There are still four weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report, 10 weeks to go until opening day against the Mets. There's plenty of time for things to change, and they probably will.
Yet if the Nationals needed to assemble a 25-man roster today, they could easily do it. And there's a decent chance that roster would look the exact same for Game 1 on March 28.
Such is the case when your front office has been among the most aggressive in the majors through the first three months of the offseason, acquiring eight major leaguers who are all projected to make the opening day roster.
There could still be more additions to come, of course, and there remains the most pressing issue of all: whether Bryce Harper will be returning to D.C. or heading elsewhere. But if the Nationals had to field a 25-man roster right now, they would have no glaring holes.
What would that roster look like?
We'll start with the lineup, which as currently constructed has Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Adam Eaton in the outfield, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Brian Dozier and Ryan Zimmerman around the infield, and either Yan Gomes or Kurt Suzuki behind the plate.
Not a bad lineup, even minus Harper, though the Nats would need to get some improved production from Zimmerman, Dozier and their catchers to help make up for the loss of Harper's power.
We know four of the five starting pitchers: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and AnÃbal Sánchez. The fifth, as it stands today, would be either Joe Ross or Erick Fedde. There's a good chance the Nationals will bring in a more experienced arm from the outside for that job before it's all said and done.
The bench is full already, a rarity for mid-January. The backup catcher (either Suzuki or Gomes) would join re-signed backup first baseman Matt Adams, backup infielder Wilmer Difo, fourth outfielder Michael A. Taylor and utilityman/pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick. Kendrick's the only real question mark here, still rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon and perhaps unable to be 100 percent for opening day.
The bullpen has undergone the most change on the Nationals roster. Sean Doolittle returns as closer, but his two primary setup men are new: Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough. Fellow right-handers Wander Suero, Koda Glover and Justin Miller all had moments last season but still need to prove they can consistently deliver in big spots. Matt Grace and Sammy SolÃs, for now, are the lefties, though it still seems likely the club will seek an available veteran instead of relying on those two.
Again, that's not a bad roster. Sure, it would look better with Harper in the middle of the lineup, an experienced No. 5 starter and a proven lefty in the bullpen. And it's entirely possible the Nationals will end up with all three of those when it comes time to submit their final roster at the end of spring training.
But this team is in a fairly advantageous position right now. How many other clubs can claim to have a viable 25-man roster all set to go on Jan. 15?
The Nationals can make that claim.
By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://www.masnsports.com/