by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Garren Ouellette
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
The Washington Nationals stopped their six game losing streak last night with a spirited come-from-behind win. Now the Nats have a chance with a win today to take this series against the Chicago Cubs today. Continue reading
Robert Hassell III; Photo provided by Wilmington Blue Rocks by Ryan Griffith
The Washington Nationals are currently in a complete re-build. The first of many signs of that came after trading away Trea Turner and Max Scherzer last season at the trade deadline. Now, GM Mike Rizzo, has traded away Juan Soto and Josh Bell signaling that the team is starting over.
Through these trades, the Nats have piled up many top prospects that should help them win in the near future. Along with those trades, the Nationals have been developing their own draft picks and signings in the minor leagues.
Let’s try to predict the Nats lineups up until the 2026 season. I will make some bold predictions on short-term contracts for placeholders in the free agent market. Clearly I expect new ownership to want to make a splash, but I think they can save their money and not rush the process here. Continue reading
Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. | Paolo Espino records a strikeout; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
Where have you heard this before, the Washington Nationals need a great start tonight. They will face Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs. The Nats have now dropped six in a row and desperately need a win. Continue reading
Nationals are now entirely focused on their long-term future.
A couple of weeks after a solid performance at the draft, general manager Mike Rizzo traded his 23-year-old franchise star to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal that promises to change the baseball landscape in more ways than one. Continue reading
Forensicane photo for TalkNats
My boy and I had a chance to visit the FCL Nats Friday and watch them drop a 7-0 game to the Marlins. The most impressive aspect of the game was the Marlins infield defense. Watching their 3B, and especially SS and 2B play reminds one why infield defense is truly a necessity for an effective pitcher. They were quite polished and for me, the overall highlight of the game. Jordan McCants, the Marlins shortstop, made the play of the game on a dive across his body to catch a soft liner in the hole. McCants was a high draft pick and rated as the Marlins #17 prospect. Junior Sanchez, the second baseman, made a couple of sparkling plays. Continue reading
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
These losing streaks have just been too commonplace, but hey, the Padres with Juan Soto haven’t won since he got there either. The Washington Nationals will give Anibal Sanchez the start tonight in Wrigley Field in Chicago. Continue reading
Happy birthday Frank Howard, born August 8, 1936 in Columbus Ohio. Frank was acquired by the Washington Senators in his own blockbuster trade December 4 1964. The Senators sent pitcher Claude Osteen and infielder John Kennedy to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Howard, third basemen Ken McMullen, pitchers Pete Richert and Phil Ortega, and first baseman Dick Nen. In 1967 Richert was traded to Baltimore (that’s when Washington and Baltimore traded players rather than lawsuits) for Mike Epstein and Frank Bertania. McMullen went to the Angels for Aurelio Rodriguez and Rich Reichardt in 1970. The original 2 for 5 deal morphed into 9 new Senators, I’ve been wondering how the Soto to San Diego Trade will stack up against this one. Continue reading
Photo by Wilmington Blue Rocks
A huge part of the haul that the Washington Nationals received for Juan Soto was the Padres №1 prospect, OF Robert Hassell III in that blockbuster trade that yielded five top players to the Nats. These are players we will certainly discuss many times here in the future. Per MLB Pipeline, Hassel is now the Nats new №1 prospect, so let’s take a deep dive into his background to learn more about him. Continue reading
Pitching change; A too familiar sight lately with Nationals manager Dave Martinez (Photo Sol Tucker | TalkNats )
It did not matter that Bryce Harper has been on the IL for over a month and missed this series with a broken thumb. The Phillies have smashed the Washington Nationals’ starting pitching in the first three games of this four game series. With Patrick Corbin lasting only 2/3 of an inning again, he has taxed the bullpen, and the Nats will add a fresh arm in Mason Thompson to the bullpen today as opener Cory Abbott will try to go deep for the Nats. Continue reading
Pictured are Juan Soto with his father at Nats Park in 2016 (Photo for TalkNats/Andrew Lang)
The Nats are in a *better* place to re-sign Soto after 2024
And Maybe Sign Their Young Stars To Braves-Like Extensions?
This paper argues the Nationals are quite conceivably in a *better* position to build around Soto as a fundamental piece of their 2025+ team than they were before the trade. For those who look to building a long-term window with Soto as the centerpiece—it can still happen. Indeed, probably more likely to happen than if the Nats had not traded Soto and kept trying to extend him while developing that #27 farm system into a new window. You see, Soto is set to be a free agent after the 2024 season. Continue reading
