Over the weekend, I asked Nationals fans over on X to drop me some questions that I would be able to answer for today's Monday Mailbag, as I continue to look for ways to connect with fans on a more personal level to help grow the site. While I have visions of expanding this segment over to Reddit in the near future, for the first edition, I decided to answer fan questions from my post on X.
As I continue to get more submissions, I might not be able to answer each and every single question, but for this first edition, I wanted to make sure I got to every question I was given. Anyways, we had a good amount of questions for this week's Monday Mailbag, so let's jump right into it.
Ed Helinski @MrEd315 asks: In your opinion, who was a surprise selection to make the Nationals Opening Day roster?
Great question to kick us off here, and to me there was only really one major surprise, Brad Lord. Obviously, the story of him working at Home Depot in order to pay bills in the offseason is a fantastic storyline, but he was not particularly great in spring training, and forcing a young pitcher to learn how to pitch out of the bullpen on the fly at the big league level is an...interesting decision to say the least.
Sunday's debut was not what we wanted to see from him in his debut, and with a performance like that in a low-leverage situation, he is likely the first arm to go once Derek Law returns from the Injured List.
((Skooma Steve)) @Skooma_Steve asks: When will Davey Martinez be fired?
This is a difficult question for me to answer. While Davey Martinez is a great guy, and seemingly someone who always gets his teams to build a very close camaraderie, it is no secret that he not the greatest in-game manager in the world. Given that he said before Opening Day that "success" for this club would be making the postseason, anything below the 71-win mark of the last 2 seasons should result in his dismissal.
I love Davey, but without that World Series title in 2019, I feel pretty confident that he would have already been replaced as the manager of this team. If this team continues to sputter over the next couple of weeks, we could see some buzz about his seat getting warmer before the summer, but I would guess he at least finishes the season at the helm. With an option in his contract for next season, there is a chance he's not back next year if the team fails to make significant strides, especially among the young guys.
Matt Cover @MattCover asks: Is the rebuild still on track?
Great question here, and it is truly a matter of what you believe. Me personally, I am in a wait-and-see mode. Since the trade of Juan Soto, Mike Rizzo & co. have consistently said between 2025 and 2026 is when the club expects to contend again, but so far it does not look as if that will be the case this season.
In order for this team to really become a true postseason contender, the young guys will need to prove to the front office that they deserve to be invested in, whether it is them being rewarded with big contracts or it is the club going out and bringing in external talent for top dollar. Ownership is clearly being very cautious with how they spend their money, but there is no doubt in my mind this team is the most talented one on paper since the rebuild began.
All in all, I am cautiously optimistic in saying that the rebuild is still on track as of the time of writing, but there is a lot more to prove in order for me to feel confident about that take.
CJ @cjthehoo asks: How many of our relievers are still here in May?
Another really good question here, and by the time May rolls around, I am 100% confident in saying that, out of the 8 relievers currently on the big league roster, 3 are locks to still be on the team in May - Kyle Finnegan, Jorge López, and Jose A. Ferrer.
I would expect Brad Lord to be in Rochester assuming Derek Law is back before May, with Colin Poche and Lucas Sims are firmly on the radar of not being on the team come May. Orlando Ribalta and Eduardo Salazar are likely to still be on the big league club by then, but there is so many games to play between now and then that my take could look absolutely foolish by then.
So, I will confidently say 5/8 will still be on the team by then, but more than likely 6/8, and I will guess that Lucas Sims is DFA'd before the end of April.
Nick Popejoy @NickPopejoy asks: What will improve first? Offense or bullpen?
In case the answer to the question above wasn't enough of a tell, I do not have a whole lot of confidence in the bullpen of the Nationals as currently constructed. With that being said, I definitely believe that the offense will improve first, as truthfully, despite some slow starts in the Phillies series, they were also going up against 3 very good starting pitchers.
Sunday showed just how much better the current lineup is than the one we saw last year, as new additions Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell carried the way for the club. I believe the offense will find it's footing, but I hope that includes improvements from guys near the bottom of the lineup, such as Dylan Crews and Jacob Young.
Rick Lower @lowerrick asks: Will Davey ever stop tolerating lackadaisical play? Wood and Tena play today, I know the Tena play was overturned but it shouldn't have been an issue.
Truthfully, I have no idea when Davey will stop tolerating lackadaisical play. It seems as if he has been tougher on some guys (Luis Garcia Jr.) in the past than others. Wood's misplay in left field was something that we saw from him in the field last season, and I really hope that this does not continue to be a trend for him in the field.
Unfortunately, I do not see Davey making any major adjustments, as you have to let young guys make their mistakes and keep it moving. I would like to see him be tougher on guys when they make mental mistakes, but it's clear that it really doesn't seem to concern him as much given the current state of the team. Perhaps repeat offenders (think Victor Robles) are more likely to be disciplined than others.
yankeecandle2025 @YankeeCandle25 asks: When will the owners sell the team? Why hasn't [David] Robertson been extended an offer?
To answer the first part of the question, the Lerner family made it clear that they are invested in this team for the foreseeable future. Given that the team is finally getting out of their nightmare MASN deal following this season, it should help make the club more attractive to a potential buyer, but as of right now I do not see this happening. We can only hope that they make good on their promise to spend big money if the club proves that the young talent in the organization is legitimate.
As for why David Robertson has not been extended an offer, that is a great question. My guess would be that since he is older, he probably wants to wait it out and sign on with a contender that will give him a legitimate chance at closing games, which he would not be able to do in DC with Kyle Finnegan on the team. He would make an excellent trade chip at the deadline, but he would also take a little bit to ramp up before being able to join the big league club. In all likelihood, I have a much easier time imagining he signs with a team like the Texas Rangers before too long.
Clayton Stewart @Stewy_02 asks: Are CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews gonna pick it up? Or am I going to have to drop them in our fantasy league?
I had to save this one for last for my good friend Clayton here, who asks if CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews are going to pick it up for the sake of his fantasy team. First of all, congrats on getting your first win of the season, as some teams (mine) are beginning the season 0-1. Second of all, if you are ever considering dropping either one of them, let me know, and I will give you some sort of value for them.
To answer your question, I think CJ Abrams will be fine. He had some decent at-bats this weekend and although he is streaky, he has a firm place in this lineup as the leadoff hitter. As for Dylan Crews, I am admittedly a little bit worried about him as I texted you about over the weekend. Striking out 8 times in 11 at-bats without recording a hit is brutal, but he has been a slow starter at every level he's played at so far professionally. Once he breaks the seal, the hits should begin to roll in more consistently.
What questions do you want answered in next week's Monday Mailbag? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.