Nationals Already Planning for Future With Non-Existent Playoff Odds

Coming intot he 2025 MLB regular season, the deck was stacked against the Washington Nationals in terms of making the postseason.

The division they play in was going to be a gauntlet, difficult to overcome. Three teams with legitimate World Series aspirations, the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, all call the National League East home.

The Miami Marlins have been more competitive than many people expected them to be as well.

Ownership and the front office decided this wasn’t the offseason to spend lavishly, opting to bring in veteran stopgaps at several positions to help raise the team’s floor but not be true playoff contenders based on the roster.

Some of those moves, such as signing utility man Amed Rosario, have been fruitful. Others, like designated hitter Josh Bell, have not been as positive.

The jury is still out on third baseman Paul DeJong and starting pitcher Michael Soroka, who both suffered injuries early on.

If the Nationals were going to make any noise, it would come from the development of the young players on their team.

Left fielder James Wood and shortstop CJ Abrams have both responded, performing like All-Stars. Catcher Keibert Ruiz is in the midst of a breakout campaign at the plate as well.

On the mound, MacKenzie Gore is showing ace qualities, turning into the best strikeout artist in the MLB. Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker look like foundational pieces in the starting rotation as well.

Unfortunately, those six haven’t been able to help compensate for underwhelming performances from other key contributors in the lineup or the woeful bullpen.

As a result, Washington is 18-27 entering play on May 16 and as shared by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, already have basically zero chance of making the postseason.

In a recent piece ranking each team’s chances of making the playoffs, the Nationals landed in the bottom tier, “When Are the Next Draft and Lottery Drawing?”

Ranked No. 28, they have less than a 0.1% chance to make the postseason according to Baseball-Reference and 0.2% chance according to FanGraphs. PECOTA isn’t even giving them those slim hopes with 0.0% chance.

Washington will be adding another elite young talent to their organization with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, but they won’t be allowed to pick any higher than 10 in the 2026 draft because they have had too many recent lottery picks.