MLB Insider Slams Nationals Organization, Paints Them as ‘Bottom Feeders’

The buzz around the Washington Nationals was about its young talent, led by James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore.

The Nats have been painted as a team on the upswing. But, in a long piece by Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic (subscription required), he wrote that their window for ascension may already be passing.

Rosenthal painted a pitcher of the Nationals as an organization that has difficulty developing talent, unwilling to spend money in free agency and already facing tough decisions on young players closing in on free agency.

He also doesn’t see it getting better.

The Washington Nationals as Bottom Feeders

Rosenthal pointed out that the Nationals are third in losses in the Majors since winning the 2019 World Series. Only the Pittsburg Pirates and Colorado Rockies have lost more.

Wood, Abrams and Gore are players the Nationals acquired in the Juan Soto trade in 2022. But, as Rosenthal wrote, the success of those players can “… mask only so much.”

So, what’s wrong? Rosenthal wrote that there doesn’t appear to be a sense of urgency in Washington. General manager Mike Rizzo has been with the franchise since 2009 and is under a lengthy extension. Manager Davey Martinez has had his job since October of 2017. The Lerner family — which appeared interested in selling last year — have owned the team since 2006.

His article focused on a general malaise in the franchise, one in which a combination of spend-thrift offseason moves, faltering player development and failures in international signings have stymied a rebuild.

The only young player under a long-term deal is catcher Keibert Ruiz, who has not lived up to his eight-year, $50 million deal.

Even if the Nationals wanted to get Gore, Wood and outfielder Dylan Crews into a long-term, team-friendly deal, Rosenthal points out a huge impediment — they are all represented by the game’s top agent, Scott Boras, who prefers to take his players to market.

Washington, under Rizzo, has a horrible track record of keeping stars once they hit free agency. One of his most expensive international signings ever, Yasel Antuna, is no longer in professional baseball. Two others — Cristhian Vaquero and Armando Cruz — aren’t among The Athletic’s (subscription required) Top 20 Nationals prospects.

It all led Rosenthal to an apt conclusion about the franchise.

“Good teams both spend and develop. The Nationals do neither,” he wrote.

He wrote that their lack of desire to spend could influence who they take at No. 1 overall in July’s MLB Draft. He also wrote that Gore is now at the same service time that Soto was when he was dealt.

From his point of view, it all adds up to the Nationals being one of baseball’s bottom feeders — even with the optimism that surrounds their young players.