It promises to be a busy offseason for Bud Black

Matt Williams certainly deserved blame for the Nationals falling woefully short of sky-high expectations this season. But believing that general manager Mike Rizzo's firing of Williams and hiring of Bud Black will simply solve all the Nationals problems is ignorant.

Black, a pitching guru, assumes a team in desperate need of a bullpen rebuild. Order one will be how to handle Jonathan Papelbon after his choking of Bryce Harper left the veteran closer suspended for the remainder of the season. Papelbon is likely gone, leaving a major hole at the back end of the bullpen.

Drew Storen is eligible for arbitration and would prefer a change of scenery after the Nationals bumped him aside for Papelbon at the trade deadline. Casey Janssen's option won't be picked up after his disastrous season that began on the disabled list. And 39-year-old left-hander Matt Thornton is a free agent.

The Nationals will get right-hander Craig Stammen back after flexor surgery robbed him of basically all of 2015. Righty Blake Treinen was impressive down the stretch, as were left-handers Felipe Rivero and Sammy Solis. Rivero, whose heater touched 100 mph late in the year, could be a potential eighth-inning setup man for Black.

Rizzo has flirted with Reds fireballer Aroldis Chapman before and those rumors are sure to heat up once again in November. Orioles right-hander Darren O'Day is a hot free agent coming off an All-Star season who could fit nicely in the back half of the Nats bullpen.

Black has the luxury of taking over a team with a starting rotation led by right-handers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. Both Black and Strasburg are products of San Diego State, which hopefully helps develop a strong relationship. Strasburg, who was dominant after returning from the disabled list on Aug. 8, enters the final year of his contract with the Nationals.

Black, a left-hander who won 121 games over his 15-year career, also gets the opportunity to work with streaky southpaw Gio Gonzalez. It could be the perfect fit for Gonzalez, who seemed to routinely butt heads with Williams.

From there, Black's challenge is to fill out his rotation with the expected departures of free agents Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister. Right-handers Joe Ross and Tanner Roark are the likely candidates, with top prospect Lucas Giolito potentially joining the mix at some point next season. Right-hander A.J. Cole will get the chance to compete again for a spot during spring training as well.

So much was made about Williams' inability to communicate with his team. By all accounts, Black is hands-on and direct with his players. It may be wise for Black to empower Harper as the team's leader from Day One. With longtime clubhouse leader Ian Desmond likely gone to free agency and Jayson Werth aging, it's time for this to become Harper's team. Forget that he is 23, he'll be entering his fifth season in the majors as arguably the best player in the game.

Harper showed up at spring training last year indicating he wanted to be more of a leader. He certainly led by example, carrying the Nationals throughout the season. Now he needs to be the vocal leader and the force in the clubhouse for other players - veterans or rookies - to answer to.

With some tweaking and the right offseason acquisitions, Black will find himself managing his most talented roster and maybe guiding a ballclub into the playoffs for the first time.