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.