The 6 Biggest Decisions Washington Nationals Have to Make This Offseason
A month into the Washington Nationals' offseason and they have yet to make any major decisions.
Who will succeed Davey Johnson? How will the Nats manage their bullpen? And what the heck will Washington do with Danny Espinosa?
To answer those questions and more, here are the six biggest decisions the Washington Nationals have to make this offseason.
Note: All statistics courtesy of MLB.com unless noted otherwise.
6. Whack the Head of the Goon Squad?
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For two seasons, Chad Tracy (pictured) has been the head of the "Goon Squad", the nickname given to Washington's bench players.
The following table shows Tracy's contributions to the Nationals as a pinch hitter over the past two seasons, according to Baseball-Reference.com:
| SEASON | AB | H | HR | RBI | PHlev |
| 2012 | 46 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 1.23 |
| 2013 | 64 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1.21 |
Now, Tracy is a free agent, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The Nationals have a decision to make about whether to bring back the head of the Goon Squad, or to look for another hit man.
5. What to Do with Danny Espinosa?
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The last game Danny Espinosa (pictured) played for the Washington Nationals was on June 2. That was the 380th game the California native played for this franchise. Espinosa hit .230 in 1,428 at-bats with 47 home runs and 147 RBI. His on-base percentage was .303 and his slugging percentage was .396.
This offseason, the Nationals will have to determine if that game on June 2 was the last game Espinosa will ever play for the Nationals, in turn deciding if he will ever change those career numbers he totaled for this franchise.
The statistics he compiled at Triple-A Syracuse certainly do not help his cause. In 75 games, Espinosa batted .216 in 283 at-bats, with two home runs and 22 RBI, according to MiLB.com. His on-base percentage was a lowly .280, and his slugging percentage was not much better at .286.
Espinosa's stint in the minor leagues was supposed to be a rehabilitation of sorts. Instead, it may have cost him his spot in the major leagues, at least with this team.
4. What's the Right Move with the Lefties?
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The Nationals' left-handed relievers—or lack thereof—were a point of contention all season long.
The team began the season with only one lefty in the pen, Zach Duke. That plan did not work out well, and Duke was waived on June 10, according to The Washington Post. By season's end, the Nats had three left-handers in the bullpen: Fernando Abad, Ian Krol (pictured) and Xavier Cedeno.
As of right now, the Nationals have no left-handed relievers signed for the 2014 season, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
Expect that to change. On Oct. 2, Christopher Gamble of RantSports.com wrote that "a lefty reliever might be the team’s highest priority and the free agent market should give GM Mike Rizzo plenty of options."
The Nats better get to it, before they are left searching for the right solution.
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3. Annual Search for the Fourth Starter
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The Nats have been here before. They are forced to spend time, energy and perhaps even money while trying to find a starting pitcher to fill the fourth spot in the rotation. Deja vu all over again from the last two offseasons.
For the 2012 season, Washington signed Edwin Jackson to a one-year contract worth $11 million, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Jackson finished the year with a 10-11 record and a 4.03 ERA in 189.2 innings over 31 starts. Jackson compiled 58 walks and 168 strikeouts with a .243 batting average against and a 1.22 WHIP. The 30-year-old right-hander signed with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason.
For the 2013 season, Washington signed Dan Haren to a one-year contract worth $13 million, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Haren completed the season with a 10-14 record and a 4.67 ERA in 169.2 innings over 30 starts and 31 total appearances, as he converted his only save opportunity. Haren recorded 31 walks and 151 strikeouts with a .268 batting average against and a 1.24 WHIP. The 33-year-old right-hander is expected to sign elsewhere.
So how will the Nationals fill the fourth spot in the rotation for the 2014 season?
Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com put forth a theory on Oct. 21:
"And that leads us to what is, perhaps, the most intriguing area of the off-season for the Nationals. The top of the rotation is set, with Strasburg, Gonzalez, and Zimmermann making up one of the best and most cost-efficient front three in the game. If healthy, Detwiler should get another shot after missing much of 2013. Beyond those four, the team could choose to allow Ohlendorf to compete with the emergent Tanner Roark (pictured) and Taylor Jordan for the fifth slot that will be vacated by Haren, leaving the losers to supplement the pen or provide depth in Syracuse. A rising Nathan Karns could also push for a role with a big spring after getting his first taste of the bigs last year, and other solid arms are moving through the system with him, headlined by [A.J.] Cole.
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Or the Nats could go to the free agent well one more time and hope the third time is the charm.
2. Slay the Three-Headed Monster?
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After the abrupt end to the 2012 postseason, the Nationals opted to employ a three-headed monster in the back end of their bullpen.
Take a look at how each of the three heads performed during the 2013 season:
| PITCHER | W | L | ERA | G | SV | SVO | IP | BB | K |
| Tyler Clippard | 6 | 3 | 2.41 | 72 | 0 | 3 | 71.0 | 24 | 73 |
| Drew Storen | 4 | 2 | 4.52 | 68 | 3 | 8 | 61.2 | 19 | 58 |
| Rafael Soriano | 3 | 3 | 3.11 | 68 | 43 | 49 | 66.2 | 17 | 51 |
With these mixed results, will the Nationals go in a different direction?
Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com may have answered that question on Oct. 21. Kolko wrote that "while adding relief arms will be a priority over the next few months, it's entirely possible that we end up seeing one of the Nationals' talented late-inning relievers—namely Tyler Clippard (pictured) or Drew Storen—traded away this offseason."
It will be very interesting to see which late-inning reliever—if any—gets the axe this offseason.
1. Who Will Skipper This Vessel?
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The Nationals have yet to choose a replacement for Davey Johnson.
Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post tweeted on Oct. 18 that there is one less candidate in the running:
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After Dusty Baker reached out to the Nats, they have not reciprocated interest. Hasn't interviewed, not expected to be a manager candidate.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) October 18, 2013"
Plus, on Oct. 21 Adam Kilgore reported that "Cal Ripken becoming an actual candidate for the job appears to be unrealistic, according to a person close to the situation."
With Baker and Ripken out of the running, who is left to choose from?
Here is a table of the five strongest candidates, according to Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com. The table includes each candidate's age, along with their 2013 employer and occupation, followed by their MLB managerial experience, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Finally, I included odds for the likelihood of each candidate being hired, based on my own handicapping:
This job search has been fun to watch so far. And the Nats haven't even started the second interviews.
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