Washington Nationals - Where They've Been and Where They're Headed

The Washington Nationals have been great lately, and they're getting better, no doubt. But did an offseason of trades and roster changes help or hurt this young team?

Washington's most consistent and loyal star, Ryan Zimmerman.

 

The 2009 season did not turn any heads in the Nats direction. They finished with the worst record in baseball at 59-103, the only team that year to have three digits in their loss column. Though I would consider it a small step forward, 2010 wasn't much better, with a 69-93 finish to the regular season, leaving them in last place in the National League East. Though they didn't end up with a winning record, 2011 clearly showed that the Nationals were making progress. During the previous offseason, the Nats had made some big changes, acquiring right fielder Jayson Werth from the Philadelphia Phillies, first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and catcher Wilson Ramos from the Minnesota Twins. Those were some controversial moves, because Adam LaRoche was replacing powerhouse Adam Dunn, who hit 38 home runs in each of his two seasons with the Nats, and Wilson Ramos was going to start splitting playing time with legendary catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who was nearing the end of his career but still producing. They also got rookie sensation Bryce Harper, who spent the 2011 season making his way through the Nationals farm system. These offseason moves panned out pretty nicely for the Nationals, as the season came to a close with the Nats record standing at 80-81, putting them third in the NL East. A lot of people (including me) consider the NL East the toughest division in baseball today, consisting of the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. Left fielder Michael Morse became a beast in 2011, hitting 31 homers and batting .303. In the midst of the season, Nats manager Jim Riggleman resigned, due to the insecurity of his contract. So the Nationals went out and got Davey Johnson, an older manager who has seen everything in the game of baseball and has plenty of baseball wisdom to share. He once coached the 1969 New York Mets to a World Series championship. The Nationals were making some risky moves, moves that would make or break the future of their organization.

Jayson Werth

 

Bryce Harper

 

Jim Riggleman

 

Davey Johnson

 

Some people saw it all coming together for the Nationals, and knew they were going to have a good year before the season even started, but many were not expecting much from the Nationals in 2012. They had always been a mediocre-at-best team and to a lot of folks, there was not much reason to think that was going to change any time soon. But it was. The Marlins had just recieved a big makeover, changing from the "Flordia Marlins" to the "Miami Marlins". They also had a new stadium and tons of new talent, including Jose Reyes and Carlos Zambrano. Before the season started, everyone looked at them and saw them as a "dream team", the team to beat in the NL East. Boy, were they wrong. You see, the Washington Nationals had also made a few changes that would prove vital to their success. They had acquired left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez, right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson, utility man Steve Lombardozzi and outfielder/first baseman Tyler Moore over the offseason. Another plus, Stephen Strasburg was finally healthy after he suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery. Things were certainly looking up in Washington.

Gio Gonzalez

 

Edwin Jackson

 

Stephen Strasburg

 

The Nationals ended up having an amazing season, going 98-64, the best record in Major League Baseball. They had brought up catcher Jesus Flores from their AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, and acquired catcher Kurt Suzuki mid-season, since Ivan Rodriguez had retired prior to the season and Wilson Ramos had a major knee injury that would take years to repair and recover. Ian Desmond had his best year yet, adding power to his game for the first time, hitting 25 homers and batting .292, winning a Silver Slugger Award. Gio Gonzalez had an epic year, collecting 21 wins and 8 losses with a 2.89 ERA. He was the first pitcher to reach 20 wins, and he also placed first in the National League with 21 wins, fourth in the National League in strikeouts with 207, sixth in the National League in Earned Run Average (ERA) with 2.89, sixth in the National League in walks with 76, eighth in the National League in Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched (WHIP), sixth in the National League in win percentage with .724, and fourth in the National League in complete games with two. He was third in the running for the NL Cy Young Award. Ian Desmond had his best year to date, and after spending the beggining of the year playing AAA ball in Syracuse, Bryce Harper made an impact in the big show. They ended up losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of the NLDS, knocking them out of the postseason. When the offseason rolled around, again, the Nats made some moves. They shipped Michael Morse to his original home in Seattle in a three-team trade between the Nationals, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. The Nats also acquired top prospect pitcher A.J. Cole, who was in the Nats system last season before they traded him to Oakland for Kurt Suzuki, in the trade. Then, the Nats sent Edwin Jackson to the Chicago Cubs and pitcher John Lannan to the Phillies signed 32 year old right-handed pitcher Dan Haren and 26 year old outfielder Denard Span.

Dan Haren

 

Denard Span

 

If you ask me, the offseason moves did not go in the Nationals favor this year. If I was building a ballclub, I'd rather have Michael Morse in my lineup than Denard Span, and though I would probably rather have Haren in my rotation than Jackson, Edwin Jackson will get you a few more years, and the two are not that far apart skill-wise. The addition of A.J. Cole was the only positive that came out of the offseason dealings, in my opinion. But hey, the Nats have made controversial moves in the past, and they've usually gone well for them. It's looking like their pitching rotation next year will include Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler. Do I expect them to have the year they did last year? Maybe not quite, but I think they will come pretty close. Now that Stephen Strasburg is one hundred percent recovered from his Tommy John surgery and will not need to be shut down early as he was last year, he will get a few more starts and put the Nats in a better position for success. Look for another great year out of the Washington Nationals, and, if they have the season they are capable of having, they will come closer to achieving the ultimate goal; a World Series title.