With back to back convincing wins against the Diamondbacks, the Nationals are back above .500. They have also made up all the ground they lost in the Wild Card race, sitting just one game back of a playoff spot on June 7th. The fact that the Wild Card is even worth mentioning speaks to the craziness of this turnaround.
Since 2021, the Nats have never truly been in the hunt this deep in the season. Now, we are just one game behind the Padres, Pirates and Cubs in a crowded National League. I wish the Nats were in the American League because the playoff race in that league truly feels like a race to the bottom. Right now, the 31-33 Rangers hold a playoff spot.
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As a whole, the National League is the much stronger one this year. You can see that in the records. NL division leaders are 45-24 against the AL, while AL division leaders are only 31-29 against the NL. The Nats would only be one game back in the AL West right now, despite being 11 games out of their own division.
There are a lot of good teams in the National League, and the Nats have fared well against those opponents. The Padres and D-Backs are in the Wild Card hunt, and the Nats have now won series against both. They swept the Brewers earlier in the year and took a series off the Braves in Atlanta. This team has the firepower, but competing in this hard scrabble NL is tough.
If the Nats were in the AL, I would be more bullish on our postseason hopes. However, in this league, there are so many teams that are looking to win now. For me, a realistic goal is to stick close to .500. Staying in a playoff race is just a cherry on top.
I do think that being competitive is good for this team long term. Core players like Wood and Abrams have mostly just seen losing in DC. It is good for them to know what it is like to consistently win ballgames. There is a standard being set in DC, and the league is taking notice. Hopefully, this will make free agents want to play in DC moving forward.
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A winning culture is sprouting, but the Nationals are also becoming a place where players can develop. These players are always looking to improve, and Washington, DC is full of success stories. Just look at Zack Littell, who was brutal to start the season after signing late. The Nats coaching staff and front office stuck with him, and after making adjustments, he is throwing the ball at a near elite level.
If you are a free agent hitter, you should also want to be coming to DC. Just about everyone on this team has gotten better. Curtis Mead has been a massive organizational win, finally living up to his prospect pedigree at 25 years old. Jacob Young has been turned into a power hitter, and Keibert Ruiz went from a lost cause to a solid starting catcher.
There are also young stars to build around here. James Wood has become one of the best players in the entire league this season. CJ Abrams also looks poised to become an All-Star starter. These are pillars of the franchise, and the next step will be building around those guys.
The Nats are only one game back of a playoff spot in what was supposed to be a rebuild year. Really, I still think this is a rebuilding year. There are so many clear holes on the roster, yet this team is still succeeding. If they get into the playoffs this year, it would be a truly miraculous turnaround. However, I think this year is that season where the Nats finish around .500 and then build on it in the future.
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For a long time, fans have wondered when the next version of that 2011 season would come. Despite going 80-81, that 2011 season was a very important one in Nats history. It was the year where fans felt like the rebuild was starting to push towards something. Playoff success and division titles felt like they were on the horizon.
In 2024 and 2025, Nats fans wondered if the next 2011 would come. However, both years, they fell short of that and remained deep in a rebuild. With a new regime coming in and trading MacKenzie Gore, the Nats felt further away from that than ever entering this season. However, on June 7th, the Nats appear ahead of schedule.
The new 2011 is finally here, and this offseason would be a good time for Mark Lerner and Paul Toboni to push their chips to the middle of the table. Now would be the time for that Jayson Werth signing and Gio Gonzalez trade. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out, and just go along for the ride. The Paul Toboni/Blake Butera ride has been fun so far, and I am trusting the process.
