David Huzzard: Winning is nice, but Nats can still improve roster

"As long as the Nats are winning," is a phrase we're hearing quite often these days from everyone from fans to announcers. It is the age old sports cliché that winning cures all and that all flaws can be ignored as long as games are being won. It's not good logic and not logic that can be afforded. Think of it in the terms of personal health. You can wait until there's a problem and pay thousands of dollars in medical bills or you can get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat a healthy diet and prevent the problem in the first place. The Nats are winning, but the roster isn't without issues and some of those are easy to fix and others much more difficult, but winning shouldn't be viewed as a cure. It's much more of a bandage.

The most discussed issue is shortstop and the surprisingly controversial decision on when to call up Trea Turner. Too much ink has already been spilled on this and the Nats have the only fan base that prefers the glove first veteran to the top-10 prospect. But it was said the other day that as long as the Nats are winning, Danny Espinosa will have time to figure out his swing. I'm afraid that this is Espinosa's swing. He's hitting for a low average with power and playing good defense. That is Espinosa, it has always been Espinosa, and that is what he will always be. The Nats winning or losing doesn't change who Espinosa is or that shortstop is an area in which the Nats can improve.

Other issues with the team are more difficult to fix. Jonathan Papelbon and the Nats bullpen have been good, but they also haven't been used. Papelbon has a 2.91 ERA and a 2.84 FIP. He is getting the job done and the Nats are getting the ball to him. Shawn Kelley has been a great addition to the team and Felipe Rivero is lights out. There are questions about the bullpen, though, even with the players that have been good. Nats relievers have pitched the third fewest innings in the majors. The starting staff is carrying the team. There is room for two more relievers in the Nats bullpen and one of them should be able to close given how Papelbon has been shaky when he's had to pitch on back to back days.

The outfield could use some work, as well. Ben Revere and Jayson Werth have not had good seasons thus far. There are signs of life from both of them and nothing can be done in either case until the trade deadline, so they have time to get their seasons on track. With outfielders like Ryan Braun available at the deadline, both Werth and Revere are going to have to play better if they want to have a starting role on the Nationals come August.

Like the bullpen, the bench is a place that can always be improved. Chris Heisey has been impressive, Clint Robinson continues to surprise, and Jose Lobaton is a back-up catcher. After that the bench is iffy. Michael Taylor has been a disappointment and could use some time playing every day in AAA and Stephen Drew, aside from the occasional home run, has been bad.

Calling up Turner and putting Espinosa on the bench to be a super utility, three-to-four starts a week guy, fixes a lot of the bench issues but it still leaves one spot that can be upgraded. That might come in the form of a trade for a player specifically for the bench or from an upgrade of the outfield and moving Revere or Werth to the bench. Either way, there are plenty of ways to improve the Nationals.

The mantra will continue to be that as long as the Nationals are winning nothing needs to be done, and that simply isn't true, because if nothing is done then the winning won't continue and it will be too late to do anything. The Nats mostly stood pat at the trade deadline last season because they were winning, and afterwards they weren't. By that time it was too late to improve the club and the idea that as long as the team is winning cost the Nationals the division. They can't afford to make the same mistake twice, and it's better to fix a problem before it causes issues than to wait for the issues and then fix the problem.

David Huzzard blogs about the Nationals at Citizens of Natstown. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHuzzard. His views appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our regular roster of writers.