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Washington Nationals: Five Bold Off-season moves to win the 2022 World Series

By Joseph Edelen |
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates in the locker room after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros with a score of 6 to 2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates in the locker room after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros with a score of 6 to 2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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When the Nationals won the World Series in 2019, the roster was filled with a mix of both young and veteran talent. The mix of the two was a driving factor behind the Nats miraculous title run, as players like Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick guided the Nationals to their first World Series title since moving to the Nations’ Capital.

The Nationals’ 2019 roster had plenty of talent, but it was a rather unlikely bunch to win it all. In the course of Nationals’ history, we’ve seen loaded rosters that had never reached the success of the 2019 team.

The 2018 Nationals may have been the most loaded Nationals team of all time despite facing injuries throughout the season. Looking back now, the lineup resembles one that you’d only see in MLB The Show. The Nats’ lineup consisted of superstar talents like Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Anthony Rendon, however, the team just couldn’t put it together, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Like the 2018 Nats, the 2021 Dodgers proved that a loaded roster does not always guarantee you a World Series championship. Even after last July’s fire sale, the Nationals still have some core pieces in place from their championship team, so with the proper retooling, the Nats could turn their rebuild around rather quickly.

As is, the National’s current roster is rather young and inexperienced, so should Mike Rizzo and the Lerner’s decide to go all in, here are some bold offseason moves that could put the Nationals in position to win the 2022 World Series.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 31: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting an RBI double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning in Game Five of the World Series at Truist Park on October 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 31: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting an RBI double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning in Game Five of the World Series at Truist Park on October 31, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Sign SS Carlos Correa

In my opinion, the Nationals should go all-in on Correa regardless of their chances of winning the 2022 World Series. But luckily for the sake of this scenario, Correa fits right in.

Correa is a former Rookie of the Year, two-time AL All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and World Series champion, so he’ll fit right on in with the Nats. The former first overall pick is one of the top free agents available in the 2022 class and is coming off perhaps the best season of his career. He’ll surely be a hot commodity this offseason.

In 2021, Correa hit 26 home runs, drove in 92 runs, and touted an on-base percentage (OBP) of .366 in an Astros lineup that was loaded in its own right. If you insert Correa in a Nationals’ lineup with Juan Soto, he should thrive. Correa has MVP-caliber potential, and should he come to Washington, he’ll have the perfect opportunity to reach that potential.

With Soto’s payday looming and big money contracts already on the books for players such as Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, a move like this may appear unlikely, but should the Lerners decide to go all in, signing Correa should be a top priority this offseason.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 19: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches during an intrasquad game as they continue with Summer Workouts at Minute Maid Park on July 19, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 19: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches during an intrasquad game as they continue with Summer Workouts at Minute Maid Park on July 19, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Sign SP Justin Verlander

A move of this stature would instantly shake things up in the league and would signal that the Nationals are not going to wait around to compete. Even with Verlander coming off an injury, he is expected to be heavily sought after this offseason, and the Nationals should take full advantage of that.

Verlander was one of the best pitchers in baseball with the Astros in 2018 and 2019, even winning the AL Cy Young award in 2019. Despite his injury concerns, Verlander has been one of the league’s most consistent pitchers, and for a Nationals pitching staff that was much the opposite in 2021, the addition of Verlander would be huge.

Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Joe Ross, and Josiah Gray are essentially locks to be in next year’s rotation, and should the Nats add Verlander, they’d instantly gain a top of the rotation arm. This rotation has a ton of potential, but given the injury history of Strasburg, Verlander, and Ross, they’d need to stay healthy to maximize its potential. If this Nationals’ rotation were to come to fruition, it could potentially be one of the league’s best.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Aaron Loup #32 of the New York Mets pitches during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 17, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Aaron Loup #32 of the New York Mets pitches during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 17, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Sign RP Aaron Loup & RP Adam Ottavino

With the additions of Correa and Verlander, the Nationals would own two of the biggest moves of the offseason. Despite this, there are still some holes on the roster. Most notably, the bullpen needs some significant improvements.

Washington’s bullpen had the second-worst bullpen ERA in the majors last season, (5.08), blew countless games, and was wildly inconsistent. Though the Nationals did give opportunities to some of its young arms, even its veterans struggled coming out of the bullpen.

Tanner Rainey regressed immensely in 2021 after showing glimpses of being the Nationals’ closer of the future. Wander Suero also took a step back in 2021 as he struggled with his command all season long. 2020 free-agent acquisition Will Harris continued to battle injury and struggled in limited action to round out the Nationals’ bullpen struggles.

Two moves the Nationals should make to bolster their bullpen would be to sign relievers Aaron Loup and Adam Ottavino. The Nats will hope that Rainey, Suero, and Harris can get back to their consistent ways next season, but adding Loup and Ottavino would greatly benefit the back end of the bullpen.

Loup had a career season in 2021, finishing 6-0 with an ERA of 0.95, striking out 57 in 56.2 innings with the New York Mets. Should the Nationals make this move, Loup would provide a valuable left-handed arm who can set up or potentially close games if need be.

Ottavino would be an interesting signing for the Nationals as he was once one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball. Over the last few years, Ottavino has struggled with his inconsistent play partially due to his poor command. However, when Ottavino is on, he has one of the nastiest arsenals in baseball.

The Nationals would be banking on a bounce-back campaign from Ottavino, so it’s likely that the Nats could sign him to a relatively cheap deal. Loup is expected to be a popular name on the market, so the Nationals would need to be aggressive in their pursuit should they go this route.

CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals waits to bat against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning during game one of a doubleheader at Progressive Field on September 20, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals waits to bat against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning during game one of a doubleheader at Progressive Field on September 20, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Trade 2B/SS Luis Garcia and Prospects for Kansas City Royals 2B/OF Whit Merrifield

Luis Garcia has shown flashes of his potential during his big league stint with the Nationals, but he isn’t ready to be a reliable starter on a championship-caliber team. The same can be said for Carter Kieboom, though his tenure in the majors has gone far worse than Garcia’s. Either of these two could be used as trade chips should the Nats decide to go all-in on 2022.

It’s unclear what type of package it would take to acquire Merrifield, but the Nationals have the pieces to get a deal done. For a rebuilding team like the Royals, Garcia could be an enticing piece as he has the potential to be their second baseman of the future.

Merrifield would be a great leadoff hitter in this Nationals lineup given the acquisitions the team has already made. A middle infield tandem of Correa and Merrifield would immediately be one of the league’s best both offensively and defensively. Not only is Merrifield one of the league’s best second basemen, but he is extremely versatile and can play virtually anywhere.

Last season, Merrifield was second in the majors with 40 stolen bases, so he would add some much-needed speed to the Nationals lineup. Should the Nationals package Garcia with some other talented prospects, Merrifield would be the best-case scenario at second base.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 20: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on June 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 20: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on June 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

Sign OF/DH Kyle Schwarber

To round out the 2022 offseason, the Nationals should look to their old friend, Kyle Schwarber. A reunion with Schwarber is certainly in the cards even if the Nationals don’t aim to win the World Series in 2022. After a productive 2021 that included an absolute tear in the month of June, Schwarber would be the perfect guy for the Nationals to sign.

When Schwarber was with the Nationals in 2021, he primarily hit leadoff, but the acquisition of Merrifield would allow Schwarber to hit in the middle of the order. This provides the opportunity for Schwarber to drive in more runs and lengthen the lineup.

After these acquisitions, this is how the Nationals rotation and lineup would stand for 2022:

SP Stephen Strasburg

SP Justin Verlander

SP Patrick Corbin

SP Joe Ross

SP Josiah Gray

2B Whit Merrifield

RF Juan Soto

SS Carlos Correa

LF Kyle Schwarber

1B Josh Bell

3B Alcides Escobar

C Keibert Ruiz

CF Victor Robles

With these acquisitions, I firmly believe that the Nationals could win the 2022 World Series. Is this a realistic scenario? Perhaps not. But should the Lerners decide to go all in, this is how the Nats can contend for a title in 2022.

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