NLDS Result Should Make Washington Nationals Confident Regarding Their Rebuild
Winning the World Series is all about getting hot at the right time, something the Washington Nationals experienced during their improbable 2019 championship run.
At one point the team looked out of it, and then suddenly, they were the team nobody wanted to play on their way to winning the franchise's first-ever World Series title.
The Nationals are searching for a way to get back to that.
When they couldn't repeat in 2020, the organization decided to tear things down and enter into a rebuilding process that still looks years away from being completed to the point where they are back into contending status.
However, what just took place in the National League Division Series should give them confidence.
In four games, the upstart New York Mets were able to knock off the juggernaut Philadelphia Phillies who came into this season as World Series favorites and performed that way until the latter stages of the year which ended in their early demise.
The Mets weren't supposed to be here.
Following the hiring of a new president of baseball operations this past winter, their ultra-rich owner decided not to spend tons of money in free agency, instead trusting the new front office and coaching staff to make the right moves that would boost the roster already in place.
With that mindset, New York was able to find lightning in a bottle and play their way into an NLCS appearance that is about as unlikely as something that would be written in a fairytale movie.
So why should this give Washington confidence?
Because it's the Mets and their pieced together roster who reached the NLCS, not the Phillies and their massive payroll featuring tons of household names.
Philadelphia was supposed to be the ones playing for the World Series, not New York, and the reason why the Mets accomplished that was because they produced timely hits, leaned on everyone in the lineup, and put together strong pitching performances when it mattered most.
It also highlights that all the Nationals have to do is get into the playoffs.
While that might feel far off based on them finishing 20 games under .500 for the second season in a row, the Kansas City Royals had 56 wins in 2023 before making it to the ALDS this year. New York only won four more contests than Washington did last year, and the Cleveland Guardians went from winning 76 games to earning the second overall seed in the AL.
There's work that needs to be done this winter so the Nationals are in position to accomplishing that type of turnaround, but success could be closer than they might have imagined entering the offseason.
