The Washington Nationals have been in full rebuild mode since their historic 2019 World Series run. Perhaps their biggest name since Bryce Harper, being Juan Soto, was deemed as a future Hall of Famer. With Juan Soto now residing in the Bronx, the Nationals must be suffering from dealing such a player? Let’s take a dive into that.
Before residing in New York, Soto was the biggest name in Washington since Bryce Harper. A franchise player for years to come. However, after their 2019 World Series win, the Nationals dealt the superstar to the San Diego Padres. Those players who returned to the nation’s capital are now making some noise during Spring Training.
Before diving into those players, here was the deal that sent Soto to San Diego..
Padres receive:
OF Juan Soto
1B Josh Bell
Nationals receive:
1B Luke Voit
SS C.J. Abrams
LHP MacKenzie Gore
OF Robert Hassell III
OF James Wood
RHP Jarlin Susana
Obviously this was a haul for Soto. Those names that returned to D.C. have been having themselves a very nice Spring Training.
SS C.J. Abrams: .286 AVG/ .375 OBP/ .661 OPS, 2 H, 7 AB
OF Robert Hassell III: .556 AVG/ .583 OBP/ 1.805 OPS, 5 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 9 AB
OF James Wood: .500 AVG/ .588 OBP/ 1.731 OPS, 7 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 14 AB
The Nationals have one of the brightest futures in the game and now have a solid young core to build around. Heading into the 2024 regular season, there are not many expectations in Washington. However, giving these players time to develop and they will be competing quicker than some may think.
The Nationals will be a fun and interesting team to watch this upcoming season. Seeing how these youngsters will step up their game and develop into big league players is exactly what this franchise is going to thrive on.