Who starts opening day 2022 for the Nationals?

Upon recording his 10th strikeout of the night late Wednesday, Max Scherzer stalked off the mound at Dodger Stadium and returned to the home dugout, where a bunch of new teammates doled out high-fives and ultimately pushed the three-time Cy Young Award winner back up the steps to acknowledge a sellout crowd seeking a curtain call.

On the other side of the country, Nationals fans could be excused for feeling sickened by the sight of it all. Scherzer wearing Dodger blue, striking out Jose Altuve three times, leading Los Angeles to victory over Dusty Baker's Astros? That was tough to watch.

This is the new reality, though. The Nats have moved on from Scherzer and Trea Turner and six other veterans and have begun a rebuilding process they hope won't take too long.

But in the meantime, the roster that remains here pales in comparison to what it used to be. And it'll probably remain that way heading into 2022, with a club that is expected to still be building, as opposed to winning.

Who will lead the way for that team? Offensively, we know it will be Juan Soto. But what about the pitching staff? Who's the next ace? Or, for that matter, who's the next opening day starter?

It's something we haven't had to think about much in a long time. In fact, either Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg has started opening day each of the last 10 years.

The last time someone else had the honor? That was 2011, when Liván Hernández took the ball against the Braves and suffered a 2-0 loss.

So who's it going to be in 2022?

The Nationals want to believe Strasburg will be fully recovered from thoracic outlet surgery and ready to go. And perhaps he will and this won't end up being a significant issue. But nobody can say for certain right now Strasburg will be ready. He faces a long and difficult recovery from his surgery, which has derailed the careers of several other pitchers in the last decade.

So if it's not Strasburg and it's not Scherzer - who, theoretically, could re-sign with the Nats this winter but likely won't given the change in direction for the franchise - who else is there?

Patrick Corbin? He'll be the most senior member of the rotation if Strasburg's not back. But he'll also be coming off back-to-back ragged seasons that make his $140 million contract look like a major problem for the organization.

Joe Ross or Erick Fedde? While each right-hander has made some important strides this season, neither appears to be on the verge of a major breakthrough that would elevate him to No. 1 starter status.

Paolo Espino? No.

Josiah Gray or Cade Cavalli? Though club officials would love for one or both to become regular candidates for the opening day assignment in the long run, you wouldn't think they'd want to put that much pressure on the young prospects at this point. Give them time to ease into the middle or back of the rotation before bumping them up to the top slot.

Maybe it'll be someone not currently in the organization. Maybe the Nationals do intend to spend some money this winter and bolster a rebuilding roster with an established, frontline starting pitcher.

Point is, there's no clear answer. For the first time in a decade, the Nationals will need to find a capable opening day starter. And they very well may not have a three-time Cy Young Award winner or former No. 1 draft pick ready and waiting to get the call once again.