There are multiple examples of a team stinking up the joint one year, Diamondbacks and Rangers last year, the Royals this year, and then going to the playoffs the following year. With the direction the Nats are going if they add a pitcher and a first baseman it gives hope for a fun season next year.
Yeah, and they hold people accountable. The Royals fired GM Dayton Moore after last season, who also won a WS as their GM, and spent in the offseason.
The Diamondbacks had 3 losing seasons in a row, not 5 like the Nats, and DFA'd MadBum with $30 million left on his contract, which would never happen here. They also sat Corbin Carroll while he worked through a slump and sent Jordan Montgomery to the 'pen, neither of which would have happened here given the contracts.
The Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward and GM Jon Daniels in '22, and spent $500 million FAs...without a dollar of deferrals, which also wouldn't happen here.
The Nats will likely improve next year simply because it's fairly rare to go 5 seasons in a row under .450, and the young players will improve.
However, there are a lot of issues around defense, swinging outside the zone, caught stealing/baserunning, lack of power, poor coaching, etc that need to be addressed.
