Washington Nationals: Nobody told the Nats about the cold stove
By Blake Finney
The Washington Nationals are dispelling the myth of the cold stove this winter. Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic joins the DoDCast to analyze the moves.
As the polar vortex plunges most of America into a deep freeze, it somewhat resembles the activity levels around baseball. But nobody told the Washington Nationals, who continue to be one of the most active team’s this offseason.
Joining Site Expert Blake Finney on the DoDCast to discuss the Nationals’ activity levels is The Athletic’s Nats beat writer, Brittany Ghiroli. You can listen to this episode of the podcast here.
On this edition of the DoDCast, the two discuss the following:
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- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
- Washington Nationals Re-Sign RHP Erasmo Ramirez
- Analyzing the Nats’ additions since the last podcast
- Dissecting the Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon situations
- What else is still left to come before Spring Training
- A brief look at Brittany’s journey to the Nats’ beat
- Finish off by answering some listener questions
Since the last DoDCast, the Nationals have continued to add to their roster as they look to return to the top of the National League East. Towards the end of the Winter Meetings, the team traded away Tanner Roark in a move that certainly raised eyebrows, especially when Mike Rizzo said just two hours before that “nothing is imminent.”
A couple of weeks later, Roark was replaced by Anibal Sanchez who is coming of a huge rebound season with the Atlanta Braves. He went 7-6 with an impressive 2.83 ERA as he increased his cutter and changeup usage to great effect. It’s a gamble by the Nationals, and one not many agree with, but it could pay off if Sanchez continues his 2018 form.
Inbetween those signings, Matt Adams returned to the Nationals on a one-year, $3 million deal with a mutual option for 2020. Then, to round off the major offseason activity so far, Brian Dozier signed for $9 million on a one-year contract. With or without Bryce Harper, this team is set to compete.
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Next. Looking ahead at the Nats' 2019/20 FAs. dark
We hope to record another podcast in the next few weeks just before the Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. We’re nearly there Nats fans.