"They traded away MacKenzie Gore this offseason, who, yes, allowed a fair amount of runs during his tenure with the team, but always had good strikeout numbers. In his three seasons with the Nationals, Gore had a 4.15 earned run average (ERA) and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He was the Nats' star pitcher despite his ERA being above 4."
"Nationals fans thought this would be the change that the team needed--however no star was brought in during free agency. Yes, the team signed Foster Griffin, who had recent success in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, but I don't think that will be enough for several reasons. For one, success overseas doesn't guarantee success here in MLB, especially after a player's first stint in the States didn't go well."
"After climbing to the top of the mountain in 2019 to become World Series champions with numerous superstars, nothing has clicked since, and the team has yet to return to the postseason. The Nationals continued making trades as part of their rebuilding, trading away established stars so the team wouldn't have to pay them in free agency. Baseball teams should be in the business of wanting to win, but the Nationals' management doesn't seem to want that."
The Nationals possess a promising young core including James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, and CJ Abrams, but the roster lacks quality starting and relief pitching. The team traded MacKenzie Gore despite his strong strikeout rates and a 4.15 ERA across three seasons. The 2019 World Series title has not been followed by postseason returns, as the franchise continued shedding established stars during a rebuilding phase. New front-office hires and a new manager did not coincide with major free-agent acquisitions. A signing from NPB, Foster Griffin, raises questions about MLB translation, and fan enthusiasm risks decline without star additions.
Read at District on Deck
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]