I wrote an article a few weeks ago, with only a few weeks left in the regular season, as the Washington Nationals were at a crossroads where they could make a run for the playoffs or burnout through the rest of the games left. Well, they sadly didn’t make the playoffs. But the last few weeks were not without excitement, for better or for worse.
There was the Papelbon-Harper dugout fight, which polarized the fan base and the team, with people taking both sides as to who truly started the fight, because Harper made comments about the pitcher after a game a few days previously. Then, Scherzer pitched his second no-hitter in a season, with the division rival and eventual winners New York Mets not having any offense base hits, and the only base made on an error. This was the third no-hitter for the Nationals in a calendar year, with Jordan Zimmerman pitching one at the end of the 2014 season.
Once the season had ended, with the Nationals failing to make the postseason, Manager Matt Williams and his entire coaching staff were all fired, leaving the team with a hefty task. Excitement has already buzzed with the potential of former Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. possibly taking the manager position.
The latest news out of the Nationals would be the heart wrenching farewells of longtime shortstop Ian Desmond and starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, who both became free agents this offseason. Other big players like Doug Fister and Denard Span have become free agents as well, and all of them will stay that way, if the team chooses not to resign or negotiate with them.
Overall, the culture of the team will change -- it will have to. With a new coaching staff and the possibility of losing major veteran presence in the locker room, the team will have to learn and grow from this past season.
To make sure next season will be an improvement, here's what they need to do.
Fire Papelbon.
Ever since he joined the team, the bullpen has suffered and been generally ineffective, especially former top dog save pitcher Drew Storen. After the fight with Bryce Harper, I can’t see a viable reason to keep him on the team. His play on the field has not made up for his poor attitude, as the team had hoped.
Lock up Harper.
There have been rumors floating since the offseason that Harper wanted to be traded or wanted to play for the Yankees. Harper’s agent and contract make negotiating particularly challenging, but hopefully clear minds can work out a deal that can be mutually beneficial to both parties. We, as fans, can but hope.
Re-sign Zimmermann.
Max Scherzer is a great pitcher, and Gonzalez and Strasburg have shown definite improvement over the season, but having a rock like Zimmermann is essential to having an effective rotation of pitchers.
All things considered, this team played pretty well with backups making their mark on the team. Players like Dan Uggla, Matt den Dekker, and Michael A. Taylor have all played well in place of original lineup players that got injured as the season went on.
We, as fans, can only look forward to the upcoming spring as this team will have a new face in management, and potentially, a new base starting lineup.
