Legion of Doom 2026: Party Poopers on the Sunshine

[IanRubbish]

If I believe in the process, I can handle short term losses.

I don't know how anyone can believe in this process. The top offensive prospects are 18 or 19 and by the time they're ready Crews and Wood will be close to FA, Abrams will be long gone, and there'll probably be AAA players similar to Garcia, Ruiz, Chapparo, Jacob Young OPS'ing 550-600 up and down the lineup.  Mini Me has shown he needs to be judged by his actions, not his words, and "the process" of trading guys as they get too expensive in their arb2 season isn't going away.

Sunshine: could get a salary floor as part of the lockout settlement

[IanRubbish]

It's the optimism thread the offseason there was an overdue organization shakeups. If you still want to scum up every thread with "it doesn't matter" throat clearing, go ahead and it'll be you and three people exchanging Lerner jokes by midseason.

Board will be even worse if it's more kool aid drinking, low expectation having nonsense.  Being a fan doesn't mean being a fool.

Sunshine: players don't accrue service time during a lockout, might actually get to keep some of the better players a little longer

[HalfSmokes]

Board will be even worse if it's more kool aid drinking, low expectation having nonsense.  Being a fan doesn't mean being a fool.

Sunshine: players don't accrue service time during a lockout, might actually get to keep some of the better players a little longer

Sunshine is a cap raises the value of all franchises and the floor is higher than Lerner can stomach and the team finally gets sold

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Back in the spirit of the Legion of Doom and the Sunshine Squad, this thread is for just and unjust skepticism about whether there's some things to give fans hope about the Nats in 2026 and beyond. Also, posts that are about "well, maybe if things are unprofitable and miserable enough, Marky Mark and the In-laws might sell" also belong here.

[Natsinpwc]

Welcome to the dark side.

[HalfSmokes]

Welcome to the dark side.

The GM has said we are going to suck for years. The only difference between optimism and pessimism is whether or not you think that’s a good thing

[Smithian]

Our tickets and concessions are disgustingly overpriced. Combine on field success + prices and you make me want to vote for a Marxist solely to punish professional sports.

[PowerBoater69]

Our tickets and concessions are disgustingly overpriced. Combine on field success + prices and you make me want to vote for a Marxist solely to punish professional sports.

And with that, you are banned from the Sunshine thread.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

And with that, you are banned from the Sunshine thread.

it shows he knows the spirit of each thread.

Get off my lawn.

[Smithian]

And with that, you are banned from the Sunshine thread.

I go through changes entering and exiting this thread

[Smithian]

Starting Luis Garcia at 1B would be the most tinpot thing we’ve done since we played Paul Lo Duca in the outfield.

Trade him for a 26 yo AA reliever with two TJ surgeries who reportedly is in best shape of his life and was touching mid-90s in a bullpen.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

There's nothing to be optimistic about. We will suck for the next 10-15 years until they can be convinced to sell the team. Anybody with any modicum of talent will be shipped off for prospects that nerds can glaze and pretend they will be some pillar for the future of the organization but they'll just be here long enough to be shipped off for more prospects that somehow won't meet our new timeline for winning. The issue with having owners like that is nothing can fix it. You'll never get talent in fast enough to keep it around long enough to win and they won't pay any of them so you'll never be able to build anything sustainable. This is who we are. We will suck for the foreseeable future and even if we land the first pick we'll just spend it on someone who will sign for cheaper. Yay.

[blue911]

Believing that analytics is going to be magic bullet that transforms this team requires what Coolridge termed the suspension of disbelief. I’m not there yet. It just seems that they are the last guy on the conga line.

[IanRubbish]

Believing that analytics is going to be magic bullet that transforms this team requires what Coolridge termed the suspension of disbelief. I’m not there yet. It just seems that they are the last guy on the conga line.

It's an improvement over Rizzo, Davey, and co., but still a bit like the Raljon Football Team when they implemented the West Coast Offense 10-20 years after everyone else had. 

[Count Walewski]

Yeah I was Sunshine Squad the last few years but I am switching my affiliation to the Legion of Doom at least in the short run. Toboni clearly believes the rebuild has failed and is launching a new one. I expect Abrams, Cavalli, and anyone not signed long-term to be traded in the course of the 2026 season.

I trust Toboni to build a strong farm system via draft and trade. I'm not sure I trust ownership to spend on FAs to supplement that core once it develops. There are troubling signs pointing to LAC = true. Given the Lerners business woes elsewhere, its not clear there is anyone actually in charge with a singular vision for the team.

Much depends on how Wood, Crews, and Lile play this year. If they're All-Stars this becomes much easier.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yeah I was Sunshine Squad the last few years but I am switching my affiliation to the Legion of Doom at least in the short run. Toboni clearly believes the rebuild has failed and is launching a new one. I expect Abrams, Cavalli, and anyone not signed long-term to be traded in the course of the 2026 season.

I trust Toboni to build a strong farm system via draft and trade. I'm not sure I trust ownership to spend on FAs to supplement that core once it develops. There are troubling signs pointing to LAC = true. Given the Lerners business woes elsewhere, its not clear there is anyone actually in charge with a singular vision for the team.

Much depends on how Wood, Crews, and Lile play this year. If they're All-Stars this becomes much easier.

Cavalli has 4 years of team control (through 2029). I suppose the decision time on him will be inn 2027 or 2028. This year will be to prove he's healthy and can go a full season.

If there's no willingness to sign your own players to long term deals, then you do wonder if they are banking on some sort of special magic and having 8 or more prospects succeed on the same timeline. Otherwise, it's tight 1-2 year windows at best (e.g., tail end of Lile, Wood, Crews overlapping with perhaps Perales, Sykora, Clemmey, Susana, and the start of Willits, Fien ... )

[varoadking]

I think we all need to come to grips with the reality that there is no plan...

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I think we all need to come to grips with the reality that there is no plan...

oh, there's a plan, the same way the guy who buys 20 powerball tickets for each drawing has a plan

[IanRubbish]

I think we all need to come to grips with the reality that there is no plan...

The plan is to pinch pennies and BS the fanbase.  Only with Rizzo gone Franny is now the Minister of Propaganda, along with some bloggers they give media access to.   TalkNats is on drugs if they think I'm subscribing to read the latest on which organizational retread will play 1B, or whether Mitchell Parker will be in the rotation or the pen.  I don't know how anyone can take this stuff seriously anymore. 

[Slateman]

I think we all need to come to grips with the reality that there is no plan...

oh, there's a plan, the same way the guy who buys 20 powerball tickets for each drawing has a plan

The plan is rather simple: Use modern analytics and player development to build a team that consistently wins ~85 games while keeping payroll well below MLB average, thus maximizing profits.

[IanRubbish]

Top of the 3rd in the 1st spring training game.  I'm already sick of Franny's commentary.

[rileyn]

Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers to start the season. Holy smokes, we get maybe the 3 best teams in the NL out of the gate.   I would take 3-6 right now.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers to start the season. Holy smokes, we get maybe the 3 best teams in the NL out of the gate.   I would take 3-6 right now.

3-6 sounds almost too sunshiney for this thread.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://districtondeck.com/what-are-some-of-the-frustrating-realities-from-the-nationals-spring-training-01kk78pwe7em

Calls out 3 issues - continuing poor fielding, Dylan Crews's lack of hitting and his swing and miss problem, and the inability of several pitchers like Parker to throw strikes (a/k/a the "I don't care how fast you throw ball four" problem,  generalized to I don't care what your stuff is when you can't throw a strike).

[varoadking]

https://districtondeck.com/what-are-some-of-the-frustrating-realities-from-the-nationals-spring-training-01kk78pwe7em

Calls out 3 issues - continuing poor fielding, Dylan Crews's lack of hitting and his swing and miss problem, and the inability of several pitchers like Parker to throw strikes (a/k/a the "I don't care how fast you throw ball four" problem,  generalized to I don't care what your stuff is when you can't throw a strike).

"Dylan Crews is currently struggling to find any rhythm at the plate..."

Currently?