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Washington Nationals: One Thing The Nats Can Learn From Each D.C. Sports Team

By Max Rayman |
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 31: Jonathan Allen #93 of the Washington Football Team warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 31: Jonathan Allen #93 of the Washington Football Team warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
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Mike Rizzo and the Nationals should take notes from the rest of the D.C. sports world if they want to have a quick turnaround.

After dominating the 2010s, Washington has finally fallen from grace and started a rebuild. Bad contracts, letting key players walk in free agency, and being unable to fix the bullpen has doomed the old core and led to the recent firesale.  No longer the pride and joy of D.C. sports, the Nationals can learn a thing or two from their counterparts.

Washington Football Team: Extend Core Players Early

Once the laughingstock of D.C. sports and the NFL, the Washington Football Team has seemed to finally turn a corner. Under Head Coach Ron Rivera, the Team is fresh off of a division title and is currently the seventh seed in the NFC. Since arriving at the start of the 2021 season, Rivera has overhauled the locker room and has started to weed out selfishness and players with a weak work ethic.

In the old regime under President/General Manager Bruce Allen, Washington continued to lowball their kept players and would place the franchise tag or lose them in free agency. Kirk Cousins comes to mind. After two straight career years, the front office continued to lowball Cousins and after franchise tagging him twice, he left for greener pastures. Washington has been in QB turmoil since he was allowed to walk.

But under the current regime, the front office has begun signing their core players early. This past off-season, star tight end Logan Thomas and team captain Jonathan Allen sign respective three and four-year contract extensions.

The Nationals need to extend Juan Soto so he doesn’t follow in the footsteps of Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon. It won’t be cheap, but the Nationals front office needs to extend him before another player resets the market. He isn’t the only one that needs to be extended. Josh Bell was one of the most productive first basemen last season and only has one year left on his contract.

Losing him will push the rebuild window back even further.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 08: Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards reacts to a 119-116 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 08, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 08: Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards reacts to a 119-116 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 08, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Washington Wizards: There Is No Such Thing As An Unmovable Contract

Drafted number one overall in 2010, John Wall is one of the best players in Wizards history. The point guard helped bring the Wiz out of the dark ages and led them to four playoff appearances in five years. He was also named to five straight All-Star teams and after posting a career year in 2017, the Wizards offered him the supermax.

Wall agreed to a four-year extension worth $170 million, but injuries continued to hamper his career. His 2019 season ended early due to a heel injury and he later ruptured his Achillies at home, causing him to miss over a year and a half.

From 2020-2023, Wall was owed $42.7 million a year. For a player coming off of an Achilles injury, arguably the hardest injury for a basketball player to recover from, his contract became the worst in the league.

However, GM Tommy Sheppard wasn’t worried. Right before the start of the 2021 season, he traded Wall and a first-round pick to the Rockets for future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had two years left of his supermax contract and in his first year in D.C., he averaged a triple-double. With Russ at the point, Washington returned to the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Following the 2021 season, Sheppard traded Westbrook to the Lakers for Montrez Harrel, KCP, Kyle Kuzma, and a first-round pick. In the span of two years, Shepard was able to trade two contracts that were seen as unmovable and added much-needed depth to the roster.

For the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin’s contracts are some of the worst in MLB. Strasburg is owed $35 million a year for the next five years, but has only thrown 26 1/3 innings over the past two seasons. Patrick Corbin just finished last in the Majors in ERA and still has three years left on his $140 million contract.

It won’t be easy to get either contract off the books, but if they can return to form in 2022 that will go a long way to helping the situation.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 24: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates after recording an assist on a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period of the game at Capital One Arena on November 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 24: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with teammates after recording an assist on a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period of the game at Capital One Arena on November 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Washington Capitals: Nail The Draft

With Alex Ovechkin leading the way, the Capitals have made the playoffs 13 times in the past 14 seasons and won the Stanley Cup in 2018. While Ovechkin has been a major part of their success, scoring 750 goals in his 17-year career, the front office has been able to nail their draft picks.

Ovi has been surrounded by high-end talent including Nicklas Bäckström, John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetzov, and Brayden Holtby. Throw in key role players in Mike Green, Alexander Semin, Tom Wilson, Jakub Vrana, Marcus Johansson, Dmitry Orlov, and André Burakovsky and it’s no surprise that the Caps have been able to stay a constant playoff contender.

Former GM George McPhee and current GM Brian MacLellan have been excellent at drafting and have been able to provide the Caps over the years with enough talent to keep their window open. Entering this season, a major concern was that the Caps core was aging and nearing its limits.

In response and partly due to injuries, MacLellan has infused the roster with youth, promoting prospects Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, Brett Leason, Martin Fehérváry, and Hendrix Lapierre. Each of them has posted at least one point (a goal or assist) and has shown how much depth the Caps have. Currently, the team is first in the Metro with 40 points.

The National’s core grew old and their draft picks were unable to provide enough assistance. Since 2012, the Nationals have spent their first-round picks on Lucas Giolito, Erick Fedde, Carter Kieboom, Dane Dunning, Seth Romero, Mason Denaburg, Jackson Rutledge, Cade Cavalli, and Brady House.

Giolito and Dunning were sent to the White Sox in the Adam Eaton trade while, Romero, Denaburg, Rutledge, Cavalli, and House are all still in the minors. Fedde and Kieboom have struggled in their time with the Nats and have yet to prove they are long-term pieces.

Rutledge, Cavalli, and House are all touted prospects that are seen as key parts of the rebuild but are all at least a year away. Due to the team’s struggles in the draft, their window was abruptly shut.

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