MLB Adds Second Wild Card Team: Why This Is Great News for the Nationals

Nationals fans jumped for joy when they heard the news that Major League Baseball decided to add a second Wild Card team in 2012. Don't deny it, you got really excited too.

With a second Wild Card in the mix, the Nationals have a much better shot at reaching their goal of making the postseason for the first time in team history. Now, making the playoffs is a much more realistic possibility for the once-lowly Nationals.

Although the idea had been floated around for a while, General Manager Mike Rizzo went out this offseason looking to make the team capable of clinching the one Wild Card spot. Last season, the team finished fifth in the National League Wild Card, 9.5 games behind the World Champion Cardinals.

In order to combat another season below .500 (80-81), Rizzo went out and upgraded his starting rotation, the team's main weakness in 2011.

First, Rizzo traded away his top prospects not named Harper (Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole), along with two other minor leaguers, to the Oakland Athletics for left-hander Gio Gonzalez. By adding Gonzalez, Rizzo assured the team that they would have an ace throughout the course of the season, something they lacked in 2011.

After acquiring Gonzalez, Rizzo signed Edwin Jackson to a team-friendly one-year pact. Despite the inconsistencies throughout the course of his career, Jackson guarantees the team of at least 190 innings and an ERA in the 4.00 range. Having another innings eater on the staff will do wonders for the team's successes next season.

Even though the bullpen was a strength in 2011, Rizzo also signed veteran Brad Lidge to a low-risk one-year deal. Lidge, if healthy, will help to solidify the middle relieve corps for the Nationals.

With 80 wins last season, the team improved drastically from its 69 wins in 2010. This season, the team stands to see another big improvement.

Will they win 90 games? No, probably not. The NL East is too deep of a division for the Nationals to win that many games.

Is 85 a possibility, though? Yes, it most certainly is.

With 85 wins, the Nationals will challenge the Marlins for the third spot in the NL East. The Phillies and Braves will duke it out at the top for the division crown, with the loser taking the first Wild Card spot.

If the Nationals win 85 games and finish third in the division, they have great chance of making the playoffs as the second Wild Card.

In a one-game playoff, it would be anybody's game. It wouldn't be out of the question to see Washington upset the Braves (they're pretty good at collapsing), and make it into the playoffs for the first time in team history.

For the next few seasons, assuming the playoff format remains this way, the Nationals will most definitely benefit from the change. While they continue to work towards becoming a beast in the east, they'll be able to showcase their talented team and possibly sneak into the playoffs.

When the Phillies' aging veterans begin to slow down in a few years, the Nationals could be ready to overtake them and become NL East Champs themselves.

That's a few years down the line, however. For now, the Nationals will aim to clinch one of the two playoff spots and look to reap the benefits of the new format.