Sunshine Squad: 2025

[imref]

Svrulga is SSS
https://wapo.st/42Rs3Hw

[imref]

Sole possession of third. 3.5 back of the WC.

[aspenbubba]

filled with castaways...

Don’t you mean CASTOFFS?

[imref]

up to 24th in the MLB power rankings:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-power-rankings-for-week-of-may-4-2025

[imref]

Via The Athletic:

It’s not going to happen this year. Not in this NL East. Not with the Mets, Phillies and Braves still built for dominance. But the Nationals (16-19) have the makings of a quality core of young players — and the Juan Soto trade is starting to pay off.

Consider this: going into yesterday’s 4-1 win over the Reds, the Nats’ top three players in bWAR were 22-year-old James Wood (1.2), 26-year-old MacKenzie Gore (1.2) and 24-year-old C.J. Abrams (1.1) — three of the six players Washington received from San Diego in return for Soto in August 2022. (Soto has been worth 1.1 bWAR for the Mets so far this year.)

Wood, in particular, is starting to look the part of a star, primarily by hitting the absolute mess out of the ball, as Tyler Kepner outlines here.

The other three: 23-year-old Robert Hassell III (currently batting .294 (.733 OPS) in Triple A), 21-year-old Jarlin Susana (0-1, 4.30 in Double A) and Luke Voit (last seen: Quintana Roo, Mexico).

[Smithian]

I'm on the pessimistic side for Brady House discourse, but let's say he comes up and is a solid contributor, the lineup next year .... could be good?

C: Ruiz
1B: Lowe
2B: Garcia
SS: Abrams
3B: House
OF: Crews
OF: Wood
OF: Young/FA bat
DH: FA

If Crews doesn't take off, Abrams dips to the negative side of streaky, or House doesn't come up and hit, it looks foggier. With a bit of luck, find me one more hitter to give a solid show atDH and then churn through another bullpen shot, and that team on paper could look strong.

All I wanted this season was the team to hang around .500 long enough to make the Nationals think at the deadline. Right now, I think that may end up happening.

[imref]

I'm on the pessimistic side for Brady House discourse, but let's say he comes up and is a solid contributor, the lineup next year .... could be good?

C: Ruiz
1B: Lowe
2B: Garcia
SS: Abrams
3B: House
OF: Crews
OF: Wood
OF: Young/FA bat
DH: FA

If Crews doesn't take off, Abrams dips to the negative side of streaky, or House doesn't come up and hit, it looks foggier. With a bit of luck, find me one more hitter to give a solid show atDH and then churn through another bullpen shot, and that team on paper could look strong.

All I wanted this season was the team to hang around .500 long enough to make the Nationals think at the deadline. Right now, I think that may end up happening.

Not out of the realm of possibility that Wood moves full-time to DH and Lile takes over in LF before this season is over.

Morales is hitting now at AA too and is a possibly future DH/1B option.

[Smithian]

Not out of the realm of possibility that Wood moves full-time to DH and Lile takes over in LF before this season is over.

Morales is hitting now at AA too and is a possibly future DH/1B option.

Elite hitter who can hold up in LF is so much more valuable than DH. I think the Nats have to keep trying to make it work through at least this time next season.

[IanRubbish]

At 6.55, team is now 29th in Bullpen ERA!  Out of the cellar, with the Angels now last.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

May is the trick

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2025&month=1000&season1=2025&ind=0&team=0%2Cts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2025-05-01&enddate=2025-11-01&stats=rel

Best bullpen since the start of May. 1.15 era

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm getting the feeling that there's some ammo for a significant acquisition being built up. I would expect another outfielder to be ready for MLB out of the minors sometime this year (Hassell, Lile), which might make Young tradeable. Ben Clemens at FG obsesses about Young to the As, he says for Bleday. Even if that's not the right deal, Young may be a trade asset. Lowe may be another asset for teams looking for an upgrade at 1st. Red Sox don't need a 1st baseman for next year, but with Casas out, Lowe would be a nice backfill. There's 3rd basemen out the wazzoo, so if a guy like Mota looks like a player this year, you could see maybe some of the guys above him like a Wallace or Morales being good enough to be in a package (or Mota for a team looking for depth and development).

[Smithian]

I'm getting the feeling that there's some ammo for a significant acquisition being built up. I would expect another outfielder to be ready for MLB out of the minors sometime this year (Hassell, Lile), which might make Young tradeable. Ben Clemens at FG obsesses about Young to the As, he says for Bleday. Even if that's not the right deal, Young may be a trade asset. Lowe may be another asset for teams looking for an upgrade at 1st. Red Sox don't need a 1st baseman for next year, but with Casas out, Lowe would be a nice backfill. There's 3rd basemen out the wazzoo, so if a guy like Mota looks like a player this year, you could see maybe some of the guys above him like a Wallace or Morales being good enough to be in a package (or Mota for a team looking for depth and development).

It's an eternal truth if you're willing to eat a bit of payroll, talent is available. Nathaniel Lowe proved it.

Hearts have more payroll flexibility than recent seasons and have built up enough minor league depth that moving a couple players isn't going to drop us to worst in the majors.

If the Nats are around .500, I get that isn't the time to go all in. But trading for a bandaid at DH or 3B, a couple middle rotation arms ,and holding onto Nathaniel Lowe isn't a bad deadline to setup the second half and keep the games interesting down the stretch.

[IanRubbish]

May is the trick

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2025&month=1000&season1=2025&ind=0&team=0%2Cts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2025-05-01&enddate=2025-11-01&stats=rel

Best bullpen since the start of May. 1.15 era

Beware small sample sizes

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Beware small sample sizes

well, but for the 7th ...

[imref]

Well, it didn’t rain this weekend.

[imref]

7 games in the next 2 weeks vs Atlanta. A chance for us to get hot and retake third place!

[IanRubbish]

Among active bullpen pitchers on the 26 man, only Ferrer and Lopez have ERAs above 7. 

[imref]

Among active bullpen pitchers on the 26 man, only Ferrer and Lopez have ERAs above 7. 

[IanRubbish]

Seth Shuman has a 2.18 ERA in Rochester

[imref]

The 2011 Nationals went through a 2-10 stretch in May. A year later they were in the playoffs.

[IanRubbish]

The 2011 Nationals went through a 2-10 stretch in May. A year later they were in the playoffs.

The 2011 Nationals had a big free agent signing and set themselves up for success in 2012 when Riggleman quit midseason in '11 because they hadn't picked him up for 2012.

Sunshine: more teams make the playoffs now

[imref]

And we’re back!

[IanRubbish]

And we’re back!

Will always take a W against the leeches of Baltimore

[rileyn]

Will always take a W against the leeches of Baltimore

Beating Baltimore dulls the pain of rooting for a poverty franchise.