they do not break camp with the team.

Romero has the potential to be an elite reliever, but he must harness his control. He possesses a triple-digit fastball, yet he often does not know where it is going. He can be effectively wild, but harnessing his control would be extremely beneficial.

The final reliever in the bullpen will be Grace. He did a solid job last year, but struggled a bit due to fatigue. The Nats tried to use him as a long man, despite his arm not being stretched out enough to succeed as a long reliever.

If Grace is properly deployed, he can be a reliable lefty.

The Nats have a few wild cards in the bullpen, such as Kelley, Romero, Koda Glover, and Joaquin Benoit, but they have a solid relief corps altogether.

Catchers

Even more than the relief corps, the Nats’ catching tandem of Matt Wieters and Jose Lobaton was a glaring weakness in 2017. The bullpen was horrendous throughout the first half, but their batterymates were somehow even worse.

Wieters, who signed with the Nats late in spring training, had the worst season of his career. The pricy backstop got off to a great start in April, hitting .301 with four homers in 21 games, but fell off a cliff once the calendar flipped to May.

When all was said and done, Wieters slashed .225/.288/.344 and possibly cost the Nats game five of the NLDS. It was not a season to remember, to say the least.

However, after showing up to camp 14 pounds lighter, Wieters has looked great this spring. Through 29 at-bats, he has slashed .276/.382/.379 with a homer and five walks. He has also looked much more agile, which will be beneficial over the course of the season.

Backing up Wieters will be veteran Miguel Montero. Severino competed for the role throughout the spring, but Montero ultimately came out on top.

Montero, 34, is not a great catcher by any means, but will be a solid backup. Dave Martinez is familiar with him from their days in Chicago, and Martinez raves about his game management skills.

If Montero is able to maintain his .207 spring average throughout the year, he would be a decent backup. He is not expected to be an all-star; he just needs to spell Wieters a couple times a week.

The Nats’ catching tandem was among the worst in the league in 2017, but they appear to be much improved this year.

Infielders

Lots of people who follow baseball would tell you that 2018 is the Nats’ final opportunity to win it all because of Bryce Harper‘s impending free agency. However, that is not the case.

For one, the Nats have Victor Robles rapidly ascending through the organization. He may be ready this year, but will certainly be ready to possibly take over for Harper in 2019.

In addition to having Robles in the organization, the Nats have several young stars on the major league roster. Two of their most notable young stars, Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon, reside on the left side of the infield.

In Turner and Rendon, the Nats have two players that they can build around for years to come.

To round out the infield, the Nats have Ryan Zimmerman at first base and Daniel Murphy at second base. Unfortunately, Murphy will not be ready for Opening Day due to an offseason knee surgery. During his absence, Howie Kendrick will likely get most of the reps at second base.

Zimmerman has been mysteriously absent this spring, only playing in one Grapefruit League game. Instead of playing in the Nats’ exhibition games, he elected to get his work in during minor league games.

This has led to speculation that Zimmerman is hiding an injury, but he and the Nats insist that he is healthy and will be ready for Opening Day.

Coming off the bench for the Nats will be Matt Adams and Matt Reynolds. Adams, a 29-year-old slugger, will primarily back up Zimmerman at first, but he can also spell Adam Eaton in left field.

Adam Lind did a phenomenal job in this role last year, and Adams is essentially a younger version of Lind. Although not having Lind’s bleached hair around the team will be weird, they are in good hands with Adams.

Along with Adams, Reynolds will serve as a backup infielder. Although he is not a very well-known player, he can be a great asset to have on the bench.

Reynolds’ most beneficial trait is his versatility. Throughout the spring, he has played every infield position and left field. If the Nats are going to have a short bench, this versatility is essential.

Despite his strong spring, Reynolds may not break camp with the team. Adrian Sanchez and Wilmer Difo provide similar skillsets and could potentially beat him out. However, Reynolds has a slight edge.

Between Sanchez and Difo, Sanchez has the best chance of making the team.

Difo has a bright future, but struggles if he is not given regular playing time. He has also had a dreadful spring, so he could benefit from playing everyday in the minors before potentially becoming the starting second baseman next year.

The Nats had an excellent infield last year, which should remain true in 2018. Don’t be surprised if all four starting infielders are named all-stars.

Outfielders

Obviously, the Nats’ most recognizable outfielder is Bryce Harper. The 25-year-old superstar is arguably the most recognizable player in baseball, and the Nats are lucky to have him.

While Harper gets all of the attention, which will be even more exaggerated in 2018 due to his impending free agency, he is far from being the Nats’ only great outfielder.

Last offseason, in a controversial trade, the Nats acquired Adam Eaton from the Chicago White Sox. They had to part with three of their top pitching prospects, but acquiring Eaton was worth it.

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Throughout April, Eaton was among the best players in the league. He and Turner formed a dynamic duo at the top of the lineup, and Eaton quickly became a fan favorite.

Unfortunately, Eaton’s season ended just as he got settled in DC. Towards the end of April, he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Now, Eaton is back and ready to set the table for the Nats.

Although Eaton was held back for most of the spring, being limited to minor league games, he has made quite the impression. Upon returning to major league camp, he has gone 5-for-13 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored.

There were some questions about how Eaton’s knee was holding up, but he has put them all to rest with his fantastic all-around play.

Rounding out the outfield is Michael Taylor, who got an opportunity to prove himself in Eaton’s absence last year.

Taylor, a 26-year-old outfielder, has always been a great defender. His bat, on the other hand, was another story. However, he finally figured it all out in what was likely his final opportunity last year.

In 118 games, Taylor slashed .271/.320/.486 with 19 homers and 17 stolen bases. In addition to falling just short of a 20/20 season, he was named a Gold Glove Award finalist.

Not too shabby for a guy who barely made the Opening Day roster.

This time around, Taylor’s outlook is much different. Last year, he had to prove that he belonged in the majors. Now, he is a legitimate contender to join the 20/20 club and win a Gold Glove Award. He is often overlooked in the Nats’ crowded outfield, but he is a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, Brian Goodwin will serve as the Nats’ fourth outfielder. He is not as flashy as the three starters, but he is a terrific fourth outfielder and could start on most teams.

Last year, Goodwin slashed .251/.313/.498 with 13 homers and six stolen bases in 74 games. For a fourth outfielder, these are great numbers.

Goodwin does not have a clear path to becoming a starter, but he will get plenty of reps while filling in for an injured outfielder or just giving someone a day off.

Next: Andrew Stevenson impressing this spring

The Nats’ outfield, like the rest of the team, is an enormous strength. If the Nats are able to stay healthy, which has been a big if in the past, they are capable of winning 100 games.

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