2023-24 Off-Season Discussion

[imref]

Candelario wasn't a difference maker, and 3 years was too long for him with House and Yo-Yo likely both here in 2024.

I'd almost rather get Dom Smith back for a year at 1B.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Candelario wasn't a difference maker, and 3 years was too long for him with House and Yo-Yo likely both here in 2024.

I'd almost rather get Dom Smith back for a year at 1B.

with the caveat that almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. You can always use a horseshoe upside the head of whoever would bring back Dom.

[Natsinpwc]

Candelario wasn't a difference maker, and 3 years was too long for him with House and Yo-Yo likely both here in 2024.

I'd almost rather get Dom Smith back for a year at 1B.

Not sure what you mean by difference maker.  He was 3 WAR.  If you mean by difference maker someone closer to 7-8 WAR they cost $30 million. And they all want to go to contending teams.

Those guys you mention are not coming in 2024.  Maybe 2025. And counting on everyone to make it is generally a flawed approach.  Between House and Morales be happy if one develops into a good major leaguer.

The team has holes for now at 1B, 2B, 3B and DH.  And little power in the OF. Candy could have provide a decent bat and defense at a couple of positions. Instead you have Senzel and Kieboom. Negative WAR players. 

Don’t want to hear any whining this season.  It’s clearly a tank year. 

Did you notice that the Reds with all their young talent at those positions still signed him. Why? Because even after a good rookie season some guys will take a step back. And injuries. 

[Natsinpwc]

Five years ago Nick Senzel was more of a sure bet than either House or Morales. And a couple years after that Kieboom was about as highly regarded as a prospect as those two.  Assume some of them will not work out.

[UMDNats]

I don't even care about Candelario potentially "blocking" a prospect, I just didn't care to invest in him. We hit a home run with a bounce-back pillow contract flip and didn't need to double-down on him being that good for the next 3 years.

[imref]

So heading out of the winter meetings, the lineup for OD 2024 looks something like this:

1. Abrams, SS
2. Thomas, RF
3. Meneses, DH
4. Ruiz, C
5. Yepez, 1B
6. Alu (or Crews?), LF
7. Senzel / Kieboom - 3B
8. Garcia, 2B
9. Robles, CF

Bench: Adams, Nunez, Young, Vargas, Senzel/Kieboom

Rotation: Gray, Gore, Corbin, Irvin, Williams, Rutledge (?)

The bullpen is the only thing looking decent for next year.  This is awful.

[imref]

Ben Clemens speculates that the Yankees could end up releasing Stanton so as to move Judge to DH with Grishom in CF (with Judge playing CF against LHP).

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/yankees-acquire-juan-soto/

Would the Nats take a flier on Stanton and hope that he could return to 2021 form?

[zimm_da_kid]

Ben Clemens speculates that the Yankees could end up releasing Stanton so as to move Judge to DH with Grishom in CF (with Judge playing CF against LHP).

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/yankees-acquire-juan-soto/

Would the Nats take a flier on Stanton and hope that he could return to 2021 form?

We could offer him loads of playing time.  The Yankees would be footing the majority of the bill.  He’d be all but guaranteed to be playing for a contender come august if he’s hitting .220+ with any slugging

[zimm_da_kid]

Reading comments from Reds fans it makes no sense to them that they would replace young guys with Candy.  I guess they will rotate him between 3B, 1B and DH. Nats had and gave the more obvious hope at 3B. You can rationalize it any way you want but it’s the owners not willing to spend to improve the team. Looks like a 65-70 win team.

And with the lottery we could get lucky

[Natsinpwc]

And with the lottery we could get lucky

Probably best approach.  But they don’t want to tell the fans.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Would the Nats take a flier on Stanton and hope that he could return to 2021 form?

Might be the one way to get MDS posting here again.

[imref]

Probably best approach.  But they don’t want to tell the fans.

Tank for Ethan Holliday!

[Natsinpwc]

Tank for Ethan Holliday!

Yes!

And then his brother will become an all time great while he is a 1 WAR a year player. Worth it though to try.  They are not making the playoffs.  So might as well.

[imref]

Yes!

And then his brother will become an all time great while he is a 1 WAR a year player. Worth it though to try.  They are not making the playoffs.  So might as well.

Ethan projects as better than Jackson.

[Natsinpwc]

Ethan projects as better than Jackson.

Yea but it’s a DC team.

[imref]

Yea but it’s a DC team.

Right, so he mashes for a few years here and then we trade him or lose him to FA.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Right, so he mashes for a few years here and then we trade him or lose him to FA.

or else we sign him and he has to get a surgery no one had heard of at the time of his signing but leaves him barely able to lift his arm. Oh, that never happens . . .

[IanRubbish]

Boras pushing for a Harper extension, even though he's signed to 2031 and age 38.  Doubt they're that dumb, but I hope Philly does this so they can return to their mid-2010s glory of overpaying unproductive, old players.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39056004/phillies-bryce-harper-eyes-extension-deal-up

[IanRubbish]

4. Ruiz, C

Have to think Drew Millas will get a shot at some point.  He's patient, which I know is a problem for this org's leadership right now, but he also had low K rates at AA and AAA.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yepez profile from Golden:
Looking for a diamond in the rough, Nats sign Juan Yepez to minor league deal

If Yepez has a strong spring and cracks the big league roster, he provides a quality that Martinez likes in his players — defensive versatility. Yepez has played 32 major league games in left field and 20 in right. He has played 15 games at first base and six at third. The Nationals are looking for help in left field and at both corner infield positions, so Yepez could give Martinez some lineup flexibility.

Yepez has shown power in the past, something that the Nationals desperately need, for a roster that ranked second to last in home runs a year ago. But Yepez’s minor league power numbers have dropped off in recent years. In 2021, he hit 27 home runs across two levels and made himself into a legitimate prospect in the Cardinals’ system. The following year, he hit 16 home runs in 50 games at Class AAA. But last season, Yepez hit nine home runs in 86 games at the same level, and his OPS dropped from .921 to .736.

I suspect he may be more in the 1B mix than OF, but I suppose that between him and Senzel (or Alu), it may allow them to maybe carry just 4 pure OFs.

[blue911]

Ethan projects as better than Jackson.

Delmon Young.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Boras pushing for a Harper extension, even though he's signed to 2031 and age 38.  Doubt they're that dumb, but I hope Philly does this so they can return to their mid-2010s glory of overpaying unproductive, old players.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39056004/phillies-bryce-harper-eyes-extension-deal-up

this was picked up in our "Former Nats" thread in the out-of-town scoreboard. Probably a better place to discuss.
https://www.wnff.net/index.php?topic=40576.msg2303489#msg2303489

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Delmon Young.

Justin Upton.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Have to think Drew Millas will get a shot at some point.  He's patient, which I know is a problem for this org's leadership right now, but he also had low K rates at AA and AAA.

I think he should be the primary backup if Adams is showing effects of his hamate.

I don't see them having 3 catchers active if they keep Meneses as a full-time DH. They can go with 4 outfielders with a few guys who can play infield and a corner OF, but even with 4 OFs, a full-time DH means only 5 IFs if they keep 3 catchers. (1 DH, 3 catchers, 4 OFs leaves 5 spots for IFs).

[blue911]

Justin Upton.

Except Justin was a good player. Far exceeding his bother.Delmon was a 1/1 with a career WAR that was 20% of Dmitri’s.