The Nationals: "No Way Home"

In honor of this weekend's release of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," I'm going to attempt to create parallels between the blockbuster movie and the upcoming Nationals season.

I like baseball and superheroes, and we're in a lockout, so bear with me.

This is a spoiler-free reference to "No Way Home" for those of you who have yet to see the film. I saw it opening night since Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I hate when people spoil things for me, so I will not do that for you.

It will, however, contain possible spoilers for the previous Spider-Man movie, "Spider-Man: Far From Home." That movie came out two years ago, so I think that's fair. But there's your warning just in case.

It's weird to think that when "Far From Home" was released, the Nats went on to win the World Series that year. But I digress.

In "No Way Home," Peter Parker has to deal with the fallout of the conclusion of "Far From Home," in which his identity as Spider-Man is revealed to the world. In an attempt to erase people's memory of that fact, Parker and Dr. Stephen Strange accidentally tamper with the multiverse, allowing characters from other "Spider-Man" films to enter this one.

So how does this plot relate to the Nats next season?

Well, obviously this franchise made a huge change in direction at this past trade deadline, selling off key assets for this season and the organization's future to enter a rebuild. With that change in direction, there are a lot of familiar faces from past Nats teams who are now returning as opponents. And players who used to be division rivals have now joined the Nats. Former friends are now foes and former foes are now friends.

They're multiverse versions of how we used to know them. Again, bear with me.

Let's start with the most iconic one: Max Scherzer. Over his seven-year career with the Nats, Scherzer was an All-Star every season (except the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when there was no All-Star Game), won back-to-back Cy Young Awards, threw two no-hitters, struck out 20 batters in one game and won a World Series title. Perhaps the best player to ever wear a Nationals jersey.

Then the Nats traded him, along with Trea Turner, to the Dodgers for four prospects, including Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz. Scherzer entered the offseason as the top starting pitcher on the free agent market and many Nats fans were hoping for a reunion in D.C.

Instead, Scherzer signed with the rival Mets on a record three-year, $130 million deal. The greatest friend turned the worst foe.

Scherzer will likely make his Mets debut against - wouldn't you know it? - the Nationals during the regular season's opening weekend. He's likely to take the mound for the second time in a Mets uniform the following weekend at - you guessed it - Nationals Park. The Nationals and Mets play each other 19 times a season, so there are plenty of opportunities for more matchups over the next three years.

Possibly joining Scherzer in the Mets dugout is Buck Showalter, who is reportedly one of the finalists for New York's open managerial position. It's even been reported that Scherzer is campaigning for Showalter to get the job.

Nats fans will remember Showalter from his nine years managing the Beltway Series rival Orioles. Showalter went 23-17 against the Nationals over his time in Baltimore. An old foe possibly returning.

Update: The Mets officially hired Showalter to be their new manager, owner Steve Cohen announced today on Twitter.

Moving back to the West Coast, Turner is still with the Dodgers with one year remaining on his contract. The 28-year-old was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time this season, representing the Nationals, then finished the season in Dodger blue, winning the major league batting title and placing fifth in National League MVP voting.

Joining Turner in Los Angeles is Daniel Hudson, who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason after being traded to the Padres for Mason Thompson and Jordy Barley at the deadline. He's forever in Nationals lore as the closer who recorded the final out of Game 7 in the 2019 World Series, giving the Nats their first championship.

The Dodgers are scheduled to visit South Capitol Street on May 23-25, with the Nationals heading to Chavez Ravine on July 25-27.

The last player the Nationals traded at the deadline who is currently on an active roster is Yan Gomes, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Cubs this offseason. Gomes and Josh Harrison were shipped to the Athletics with cash considerations for three prospects. The 34-year-old is in Nationals lore as Hudson's catcher for the final out of Game 7 in the 2019 World Series.

The Nationals and Cubs are scheduled to face each other in back-to-back weeks in August, first with three games at Wrigley Field on Aug. 8-10, then with three games at Nats Park on Aug. 15-17.

There are also former friends who the Nationals will see as foes for the first time this season, like Anthony Rendon. The former sixth overall draft pick turned into a clutch third baseman and MVP candidate with the Nationals, playing a vital role on the World Series championship team. Following the title run, Rendon agreed to a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels, two days after the Nationals signed Stephen Strasburg to a similar deal.

The Nats are scheduled to face Rendon for the first time as an opponent over a three-game series on May 6-8 in Anaheim.

Then there are the former friends who have been enemies for a while now, like Bryce Harper. After he signed a 13-year, $330 million deal to join the rival Phillies in 2019, the Nats were able to finally exorcize the postseason demons that haunted them during Harper's tenure in Washington. The 29-year-old is still searching for his first postseason appearance with the Phillies, but he appears to be closer to October than the Nationals, coming off his second MVP season in which he beat out current Nats superstar Juan Soto.

And Harper crushes his former team. In 47 games against the team that drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, the slugger is slashing .311/.459/.596 for a 1.055 OPS with 12 home runs and 26 RBIs. As a division rival, the Nats play the Phillies 19 times a season. The first scheduled matchup in 2022? The Nationals' home opener on April 4.

But like I said, in this weird multiverse comparison, there are also former foes who will now be friends.

Last month, the Nationals announced a one-year deal with infielder César Hernández. And last weekend, they reportedly struck minor league deals with infielders Dee Strange-Gordon and Maikel Franco. All three veterans have played against the Nats as NL East rivals.

Foes now friends.

Hernández has played 97 games against the Nationals over his nine-year career, the first seven with the Phillies. He's a career .263 hitter with 23 RBIs and 14 stolen bases against Nationals pitching. Now he's coming off his best power season, in which he hit 21 home runs and 21 doubles, and bringing that bat to the home team clubhouse at Nats Park.

Strange-Gordon spent three of his 10 years in the majors with the Marlins. He was an All-Star his first year in Miami in 2015, when he led the majors in hits and stolen bases while winning the NL batting title, a Silver Slugger Award and Gold Glove Award. In 64 career games against the Nationals, Strange-Gordan hit .279 and scored 26 runs with 17 stolen bases.

As for Franco, he was a staple in the Phillies lineup for the first six years of his career and then played 104 games with the Orioles last season after spending the shortened 2020 campaign with the Royals. In 78 games against the Nats, he only had an average of .228 but hit 12 home runs and recorded 33 RBIs.

That's the Nationals' multiverse next season. Rooting for players you once booed and booing players you once rooted for often come with rebuilds. I'm sure there are other small connections we'll see once the season gets underway.

It's not a perfect comparison, but hopefully it makes more sense once you've seen the movie. Or if you're just really into multidimensional theories.

Whatever happens, let's enjoy the upcoming baseball season. And those of you who are going to see the movie, enjoy it!

Remember: No spoilers!