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Because the citizens of Washington are wallowing in the basement of NL East

The Washington Nationals are living proof that money doesn’t always matter.

After spending more on the free agent market last winter than 29 of the 30 major league teams, the Nats popped at the start of the 2020 shortened campaign, then sank into the basement of the National League East.

In fact, their record of 12-23 after their first 35 games this season equaled the Florida Marlins’ 1998 score as the worst ever recorded by a reigning world champion.

Although the team scored a 10-9 win over first-place Atlanta Braves in a Friday doubleheader’s night cap, the Nationals don’t have much hope of landing in the playoffs – even with the post-season competition extended to 16 teams for the first. time.

Going into the weekend, Washington has played a dozen consecutive games against two of the strongest teams in the majors: the Braves (8) and the Tampa Bay Rays (4).

MLB Network’s Brian Kenny pointed out during his Friday night statcast that the Nationals had the toughest remaining schedule, facing teams with a .568 win rate. He said the team also finished last in saved defensive runs.

Illness, injury, and free will all played important roles in the Nat breakdown.

Stephen Strasburg, who is expected to collaborate with Max Scherzer in a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, just pitched this year (five innings) before undergoing carpal tunnel surgery on the pitcher’s hand. Strasburg, 32, led the championship with 18 wins in 2019, followed by winning World Series MVP titles.

Juan Soto, one of the best young hitters in the game at age 21, missed the start of the season after testing positive for COVID-19 and missed the start of Atlanta’s current four-game streak with an elbow. in pain.

Second base Starlin Castro, signed as a free agent, broke his wrist last month and disappeared for the duration.

Two-time All-Star Ryan Zimmerman, the first regular since 2006, has given up the season entirely due to concerns over the contagious virus.

The Nationals were also hampered – both attacking and defending – by the absence of Anthony Rendon, who led the National League last year with 126 points before racking up three home runs in the post-season game. He went to the Los Angeles Angels on a seven-year contract worth $ 245 million.

This is the exact amount the club gave Strasburg to stay despite the pitcher’s inability to stay healthy. During his 11-year career, Strasburg only released two seasons in which he pitched at least 200 innings.

Rendon, meanwhile, is thriving for the Angels, making Nationals fans think that general manager Mike Rizzo made the wrong decision when wondering which veteran to keep.

Third base is still an issue in Washington, which sent struggling rookie Carter Kieboom back to the team’s alternate training site.

Fleet midfielder Victor Robles, who also performed below his potential, avoided a similar fate but apparently did not avoid an unlucky second year.

Rendon’s loss a year after losing former MVP Bryce Harper to arch rival Philadelphia in similar circumstances tore a Titanic-sized hole in the Washington lineup, putting veterans like Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Adam Eaton under pressure. .

Washington fans remember December 7 as the team’s personal Pearl Harbor Day; It was on that date in 2016 that the Nationals sent a promising right thrower named Lucas Giolito, plus two other minor leaguers, to the White Sox for Eaton. Giolito, now a star in Chicago, launched the only no-hitter of 2020 on August 25.

Only Soto and shortstop Trea Turner brought the load to the plate this year, as the starting rotation struggled with the loss of Strasburg, 32, and the declining performance of veterans Patrick Corbin, 31, and Scherzer, 36. .

Entering Labor Day weekend, Soto led both leagues in slugging (.758) and OPS (1.211). Hitting .354 with 11 home runs in his first 117 trips, Soto also had more walks (17) than strikeouts (16).

In his first 37 games, Turner hit .364 with four stolen bases and nine home runs, one of which was an inside-park shot earlier this week.

Manager Dave Martinez, who switched squads after Washington started the 2019 season with a score of 19-31, has tried everything to double last year’s miracle. But time is running out.

The team was hampered by the failure of young pitchers Austin Voth and Eric Fedde to develop as quickly as expected; they teamed up to drop eight of their first nine decisions.

To make matters worse, Washington failed to fill any of its obvious gaps at the August 31 trade deadline. With hopes nearly dashed for this year’s playoffs, the once proud Nationals appear to have adopted a “wait until next year” attitude.

The team spent $ 316.75 million on 10 free agents last winter, behind only the Yankees ($ 336.5 million on two players, including Gerrit Cole). Most of Washington’s money went to Strasburg, who is now the team’s highest paid player after Scherzer.

According to Spotrac, the Nationals rank 12th in paychecks with $ 66,370,282 but fourth in long-term payroll commitments, behind only the Angels, Yankees and Dodgers.

Earlier in the season, the Nationals had been considered the main threat to Atlanta’s bid for a third consecutive division title in the Eastern Division. But that idea was usurped by the Philadelphia Phillies, currently the hottest club in the five-team division; the New York Mets; and also the Miami Marlins, who made numerous staff changes after missing a 60-game portion of the season with multiple COVID-19 positive tests.

Defending a world cup is never easy. But nobody even expected Nats to become midges.

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