Nationals' 5 Biggest Missed Opportunities This Offseason

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The Washington Nationals were an epic Game 5 collapse from making it to the NLCS in 2012. As spring training quickly approaches, it is the perfect time to recognize the moves that the Nationals could have made to make their team an all but guaranteed World Series contender.

Although some options are not guaranteed to work out, some of them might have helped the Nats get to where they want to be this season. From players they should have kept to players they should have gone for, it could have been a much different offseason for the Nats if only they made another move or two.

Michael Morse

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The Nats had the opportunity to have a solid outfielder/first baseman for years to come. Rather than taking the risk of losing Michael Morse next season to free agency, the Nats elected to trade to guarantee getting something back.

This one might sting for a while. If the Nationals needed to make one move this offseason, it was to keep Morse rather than re-signing Adam LaRoche and letting Morse go in a trade.

While LaRoche will be a decent fit for the next two years, he is not the caliber of player with the tremendous upside that Morse could have been for them.

Josh Hamilton

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It might be far-fetched to have thought the Nationals could have made an offer that was close to the L.A. Angels' five-year, $125 million deal that Hamilton signed for.

But if they had taken a chance, things could have gotten interesting.

The Nationals have made splashes in the past by spending money and certainly are not afraid to make moves. This move, although risky, could have brought one of the biggest sluggers in the game to D.C.

The Nats wanted an outfielder and decided to go for Denard Span this offseason rather than trying to make a big splash and a huge signing in Hamilton. His injury risk is certainly something to be considered but it might have been a risk that could have been worth taking.

B.J. Upton

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The Nationals missed out with B.J. Upton because not only did they not land the 28 year-old center fielder, but they allowed their nemesis in the NL East to sign him. 

The Atlanta Braves have upgraded their outfield significantly and Upton could have been a great fit in D.C.

Justin Upton

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The Nationals not only allowed B.J. Upton to sign with the Braves but watched as his brother Justin was traded to the Braves as well.

It would have benefited the Nats to at least see what it might have entailed to get a deal done for Justin in order to land him in D.C. 

Eric Chavez

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The New York Yankees have benefited from having Eric Chavez on their team the last couple seasons. He went on to sign a $3 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Chavez would have been a perfect fit for the Nationals especially with Ryan Zimmerman's knack of getting injured. Chavez plays stellar defense and can still swing the bat.