The Sunshine Squad 2024

[imref]

With respect to BIL. Let's get this going.

Reasons to be optimistic in year two of the rebuild:
- Gray and Gore poised for big steps forward
- Abrams will be a MVP candidate this year
- Bullpen looks solid and stable with Rainey back and Ferrer more experienced
- Ruiz showed some offensive flashes
- Garcia hit in September
- Robles was having a career year before last year's injury
- Dylan Crews will arrive at some point
- The Cavalli should arrive in June
- SP depth with Irvin, Adon, and Rutledge as back-end options
- Last year of Corbin gives us the option to move him to the pen if he struggles again
- Gallo will hit bombs
- Stone showed he can play
- New lights at the park will make the team look better
- House and YoYo have a chance to get to the big show this year

[Natsinpwc]

Cheap tickets on the secondary market.
Short lines at the restrooms and concessions. 
High draft pick in 2025. 

[Senatorswin]

Wood will could come up in June and Lay Wood to the ball. Wood the new Judge ......  All Rise!!!

[imref]

Cheap tickets on the secondary market.
Short lines at the restrooms and concessions. 
High draft pick in 2025. 

only problem there is that they will close some concessions due to small crowd size.

[Senatorswin]

only problem there is that they will close some concessions due to small crowd size.

Only 4 teams decreased in attendance last year. The Dodgers, Cardinals, White Sox and Nationals.

[Five Banners]

I’m thinking this might not end up being a contender for longest thread

[Natsinpwc]

only problem there is that they will close some concessions due to small crowd size.

Damn.

I hope to take in a game this summer.  Got an email from the team the other day that listed all the giveaway and special nights.  Nice to have it all in one place.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Good entrance songs for Finnegan and Harvey.

[imref]

I’m thinking this might not end up being a contender for longest thread

Got to 15 pages last year!

[Five Banners]

Got to 15 pages last year!

The scrappy Nats earned it. Now we saw what occurred in this off-season Henschel sense of what post-Lerner the Elder ownership would look like, as well as stated goals of getting a starter, not being met, and a potential net negative and what was brought in, and Gallo set might sabotage scrappiness.

(Switches to sunshine mode)

But hey, at least there’s a team, right?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

honestly, this may be the end of treading water rosters. I think that if you go into next year with a 5 or so starting players in the field, plus 4 rotation pieces, and a back end of the bullpen, then you can augment that with free agents and go from there. Figuring right now there's a SS and a C, and maybe an RF, 2-3 minor league position players emerging and Cavalli filling in mid-rotation gets you to the point where you can start to be seriously competitive with a few signings.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

2:06    
Ben from DC: Can you give me any reason for hope for my Nationals? Every time I read news about the team it’s about the owners not selling, MASN dispute, Strasburg/owner conflict, or even prospects like Hassell and Green flaming out. If you squint is there any hope with Abrams/Gore/Gray/Wood/Crews?

2:07    
Ben Clemens: Yeah I think the hope is basically: Abrams has been better than expected. Crews seems awesome. Wood looked pretty good in AA as a 20 year old

2:07    
Ben Clemens: maybe this big group of prospects will pan out spectacularly

2:07    
Ben Clemens: I do think that the team needs to get sold, seems like the Lerners have moved on mentally

2:08    
Ben Clemens: And maybe all the Alexandria arena stuff is creating the kind of distraction that keeps other DC area business types away from bidding on the Nats which slows things down? Not really sure if that’s the case or not

2:08    
Ben Clemens: But the upside case here is that just as all the talent from their farm system hits the majors, there’s new ownership in place that can’t wait to spend

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/ben-clemens-fangraphs-chat-2-5-24/

[imref]

honestly, this may be the end of treading water rosters. I think that if you go into next year with a 5 or so starting players in the field, plus 4 rotation pieces, and a back end of the bullpen, then you can augment that with free agents and go from there. Figuring right now there's a SS and a C, and maybe an RF, 2-3 minor league position players emerging and Cavalli filling in mid-rotation gets you to the point where you can start to be seriously competitive with a few signings.

yep, by August 1 we could have a good base in place:
1B. YoYo
2B. Garcia / Lipscomb
SS: Abrams
3B: House
DH: Adams/Gallo
C: Ruiz / Millas
LF: Garrett (placeholder for Wood)
CF: Crews
RF: Thomas

Rotation: Gore, Gray, Cavalli, Rutledge, Irvin

Just add Soto and a SP in the offseason. with new owners in place, and 2025 looks promising

[Natsinpwc]

They’re not going to bring all those guys up to burn service time.  Probably just Crews. 

[imref]

They’re not going to bring all those guys up to burn service time.  Probably just Crews. 

This team has never shied away from bringing guys up who deserved it.

[Natsinpwc]

This team has never shied away from bringing guys up who deserved it.

Yea but that was when they weee competing and the owners were not selling. 

All three of those guys performing well enough to get promoted would be like hitting the lottery. 

[IanRubbish]

Anthony "The Season Needs to be Shortened" Rendon is someone else's problem.

[Senatorswin]

But hey, at least there’s a team, right?

And after going 34 years without one that is a great point. I was a diehard Senators fan. I can put up with a handful of losing seasons after 8 year of winning capped off by a world series win.

[IanRubbish]

And after going 34 years without one that is a great point. I was a diehard Senators fan. I can put up with a handful of losing seasons after 8 year of winning capped off by a world series win.

I'm not old enough to remember the Senators, and didn't grow up around Washington, I only lived there as an adult.  But we cannot allow low expectations to permit these 5-6 year cycles of miserable baseball to happen again.  This would be unacceptable in NY, Chi, Bos, Philly, LA, SF, etc, and should be unacceptable in DC.  Having a lower active payroll than the Oakland A's is unforgivable.  If they have to tank because Rizzo can only develop drafted prospects who are picked in the top 10 of the 1st round, then he needs to go. 

[HondoKillebrew]

I'm not old enough to remember the Senators, and didn't grow up around Washington, I only lived there as an adult.  But we cannot allow low expectations to permit these 5-6 year cycles of miserable baseball to happen again.  This would be unacceptable in NY, Chi, Bos, Philly, LA, SF, etc, and should be unacceptable in DC.  Having a lower active payroll than the Oakland A's is unforgivable.  If they have to tank because Rizzo can only develop drafted prospects who are picked in the top 10 of the 1st round, then he needs to go.

Well put.

[aspenbubba]

Yea but that was when they weee competing and the owners were not selling. 

All three of those guys performing well enough to get promoted would be like hitting the lottery. 

Exactly. Spot on.

[Slateman]

They’re not going to bring all those guys up to burn service time.  Probably just Crews. 

Crews is the only one I think could be ready before the ASB. But I could see Wood and House getting September call ups

[JCA-CrystalCity]

remember - this is a sunshine thread. Nothing but best cases and optimism. We can start a return of the Legion of Doom thread for pessimism or a GOIN-FU thread for realism or meh (Great Order of In-between Nats Fans United)

[IanRubbish]

remember - this is a sunshine thread

I like what they're doing with Doo, should put pressure on Davey's boy Hickey and improve overall pitching coaching

[Senatorswin]

I like that Doo and Parra will both be in the dugout this season. Time to get Howie Kendrick in there also.