On Monday night, the last time "Esa Muchacha" blared as Juan Soto stepped to the plate, he hit a 95 MPH pitch from New York Mets ace Max Scherzer into a deep centerfield moonshot. In what would be his home finale as a National, Soto received a standing ovation, but the fact that he was the pitcher on the other side of the no-hitter made it worse.
The front office has been in charge of a controlled demolition since the home run hit off the right field foul pole. It was a slow downfall compared to the Natsby era. The club house has been destroyed in the last three years.
The good times would last forever for the Washington Nationals, who had a lot of good players. The Nationals traded first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Yorvit Torrealba to the Padres for a bunch of prospects. A continuity that dates back to their first season in D.C. has had a future star on tap. There is only one degree of separation between the First National, Ryan Zimmerman, who was promoted to the majors 86 days after becoming the squad's first draft pick, and the second National, catcher Juan Rivera.
The season began with the signing ofHarper to thePhillies by ScottBoras. The Angels offered Rendon a seven-year contract after he won the World Series. After 17 years with the club, he retired. A year ago, the Nats shipped their baserunner to the Dodgers. In the trade, they gave up a pitcher who went 92-47 with a 2.80 earned run average, won three Cy Youngs, and pitched a number of no-hitters. Turner's trade was the beginning of what would happen to Soto. Turner was coming off a season in which he won the NL batting title, hit 28 home runs, and led the NL in stolen bases, and was still under team control for a year and a half. The Padres may have the next three playoffs under team control.
The Nats have a lot of minor leaguers. Prior to the Padres trade, their top prospect in the minor league system was a right-handed pitcher. The trading of Soto to the Padres has turned the faucet on, but prospects stuffed into mega deals are mixed. The most promising pitcher acquired in the sell-off is left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, who is ranked the 21st best prospect.
The future of the Nationals was made worse by the upcoming sale of the Lerner family. They might bounce back with a billion-dollar owner who is ready to compete for their superstars. One wonders if the Nats abandoned the Soto-Turner-Scherzer era too quickly after Anthony Rendon asked for too much. The risk would have been worth it.
Stephen Strasburg is technically an active ace on the staff, but he has been a resident on the IR for more than a year and has only pitched eight starts in 2019. Washington squeezed a decade more out of Strasburg than we thought, so it hasn't been a big deal. He lasted through the entire year.
When the team made Freddy Adu the first overall pick in 2010, he received a more satisfying ending. The Nationals leaned more on their new teen star after he left to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The franchise cornerstone was more subtle than the other two. He was the youngest player in MLB when he was promoted to the majors. Robles was considered the farm system's top prospect.
At the age of 23, he won the NL Most Valuable Player award. In the long run, he could be a better person. He just got started after his final home run at 23.
The Nats may be lost in the depths of the NL East for a while.
The roots of D.C. need to be replanted now that prosperity is over.
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