Jesse Dougherty Rebuild Article

[Smithian]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/31/nationals-rebuild-one-year-later/

Depressing article. Not much to quibble with. Goes with my theme of I have no idea how this improves in the near future.

[Natsinpwc]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/31/nationals-rebuild-one-year-later/

Depressing article. Not much to quibble with. Goes with my theme of I have no idea how this improves in the near future.

Helpless.

[HalfSmokes]

We're just starting, absent a ton of luck a rebuild is not a quick process

[Smithian]

We're just starting, absent a ton of luck a rebuild is not a quick process

It is hard to imagine today just how much elite talent we got to watch as fans in the 2010's.

It seems like we had a decade where prospects after prospect hit. Rendon, Turner, Harper, Soto, Strasburg, Desmond, Ramos, Taylor.

We've had highly ranked prospects since. But it's Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia, and it's Robles falling apart after a strong 2019. I don't think we can overstate how lucky we got with Juan Soto coming out of nowhere. I think the baseball Gods are now trying to level out our luck.

I also think we realized this team can't develop pitching when Rizzo stopped trading every pitching prospect with a pulse. Back in the day, Jackson Rutledge would have been flipped for a major league contributor early on. Now? They try to develop him and it goes terribly.

[PowerBoater69]

Prior to the Lerners taking over Bowden built a .500 ballclub on a shoestring budget, had he been allowed to spend up to the cap we'd have had a playoff contender. The Lerners and Kasten created The Plan based on the idea that it was necessary to build the farm first before spending on the MLB level, "building the right way", which was always bullcrap. If the new owner spends up to the cap the team will dramatically improve. Once all the prospects we get for Soto/Bell and the high draft picks get to DC we'll be contending for the division again.

[welch]

The article skips all of the "returns" from last season's selloff except for Gray and Ruiz. Casey is a flop and Carillo is hurt. The A's trade got the Nats Millas, who does not seem to hit, Richard Guasch, who was struggling at Harrisburg last I looked, and Seth Shuman is pitching decently for Wilmington. Daniel Hudson was traded for Mason Thompson, who might become useful, and for Jordy Barly, a steady .200 hitter at Fredericksburg and Wilmington. Brad Hand, went to Toronto for Riley Adams, who might become a major leaguer. Kyle Schwarber was traded to Boston for Aldo Ramirez, who arrived hurt and is still out.

Actual useful returns: Gray and Ruiz, maybe Seth Shuman, maybe Mason Thompson, and Riley Adams.

[Natsinpwc]

The article skips all of the "returns" from last season's selloff except for Gray and Ruiz. Casey is a flop and Carillo is hurt. The A's trade got the Nats Millas, who does not seem to hit, Richard Guasch, who was struggling at Harrisburg last I looked, and Seth Shuman is pitching decently for Wilmington. Daniel Hudson was traded for Mason Thompson, who might become useful, and for Jordy Barly, a steady .200 hitter at Fredericksburg and Wilmington. Brad Hand, went to Toronto for Riley Adams, who might become a major leaguer. Kyle Schwarber was traded to Boston for Aldo Ramirez, who arrived hurt and is still out.

Actual useful returns: Gray and Ruiz, maybe Seth Shuman, maybe Mason Thompson, and Riley Adams.

Also Lane Thomas.

[welch]

Also Lane Thomas.

I keep forgetting that Thomas was more or less a return from a selloff pitcher. He is stuck in my head as a player given to the Nats...for free. Maybe Hand to Adams is the same, although Hand seems to be pitching well this season as a setup guy.

[Smithian]

The article skips all of the "returns" from last season's selloff except for Gray and Ruiz. Casey is a flop and Carillo is hurt. The A's trade got the Nats Millas, who does not seem to hit, Richard Guasch, who was struggling at Harrisburg last I looked, and Seth Shuman is pitching decently for Wilmington. Daniel Hudson was traded for Mason Thompson, who might become useful, and for Jordy Barly, a steady .200 hitter at Fredericksburg and Wilmington. Brad Hand, went to Toronto for Riley Adams, who might become a major leaguer. Kyle Schwarber was traded to Boston for Aldo Ramirez, who arrived hurt and is still out.

Actual useful returns: Gray and Ruiz, maybe Seth Shuman, maybe Mason Thompson, and Riley Adams.

I think my frustration is with ownership. The Nationals shed an incredible amount of payroll on the 2021 deadline. The team cleared up a lot of payroll flexibility, and then this offseason we find out they're selling.

A big part in last deadline was the thought they were clearing up room to make another run at it. No, they just got cheap as heck in the runup to a franchise sell.

[imref]

The article skips all of the "returns" from last season's selloff except for Gray and Ruiz. Casey is a flop and Carillo is hurt. The A's trade got the Nats Millas, who does not seem to hit, Richard Guasch, who was struggling at Harrisburg last I looked, and Seth Shuman is pitching decently for Wilmington. Daniel Hudson was traded for Mason Thompson, who might become useful, and for Jordy Barly, a steady .200 hitter at Fredericksburg and Wilmington. Brad Hand, went to Toronto for Riley Adams, who might become a major leaguer. Kyle Schwarber was traded to Boston for Aldo Ramirez, who arrived hurt and is still out.

Actual useful returns: Gray and Ruiz, maybe Seth Shuman, maybe Mason Thompson, and Riley Adams.

Carillo is back at Wilmington, 2 perfect innings in 2 appearances so far with 3Ks. He's 23, far too soon to write him off.

[UMDNats]

Asked in November for other prospects to watch and particularly for who could hasten the rebuild with big strides, Rizzo mentioned left-handed pitcher Evan Lee, shortstop Jackson Cluff and Yasel Antuna, converted to left field last fall.

Lee, 25, debuted June 1 and has since been sidelined with shoulder issues. Cluff entered Sunday with a .185 batting average, .266 on-base percentage and .289 slugging percentage for the Class AA Harrisburg Senators, a troubling sign for the 25-year-old. And Antuna, 22 and lingering on the 40-man roster, is walking more but otherwise not producing much. Klobosits, meanwhile, was designated for the assignment by the Nationals in early April, claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics, then DFA’d by the A’s in June, and he has not pitched in affiliated baseball since.

[imref]

Klobosits should sign with the Orioles.