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Washington: News of no universal DH means nothing to Nationals

By James Simmons

Howie Kendrick #47 of the Washington Nationals takes a swing during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Howie Kendrick #47 of the Washington Nationals takes a swing during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Major League Baseball has informed the league to prepare as if there will not be a universal designated hitter for the 2021 season. This changes nothing for the Washington Nationals.

Apparently having a designated hitter in the National League was short lived. After the sixty game experiment during the pandemic shortened season, the league is moving back to having pitchers wield the lumber in 2021. For how the Washington Nationals approach the offseason, this should have zero affect.

The Nationals have a lot of holes to fill, and this news shouldn’t change their way of thinking as we now enter the second week of December. With the Sam Clay signing, the Nats have made just one move since free agency opened (yes, they brought back Josh Harrison prior to free agents being able to sign with new teams).

They still need to address the catching situation. They need a pitcher for the back end of the rotation. They need to figure out what they are going to do at first base, if that means bringing back Ryan Zimmerman or not. They need to find an outfielder who can hit for power. They need to figure out if Carter Kieboom is the third baseman of the future or if they are going to roll the dice on someone else.

Those are a lot of needs.

My guess is the Nationals were not concerning themselves too much with the idea of having the designated hitter spot to fill, and presumably, now they do not need to.

Next. Maikel Franco a cost efficient choice for third base. dark

With news dropping about the DH, nothing should change on the free agency front for the Nationals. Hopefully the market will begin to heat up and certain pieces will begin to fall. With increased movement, and less players for the picking, several of the questions surrounding the Nationals will get answers.

Until that time, nothing to see here, business as usual for the Washington Nationals.

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