The Washington Nationals enter this winter with important choices for their ownership group and front office before next season begins.
This can be seen from the overwhelming performance of the Atlanta Braves in recent years, the Philadelphia Phillies continuing to make good progress in the playoffs this season, winning the National League East Division, and the New York Mets advancing to the annual playoffs. It is clear that they are lagging behind in the district. A place that was probably being rebuilt before the owners spent huge amounts of money on a future roster.
The Nationals are hoping to emerge from their rebuild now that many of their rising stars have made it to the majors and are likely to become cornerstones of future franchises, but they will need to upgrade to compete with their third-division rivals. There are clearly areas that need to be addressed. from now on.
To do that, Washington will need to spend some money.
General manager Mike Rizzo has said he believes it’s time for the team to increase payroll, and the good news for Nationals fans is that history suggests that will happen.
Owner Mark Lerner has had a bad reputation in recent years for poor spending, but MASN’s Mark Zuckerman quickly ranked them in the top 10 in year-end payrolls for nine consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2021. I reminded everyone that I was in there.
Washington isn’t afraid to spend money if he thinks he has a chance to win, but the question is whether he believes this winter is the time to open his checkbook.
This roster is still young and upstart, so Lerner and Rizzo may hold off for another cycle, but if they want to spend, as executives have suggested the owner might want, they could pursue There are probably some upgrades you can do.
Whether it’s adding an established ace to this staff, signing a star slugger, or adding a reliable bullpen arm, there are options the Nationals can pursue heading into next year.
Even if the spending increase doesn’t happen this offseason, that doesn’t mean it will never happen.
Lerner has always been one of the top spenders, and if Washington feels it can compete in the National League East again, it could be able to outbid teams that acquire star players on the open market. .
