The fourth of a series of posts to evaluate the teams that the Atlanta Braves will face the most in 2020. This checks in on the World Champion Washington Nationals.
In 2019, the Atlanta Braves did exactly what they needed to do in the season series against the Washington Nationals, beating them by an 11-8 margin and besting them in the division race by 4 games – a margin that truthfully wasn’t really that slim.
What happened after that was a few bounces that went the right way for Washington, a timely hit or two for them (and the Cardinals)… and it’s the Nats who ended up hoisting the Commissioner’s trophy as October came to a close.
The other reality that Atlanta Braves fans really need to reckon with is that the after the Nats famously stumbled to a 19-31 start to their season, there were reasons that they started that poorly… namely injuries:
- Howie Kendrick (hamstring 3/27 to 4/4)
- Koda Glover (forearm 3/27)
- Michael Taylor (knee/hip 3/25)
- Trea Turner (broken finger 4/3 to 5/17)
- Trevor Rosenthal (viral infection 4/26)
- Ryan Zimmerman (plantar fascitis 4/28)
- Anthony Rendon (elbow bruise 4/30 to 5/7)
- Juan Soto (back spasms 5/1 to 5/11)
- Matt Adams (shoulder strain 5/5 to 5/22)
- Andrew Stevenson (back spasms 5/7)
- Anibal Sanchez (hamstring 5/17 to 5/29)
Quite a number of their core players were out for a considerable amount of time as the season started… notably Turner for 6½ weeks.
Sure, injuries aren’t an excuse and they are part of the game. That said, it’s also pretty clear what the club could do once firing on all cylinders. As a result, they got what every other club wants in 2020… particularly the Atlanta Braves.
Until you beat the Big Dog, he’s still the Big Dog – and while being able to claim back-to-back division titles is good, the Big Dog is the one holding the big trophy right now.
That puts the Braves in the underdog position … again. Of course maybe that’s the way they’d like it, too.
This status snapshot is written with the full knowledge that it is incomplete. The Nationals are not finished with their offseason work… just like the Braves aren’t. The unfortunate bit is that both clubs are now chasing the same prize to fill a large vacancy at third base.
Anthony Rendon has sought greener pastures in Southern California. Josh Donaldson is simply waiting things out to see just how green his new pastures will be… and where they’ll be.
It’s probably a 90% likelihood that either the Nationals or the Braves will pony up for the rights to his services next season, leaving the runner-up to scramble in the trade market.
For the purposes of this review, then, we’ll make the grand assumption that whoever the Nats come up with – and it will be someone good, no doubt – will provide ‘Donaldson production’… and projections will proceed from there.
With that in mind… let’s see what the World Champs have done this offseason.