The NL East will look different in 2019

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

As we showed yesterday, several NL East standouts are now free agents. The NL East will look very different. Fangraphs has the Nationals ahead of the other NL East teams in combined WAR now. Of course that is prior to all the off-season moves, and then we play the games where WAR goes out the window and game results is all that matters. The Nationals had a pythagorean of 90 wins in 2018, but in actuality the team won only 82 games. The final tally on the team combined WAR for the 2018 season was at just under 40 which was well below the 47.1 they were projected at.  Continue reading →

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Four of the five NL East teams believe they can win it all in 2019

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

2019 pre-season Fangraphs WAR projections

On Fangraphs initial projections for 2019 team WAR, they are only able to compute their numbers based on personnel on the 40-man roster. Some might think that the Braves who won the NL East are getting no respect, but they have some huge holes to fill in right field, the bullpen, and Fangraphs are no longer believers in Dansby Swanson and Julio Teheran while projecting regression for Mike Foltynewicz. The Braves star continues to shine with Freddie Freeman who turns 30 next year. Continue reading →

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Veteran’s Day; QO deadline at 5PM; Rookie of Year awards show at 6PM

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

On this Veteran’s Day, we want to start this article with honoring all who have served and given us the ability to enjoy our freedoms. We are fortunate that the Washington Nationals honor veterans and patriotism at every home game which is a special and unique part of being a Nats fan. It never feels forced or fake.  Today is also the deadline for the players who received Qualifying Offers to accept them or reject them. Today at 6pm is the Rookie of the Year announcements. For Nationals fans, there will be no drama as to whether or not Bryce Harper will reject his Q.O., but there will be some drama as to who wins the NL Rookie of the Year award as Juan Soto posted the greatest teenage rookie season in baseball history. Continue reading →

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Mike Rizzo said he needed a spectacular package to trade Bryce Harper. Did a team offer him a spectacular package?

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Mitchell Layton for the Nationals; picture with Mike Rizzo (L), Scott Boras (C), Harper (R) and Bryce’s parents in the background in 2010

The kid is all grown up at 26 and is a free agent for the first time in his career. When he was 17-years-old, he was drafted in 2010 at #1 overall by the Washington Nationals. For Bryce Harper a.k.a.  “Baseball’s Chosen One” , he met those expectations in 2015 when he won the MVP award, but his stardom has not been as dominant since that MVP season. If you think of a baseball contract like a marriage, the end of it sometimes feels like a divorce. It is easier to say goodbye when the relationship is not going well — you know — like when Bryce was batting .209 back in June. Harper finished his season strong offensively, and is now officially a free agent. He is the talk of baseball.

The Nationals had a chance to trade Harper before the trade deadline and again when he was claimed by the Dodgers in August, and as we know it did not happen. Nationals’ general manager Mike Rizzo said many times that he would need a spectacular package to trade Harper. One person’s spectacular package is another’s unspectacular package as the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder — but two stories have broken this weekend about packages that Rizzo was supposedly offered.  Continue reading →

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Sorry ladies, Trea Turner got married today!

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo from Kristen Harabedian of the couple!

There is a strategy when you set your wedding date in advance as a Washington Nationals player. There are so many key dates to traverse like the World Series (just in case) in October then there is the G.M. Meetings and then there is the Winter Meetings and the Nats Winterfest. For Trea Turner and his fiancé Kristen Harabedian, they set their date back in 2017 for November 10th for a “grand” wedding in Washington, D.C. at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and is referred to as the “National Museum” which is the perfect venue for the Nationals Trea-sure to be married in a National museum. How special was it that the Florida kids got married in Washington, D.C. which is Trea’s second home during the baseball season and the couple got married while surrounded by family, friends, co-workers (Nationals players), and former teammates.  Continue reading →

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One month to the Winter Meetings and it’s the calm before the swarm!

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

One month from today the Winter Meetings begin on December 9th in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Resort.  This is a televised event, and this should be the most dramatic Winter Meetings ever because Las Vegas’ own Bryce Harper should be the talk of the town this year. On top of that, Las Vegas resident Kris Bryant was rumored today to have been made available via trade by his Chicago Cubs team. Continue reading →

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G.M. Mike Rizzo reiterates his desire to acquire a frontline catcher!

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

With Matt Wieters declared as a free agent, the Washington Nationals have been in “search” mode for a frontline catcher. We can cut and paste our early October article on the subject as Mike Rizzo made this clear at that time it was a priority.  Continue reading →

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Where Will Bryce Harper play next year? A Betting Guide!

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Alex Uplinger

Harper with the gold!

With free agency now in full-swing, much of the speculation surrounds where Bryce Harper will sign his next contract. Rumors are rampant, and everyone seems to have an opinion on which destination makes the most sense. Continue reading →

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Scott Boras the raconteur talks about his star client Bryce Harper

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Everyday there is Bryce Harper news. Every year after free agency starts, Scott Boras, the super agent, holds center court as the raconteur. Last year he spoke of a fictional neighborhood he called “Playoffville”, and yesterday, he got started on his Bryce Harper press tour wielding stats and talking smack on behalf of his client. On the other end of the hallway at the Omni Resort in Carlsbad, California was Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. For Boras and Rizzo, they are connected by common threads in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, Trevor Rosenthal, Juan Soto and others, but you have to wonder if these negotiations on Bryce Harper will strain their relationship.  Continue reading →

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Part IV: GM Meetings start today. What moves would you make going forward for the #Nats?

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

As the General Manager’s Meetings get going today, there will be a lot of framework set in place for trades. This off-season, general manager Mike Rizzo made an early trade for Kyle Barraclough, and Rizzo might not be done. He could also be looking to trade away some veteran players like Tanner Roark, Michael Taylor, and Sammy Solis who are all arbitration eligible players. With all of the decisions to be made, the Nationals also have several players who are at key contract points with the team after next season. If Bryce Harper is reacquired, that could certainly signal some much different futures for several Nationals‘ players. Continue reading →

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