Rival Executive Offers High Praise for Young Nationals Roster

The Washington Nationals might not truly contend this season, but they've been fun to watch so far.

After years of losing where it felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, that has changed the past two seasons with 2024 offering some breakout performances from multiple young stars while this year has provided some real excitement about what this group could achieve in the future.

People are starting to take notice around the league, and that includes Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski.

"I don't think Washington's ready to compete for a championship just yet, but they have a lot of good young players on their team. And I think when they get going, they can beat anybody," he said on "The Show" with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.

When looking at what the Nationals have done as of late, that statement rings true.

Washington has won seven out of their last 10 games, sweeping the Baltimore Orioles and winning two straight against the Atlanta Braves before their momentum was halted a bit in their series loss against the San Francisco Giants.

But they headed out west and have split the first two contests of their three-game set against the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners, an impressive showing for this young group.

Maintaining consistent play for the rest of the year is the next step.

Lulls during the dog days of summer and the reality of not having enough talent to consistently win will catch up to the Nationals at some point during the year, so it will be up to manager Dave Martinez to keep everyone focused on doing the little things that it takes to be successful at this level.

Still, it's encouraging to hear Dombrowski have this amount of praise for a rival club, especially considering his Hall of Fame roster-building legacy.

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