Curse of the 2019 Washington Nationals

[Natsinpwc]

Y’all worry about yourselves.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

See what I mean? I think he's checked out.

eh, he's there for therapy and doesn't want to talk about his injury. Is that any different than what he'd do in his prime?

[GburgNatsFan]

Oh, I think I would take Rendon back at $5 - 10 million just to say "hail and farewell" to Rendon in a Nats uniform. To be realistic, though, Rendon looks finished: broken, miserable, furious at himself and the baseball gods and the fans who once cheered him.

And in possession of life changing wealth.

[blue911]

And in possession of life changing wealth.

I think the $50M he made prior to signing with the Angels already changed his life.

[Natsinpwc]

I think the $50M he made prior to signing with the Angels already changed his life.

Very tough to get by on $5-15 million a year in a high cost area such as the DMV.

[blue911]

Very tough to get by on $5-15 million a year in a high cost area such as the DMV.

Yeah. Maybe he was paying off his college tuition.

[MorseTheHorse]

Trea seems to be doing better

[PowerBoater69]

Trea seems to be doing better

Good playoffs so far, but OPS was well below his career average, stolen bases were much lower than average despite the new rules, errors were way up. Could be a Corbin situation where he helps them win a ring in his first year, but his contract goes until he's 40! Ouch, no thanks.

[nobleisthyname]

Good playoffs so far, but OPS was well below his career average, stolen bases were much lower than average despite the new rules, errors were way up. Could be a Corbin situation where he helps them win a ring in his first year, but his contract goes until he's 40! Ouch, no thanks.

He's been scorching hot since the final third of the season. Could be it just took him awhile to adjust in Philly.

[Natsinpwc]

Turner stole 30 bases this year was not caught once. Last year he was 27 for 30. This post season he is 4 for 4. In 2019 he stole one base the entire post season.  He is on a team with big hitters so will pick his spots.

He has a terrible start to the year hitting and fielding. Probably the pressure of a new contract. No reason he should not be a good hitter the next 4-5 years. Like most he will fall off as he approaches 40.  At some point they could probably put Stott back at SS and move him to 2B.  Or even the OF once Schwarber and Catellanos are gone.

Made sense for the Nats to trade him with not enough other pieces to compete.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Turner stole 30 bases this year was not caught once. Last year he was 27 for 30. This post season he is 4 for 4. In 2019 he stole one base the entire post season.  He is on a team with big hitters so will pick his spots.

He has a terrible start to the year hitting and fielding. Probably the pressure of a new contract. No reason he should not be a good hitter the next 4-5 years. Like most he will fall off as he approaches 40.  At some point they could probably put Stott back at SS and move him to 2B.  Or even the OF once Schwarber and Catellanos are gone.

Made sense for the Nats to trade him with not enough other pieces to compete.

Schwarber and Castellanos have much shorter contracts. They probably had that in mind. As for SS, they'll sign CJ once the Nats let him walk.

[Natsinpwc]

Schwarber and Castellanos have much shorter contracts. They probably had that in mind. As for SS, they'll sign CJ once the Nats let him walk.

Two more years for those guys.  By the time the Phillies can sign CJ, Bryce and Trea will be walking with canes.

[Senatorswin]

Now that Bryce is playing first they may go after Soto after next year and truly will be the Nats north with Schwarber, Trea, Bryce, and Soto.

[Mattionals]

Now that Bryce is playing first they may go after Soto after next year and truly will be the Nats north with Schwarber, Trea, Bryce, and Soto.

I don't know if they will go for Soto or not. They've built their brand around Harper. They need to bring in more pitching around Wheeler, as I have a feeling they will let Nola walk.

[Natsinpwc]

I don't know if they will go for Soto or not. They've built their brand around Harper. They need to bring in more pitching around Wheeler, as I have a feeling they will let Nola walk.

Wheeler is a free agent after next season unless he agrees to an extension. It’s interesting because he has been the better pitcher the past few years but Nola is younger. And Nola has not had any major injury issues in the past while Wheeler has. Tough decisions also because it’s not clear of any of there high end pitching prospects will come through. Maybe Painter and Abel will be ready in 2025 but a crapshoot with untested pitchers when you have a lineup of highly paid bats. If they let Nola and Hoskins go that frees up over $20 million not considering increases for other guys under team control. 

[Mattionals]

Wheeler is a free agent after next season unless he agrees to an extension. It’s interesting because he has been the better pitcher the past few years but Nola is younger. And Nola has not had any major injury issues in the past while Wheeler has. Tough decisions also because it’s not clear of any of there high end pitching prospects will come through. Maybe Painter and Abel will be ready in 2025 but a crapshoot with untested pitchers when you have a lineup of highly paid bats. If they let Nola and Hoskins go that frees up over $20 million not considering increases for other guys under team control.

Even more reason why Philly would probably invest in pitching to keep the window open. They've spent big on Harper and Trea. They've shown before that they can't just slug their way to a title. Gotta do some pitching, especially in that band box.

[imref]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/16/nationals-bryce-harper-trea-turner/

What if, five years ago, the Washington Nationals had a soothsayer and a hypnotist on staff so they could see the future of every player and also mesmerize the stars they wanted to keep into staying in D.C.?

Or, put another way, what if the Nats, foreseeing their injury-riddled futures, let Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon leave town? And what if Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, now playoff stars for the Philadelphia Phillies, and Juan Soto, who hit 35 bombs this season as a San Diego Padre, were still Nationals?

Why, oh, why, fans are tempted to lament, aren’t these fellows, or at least some of them, still in D.C? Just imagine …
I have. I have done a thought experiment reconstructing the most likely implications if the Nats had signed Harper, Turner and Soto but avoided Strasburg and Rendon. You would think — I sure did — that this Nationals Fantasy World would be quite cheerful.

But I was wrong. Most likely, making the correct decision on all five stars would have been a heartbreaker for the Nats. Even in a fan fantasy in which the Big Three stayed, the Nats now would have little else.

[Natsinpwc]

This is partially true because they had let the farm system drop to the bottom of MLB.  They’ve rebuilt it and added some young players to the MLB roster generally through trades. No evidence they can draft and develop any players other than high end no brainer picks. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

This is partially true because they had let the farm system drop to the bottom of MLB.  They’ve rebuilt it and added some young players to the MLB roster generally through trades. No evidence they can draft and develop any players other than high end no brainer picks. 

Well, letting Harper walk worked out well. I'm not sure keeping Soto and Turner and letting Stras and Rendon walk would have made the team the LAA East. People could live with Corbin, a world series, and just one bad starting pitching contract. No need for Harper if you commit to Soto.

As for who we would have, we'd still have House unless the Stras money went in enough other directions to prevent 24-36. Basic truth though is that the farm had been stripped and the 2019 team was very old. With the rise of ATL, the Nats were due for a drop back to a WC contender.

[Senatorswin]

Not keeping Harper is an obvious success since they won the world series without him. I wouldn't reverse the Soto deal because he would of been a very good player on a losing team with no future. Time will tell if the youngsters come through, but Abrams has a chance to be as good as Trea and if Wood, Gray, Gore and others come through the Nats made the right moves. Rendon and Stras were just money situations. One worked out, one didn't.

[Slateman]

Not keeping Harper is an obvious success since they won the world series without him.

Once Harper wins a WS, that argument has no support. It has very little now. Nats could have kept Harper, traded Eaton, and signed Lance Lynn.

[imref]

Once Harper wins a WS, that argument has no support. It has very little now. Nats could have kept Harper, traded Eaton, and signed Lance Lynn.

Instead we kept Eaton and signed Corbin, both of whom were instrumental to winning in 2019.

Eaton: .279 /.365 / .428, 15 HRs, 15 SB
Harper: 260 / .372 /.510, 35 HRs, 15 SBs

Corbin: 3.25 / 1.183 (202 IP)
Lynn: 3.67 / 1.219 (208 IP)

[Senatorswin]

Once Harper wins a WS, that argument has no support. It has very little now. Nats could have kept Harper, traded Eaton, and signed Lance Lynn.

Whether Harper wins a world series or not it has nothing to do with the Nats winning the world series without him in 2019. If they had signed Harper the Nats couldn't of had a better result than DC's first world series win in 95 years. If they had signed him there's a good chance they still don't have a world series.

[Slateman]

Whether Harper wins a world series or not it has nothing to do with the Nats winning the world series without him in 2019. If they had signed Harper the Nats couldn't of had a better result than DC's first world series win in 95 years. If they had signed him there's a good chance they still don't have a world series.

Who says? Lance Lynn was every bit as good as Corbin. Harper is significantly better than Eaton. There is just as much of a chance they have a WS.

[Natsinpwc]

This argument is silly because you can’t prove either side of the argument.  We will never know. Just be happy the Nats won in 2019.