How the Champion Washington Nationals were Built
Jul 29, 2019 6:58:08 GMT -5
Grubs - Philly likes this
Post by Commissioner Erick on Jul 29, 2019 6:58:08 GMT -5
It's instructive to look at championship teams and take note of how they were assembled. Discovering patterns can help us all find the magic formula to success, revealing a genius transaction can breed inspiration into us all, and finding some moves succeeded simply due to dumb luck reminds us how capricious the baseball gods are.
With that preamble, the Nationals.
PLAYERS
Defaulted into:
Bryce Harper
Anthony Rendon (resigned to contract extension beginning 2020. 5 Years, $100 million)
Trea Turner
Victor Robles
Juan Soto
Drew Ward
Max Scherzer
Joe Ross
Austin Voth
Blake Treinen (resigned to contract extension beginning 2021. 3 Years, $15.3 million)
Matt Crownover
Eric Pena
It's always good to be defaulted into an exceptionally talented roster. Washington has retained the right guys and managed their budget well, but this core of both talented young major leaguers and former minor league prospects has set a baseline that allowed Jake Pennel to maintain a championship team. Injuries and misfortune have derailed that goal at time, but it kept Washington in the conversation until they were able to acquire Mike Trout
Harper has had the best PBA career thus far and will be a unanimous vote into the PBA Hall of Fame. Injuries and poor defense have sapped the value of Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner, but each has been a decent starter. Max Scherzer spent four years as a frontline starter, fading to a still-valuable middle-rotation arm this past season. Joe Ross has been on the opposite trajectory, ascending to flip places with Scherzer after a rocky start to Ross' career.
Victor Robles peaked as a top-ten PBA prospect. Eric Pena is currently the number one prospect in the PBA two years in a row. Austin Voth was the #64 prospect in 2018. Juan Soto was the initial MVP of the Canadian Rookie League. Matt Crownover has been an All-Star in two minor leagues. Blake Treinen has simply been one of the most reliable workhorses out of a bullpen the past three seasons. Drew Ward may be the worst of the group, but he's a third-baseman who has produced an .800+ OPS in two of the last three years, which is a nice skill in a backup making the minimum.
This is what Jake Pennel was gifted and what he used to create a champion.
Trades:
Raul Mondesi (11/6/17 - Traded from the Royals for Yasel Antuna and Ricardo Mendez)
Andrew Edwards (7/23/18 - Traded from the Marlins for Trevor Gott)
Peter Solomon
Franklin E. Perez
Kyle Tucker (7/30/18 - Traded along with Forrest Whitley from the Astros for Daniel Murphy, Andrew McCutchen, and Sean Reid-Foley)
Colin Rea (12/7/20 - Traded from the Mariners for Daniel Johnson Jr., Tyler J. Watson, Stephen Strasburg, Washington's 2021 first round pick, and Washington's 2022 second round pick)
These players were acquired over four separate deals, with three of those trades having a colossal impact on the team.
Then the #92 prospect in the game, Washington acquired Mondesi for Yasel Antuna and Ricardo Mendez. Antuna just turned 22, and still needs seasoning for the Pacific Coast League. Mendez will turn 22 next year, and hasn't cracked the mid-minors yet. Meanwhile, after an injury sidelined him in 2018, Mondesi has been terrific for his age the past three years. He led the league in doubles in 2019, in steals in 2020, and this past year was a dynamic season where he hit .292 with 52 steals, 41 doubles, and 28 home runs. No matter what the two kids turn into, Washington won the trade.
Andrew Edwards had been sub-replacement level over his career, but pitched to a perfect ERA in seven postseason outings as a right-handed specialist. He was traded for Trevor Gott, who has been a better pitcher, but costs about a $1 million dollars more. Not the best deal.
The trade where Washington acquired Solomon, Perez, and Tucker was a franchise changer. Forrest Whitley was also taken on in that deal, with Washington sending out Daniel Murphy, Andrew McCutchen, and Sean Reid-Foley.
Murphy had a spectacular year-and-a-half with Houston, signed a cheap extension, and fell off the map after a trade with the Angels. McCutchen also had a tremendous year-and-a-half after the trade, but hasn't had an especially productive past two seasons. Reid-Foley has flashed signs of being one of the better pitchers in the American League.
However, while the cost was steep, Solomon was worth it. A former fifth round pick, his Cy-Young caliber 2021 was one of the signature forces behind Washington capturing the best record in the NL. Crucially, after some early struggles, he really came through in the postseason. Also, just 23, Perez is looking like a frontline power-pitcher, and he came off the DL to work a solid start in the World Series.
Even with Whitley elsewhere, and Tucker continuously failing when given big league opportunities, Solomon makes the deal worth it. The deal was a bold trade for a team still in playoff contention at the time, but the dividends paid off three seasons later.
Colin Rea also came over in a huge trade. While Rea isn't anything special and was only worth 0.8 WAR in a full year of starts, he was the one thing coming back in the Stephen Strasburg salary dump. Washington sent away their first two draft picks last season, a decent older prospect in Daniel Johnson Jr., and a relief prospect in Tyler J. Watson as the sweetners for Seattle absorbing the remaining $75 million dollars of Strasburg's contract. Some of that space went to sign Mike Trout, while Rea kept the lights on every fifth day.
Free Agents:
Carter Capps (1/11/19 - 4 years, $20.8 million. $5.2 million in title year)
Mike Zunino (1/4/20 - 3 Years, $29 million. $9.5 million in title year)
Jorge Crespo (1/31/20 - 4 Years, $44 million. $10.5 million in title year)
Will Smith (1/31/20 - 4 Years, $41.1 million. $10.1 million in title year)
Jeremy Jeffress (2/1/20 - 3 Years, $17 million. $5.7 million in title year)
Eric Thames (12/15/20 - 1 Year, $1.5 million. $1.5 million in title year)
Mike Trout (1/29/21 - 8 Years, $533.7 million. $46 million in title year)
The big fish Washington signed is obviously Mike Trout. Washington would up in a long bidding war for Trout's services, eventually winning him with a contract worth over $533 million. Trout will make close to $70 million each year of his contract, but Pennel was able to get Trout to take a discounted $46 million in the first year, allowing Trout to fit within owner Ted Lerner Jr.'s budget.
While a steep price, Trout was arguably the best player in the National League and a candidate to win MVP. He led the league in WAR, runs, on-base-percentage, and OPS in a season for the ages. He also had a .429 OBP in a very solid postseason. Trout put Washington over the top in the regular season, and in the playoffs.
Capps, Crespo, Smith, and Jeffress were all signed within the past three years in an effort to repair Washington's previously porous bullpen. Capps was hurt most of this season, as was Smith. Jeffress had a really rough postseason, but a nice regular season. Crespo was the opposite, turning in a nice postseason after a middling regular year. They combined to make $40 million dollars last season, which is way too much money for that specific quartet, showing why relievers in free agency are such a risky investment.
Mike Zunino was given a three-year contract with a ton of options in it to give Zunino some flexibility. Despite $9 million dollars, Zunino was bad in 2020, turning in a replacement level campaign after a power-filled campaign as a backup in 2019. Zunino opted in to his option for 2021, hit 26 home runs, played good defense, and slugged six home runs with a .395 average in a shocking playoff performance.
Eric Thames cost just $1.25 million to DH for the Nationals. While he struck out frequently, he hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 as a cheap power option to hit behind Trout and Harper. On a different team, Thames would have been a disappointing option, but given the talent elsewhere, Thames' patience and power at a discount was fine with what Washington was building.
Rule V Draft:
Ryan January
January was taken from Arizona last December and hit 11 home runs as a backup catcher. Probably not ready for primetime, getting a quality backup for free is always welcome, and January should be a solid backup for a few years.
STAFF
Assistant GM: Jonathan Dye.
Dye's first PBA experience came last season when he helped Pennel assemble the title team. More of a figurehead position than anything, Dye actually did a poor job marketing the team. Washington finished just fourth in merchandise sales and fifth in attendance despite the talent on their team.
Bench Coach: Liam Durney:
Like Dye, Durney's only recent professional experience has come with last year's Nationals. Durney is a fairly conventional bench coach, and had a good relationship with some of the young pitchers. He helped carry them along, while the veterans did what was expected of them. He didn't get along well with everyone in the clubhouse, but he coaxed outstanding seasons out of those who needed him to coax that out of them, in particularly Solomon.
Pitching Coach: David Lundquist
Hitting Coach: Barry Bonds
Scouting Director: John Mozeliak
After underperforming to an 85-win year in 2018, Washington cleared out its coaching staff and brought in Lundquist, Bonds, and Mozeliak. The team immediately won its division with 100 wins in 2019 and won a title last year. Lundquist showed promise early in the PBA as a Pitching Coach for Philadelphia's Lehigh Valley Triple-A team. Washington shelled out $432K and watched Lundquist develop a potential Cy Young winner. Bonds was one of the architects of the 2018 White Sox team that won the World Series. With the Nationals employing their own version of the old MLB's Bonds, it was a perfect match.
Mozeliak didn't come from success, failing as an assistant GM in St. Louis and a scout in Atlanta, before Washington snapped him up. Most of Washington's core was set up before Mozeliak came on board, though Zunino has turned into a nice win.
Trainer: Bob Frost:
After Bryce Harper's 2018 dislocated shoulder, Frost was brought on for the end of that season and retained since then. The Nats have generally been dinged up frequently, and this year was no exception. Capps and Perez missed most of the playoffs, while Smith missed all of it. Anthony Rendon wasn't able to play much in the playoffs, and even Max Scherzer was dealing with a strained forearm in the playoffs.
On the plus side, none of Washington's superstar hitters or young base runners were hurt much at all this year.
Summary: Washington has been defaulted into some big talent, but also has not been afraid of big moves. Bryce Harper and his contract are something Jake Pennel hasn't had to worry about. Max Scherzer hasn't needed a new contract. A number of talented youngsters have been a part of the franchise since 2017. That core has allowed Washington to be really good. However, the Nationals have been aggressive in making moves to be special. Trading away players who would get MVP votes in future years for what would become two stalwarts in their rotation. Spending all the cash on Mike Trout. Picking up coaching talent that has demonstrated success, despite high price tags. Sometimes bold moves tend to fail spectacularly. However, Washington showed that bold moves are also what wins championships.
With that preamble, the Nationals.
PLAYERS
Defaulted into:
Bryce Harper
Anthony Rendon (resigned to contract extension beginning 2020. 5 Years, $100 million)
Trea Turner
Victor Robles
Juan Soto
Drew Ward
Max Scherzer
Joe Ross
Austin Voth
Blake Treinen (resigned to contract extension beginning 2021. 3 Years, $15.3 million)
Matt Crownover
Eric Pena
It's always good to be defaulted into an exceptionally talented roster. Washington has retained the right guys and managed their budget well, but this core of both talented young major leaguers and former minor league prospects has set a baseline that allowed Jake Pennel to maintain a championship team. Injuries and misfortune have derailed that goal at time, but it kept Washington in the conversation until they were able to acquire Mike Trout
Harper has had the best PBA career thus far and will be a unanimous vote into the PBA Hall of Fame. Injuries and poor defense have sapped the value of Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner, but each has been a decent starter. Max Scherzer spent four years as a frontline starter, fading to a still-valuable middle-rotation arm this past season. Joe Ross has been on the opposite trajectory, ascending to flip places with Scherzer after a rocky start to Ross' career.
Victor Robles peaked as a top-ten PBA prospect. Eric Pena is currently the number one prospect in the PBA two years in a row. Austin Voth was the #64 prospect in 2018. Juan Soto was the initial MVP of the Canadian Rookie League. Matt Crownover has been an All-Star in two minor leagues. Blake Treinen has simply been one of the most reliable workhorses out of a bullpen the past three seasons. Drew Ward may be the worst of the group, but he's a third-baseman who has produced an .800+ OPS in two of the last three years, which is a nice skill in a backup making the minimum.
This is what Jake Pennel was gifted and what he used to create a champion.
Trades:
Raul Mondesi (11/6/17 - Traded from the Royals for Yasel Antuna and Ricardo Mendez)
Andrew Edwards (7/23/18 - Traded from the Marlins for Trevor Gott)
Peter Solomon
Franklin E. Perez
Kyle Tucker (7/30/18 - Traded along with Forrest Whitley from the Astros for Daniel Murphy, Andrew McCutchen, and Sean Reid-Foley)
Colin Rea (12/7/20 - Traded from the Mariners for Daniel Johnson Jr., Tyler J. Watson, Stephen Strasburg, Washington's 2021 first round pick, and Washington's 2022 second round pick)
These players were acquired over four separate deals, with three of those trades having a colossal impact on the team.
Then the #92 prospect in the game, Washington acquired Mondesi for Yasel Antuna and Ricardo Mendez. Antuna just turned 22, and still needs seasoning for the Pacific Coast League. Mendez will turn 22 next year, and hasn't cracked the mid-minors yet. Meanwhile, after an injury sidelined him in 2018, Mondesi has been terrific for his age the past three years. He led the league in doubles in 2019, in steals in 2020, and this past year was a dynamic season where he hit .292 with 52 steals, 41 doubles, and 28 home runs. No matter what the two kids turn into, Washington won the trade.
Andrew Edwards had been sub-replacement level over his career, but pitched to a perfect ERA in seven postseason outings as a right-handed specialist. He was traded for Trevor Gott, who has been a better pitcher, but costs about a $1 million dollars more. Not the best deal.
The trade where Washington acquired Solomon, Perez, and Tucker was a franchise changer. Forrest Whitley was also taken on in that deal, with Washington sending out Daniel Murphy, Andrew McCutchen, and Sean Reid-Foley.
Murphy had a spectacular year-and-a-half with Houston, signed a cheap extension, and fell off the map after a trade with the Angels. McCutchen also had a tremendous year-and-a-half after the trade, but hasn't had an especially productive past two seasons. Reid-Foley has flashed signs of being one of the better pitchers in the American League.
However, while the cost was steep, Solomon was worth it. A former fifth round pick, his Cy-Young caliber 2021 was one of the signature forces behind Washington capturing the best record in the NL. Crucially, after some early struggles, he really came through in the postseason. Also, just 23, Perez is looking like a frontline power-pitcher, and he came off the DL to work a solid start in the World Series.
Even with Whitley elsewhere, and Tucker continuously failing when given big league opportunities, Solomon makes the deal worth it. The deal was a bold trade for a team still in playoff contention at the time, but the dividends paid off three seasons later.
Colin Rea also came over in a huge trade. While Rea isn't anything special and was only worth 0.8 WAR in a full year of starts, he was the one thing coming back in the Stephen Strasburg salary dump. Washington sent away their first two draft picks last season, a decent older prospect in Daniel Johnson Jr., and a relief prospect in Tyler J. Watson as the sweetners for Seattle absorbing the remaining $75 million dollars of Strasburg's contract. Some of that space went to sign Mike Trout, while Rea kept the lights on every fifth day.
Free Agents:
Carter Capps (1/11/19 - 4 years, $20.8 million. $5.2 million in title year)
Mike Zunino (1/4/20 - 3 Years, $29 million. $9.5 million in title year)
Jorge Crespo (1/31/20 - 4 Years, $44 million. $10.5 million in title year)
Will Smith (1/31/20 - 4 Years, $41.1 million. $10.1 million in title year)
Jeremy Jeffress (2/1/20 - 3 Years, $17 million. $5.7 million in title year)
Eric Thames (12/15/20 - 1 Year, $1.5 million. $1.5 million in title year)
Mike Trout (1/29/21 - 8 Years, $533.7 million. $46 million in title year)
The big fish Washington signed is obviously Mike Trout. Washington would up in a long bidding war for Trout's services, eventually winning him with a contract worth over $533 million. Trout will make close to $70 million each year of his contract, but Pennel was able to get Trout to take a discounted $46 million in the first year, allowing Trout to fit within owner Ted Lerner Jr.'s budget.
While a steep price, Trout was arguably the best player in the National League and a candidate to win MVP. He led the league in WAR, runs, on-base-percentage, and OPS in a season for the ages. He also had a .429 OBP in a very solid postseason. Trout put Washington over the top in the regular season, and in the playoffs.
Capps, Crespo, Smith, and Jeffress were all signed within the past three years in an effort to repair Washington's previously porous bullpen. Capps was hurt most of this season, as was Smith. Jeffress had a really rough postseason, but a nice regular season. Crespo was the opposite, turning in a nice postseason after a middling regular year. They combined to make $40 million dollars last season, which is way too much money for that specific quartet, showing why relievers in free agency are such a risky investment.
Mike Zunino was given a three-year contract with a ton of options in it to give Zunino some flexibility. Despite $9 million dollars, Zunino was bad in 2020, turning in a replacement level campaign after a power-filled campaign as a backup in 2019. Zunino opted in to his option for 2021, hit 26 home runs, played good defense, and slugged six home runs with a .395 average in a shocking playoff performance.
Eric Thames cost just $1.25 million to DH for the Nationals. While he struck out frequently, he hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 as a cheap power option to hit behind Trout and Harper. On a different team, Thames would have been a disappointing option, but given the talent elsewhere, Thames' patience and power at a discount was fine with what Washington was building.
Rule V Draft:
Ryan January
January was taken from Arizona last December and hit 11 home runs as a backup catcher. Probably not ready for primetime, getting a quality backup for free is always welcome, and January should be a solid backup for a few years.
STAFF
Assistant GM: Jonathan Dye.
Dye's first PBA experience came last season when he helped Pennel assemble the title team. More of a figurehead position than anything, Dye actually did a poor job marketing the team. Washington finished just fourth in merchandise sales and fifth in attendance despite the talent on their team.
Bench Coach: Liam Durney:
Like Dye, Durney's only recent professional experience has come with last year's Nationals. Durney is a fairly conventional bench coach, and had a good relationship with some of the young pitchers. He helped carry them along, while the veterans did what was expected of them. He didn't get along well with everyone in the clubhouse, but he coaxed outstanding seasons out of those who needed him to coax that out of them, in particularly Solomon.
Pitching Coach: David Lundquist
Hitting Coach: Barry Bonds
Scouting Director: John Mozeliak
After underperforming to an 85-win year in 2018, Washington cleared out its coaching staff and brought in Lundquist, Bonds, and Mozeliak. The team immediately won its division with 100 wins in 2019 and won a title last year. Lundquist showed promise early in the PBA as a Pitching Coach for Philadelphia's Lehigh Valley Triple-A team. Washington shelled out $432K and watched Lundquist develop a potential Cy Young winner. Bonds was one of the architects of the 2018 White Sox team that won the World Series. With the Nationals employing their own version of the old MLB's Bonds, it was a perfect match.
Mozeliak didn't come from success, failing as an assistant GM in St. Louis and a scout in Atlanta, before Washington snapped him up. Most of Washington's core was set up before Mozeliak came on board, though Zunino has turned into a nice win.
Trainer: Bob Frost:
After Bryce Harper's 2018 dislocated shoulder, Frost was brought on for the end of that season and retained since then. The Nats have generally been dinged up frequently, and this year was no exception. Capps and Perez missed most of the playoffs, while Smith missed all of it. Anthony Rendon wasn't able to play much in the playoffs, and even Max Scherzer was dealing with a strained forearm in the playoffs.
On the plus side, none of Washington's superstar hitters or young base runners were hurt much at all this year.
Summary: Washington has been defaulted into some big talent, but also has not been afraid of big moves. Bryce Harper and his contract are something Jake Pennel hasn't had to worry about. Max Scherzer hasn't needed a new contract. A number of talented youngsters have been a part of the franchise since 2017. That core has allowed Washington to be really good. However, the Nationals have been aggressive in making moves to be special. Trading away players who would get MVP votes in future years for what would become two stalwarts in their rotation. Spending all the cash on Mike Trout. Picking up coaching talent that has demonstrated success, despite high price tags. Sometimes bold moves tend to fail spectacularly. However, Washington showed that bold moves are also what wins championships.