Washington Nationals General Manager Doesn't Consider Season a Success

Was 2024 a successful season for Washington Nationals?

Jul 22, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo (L), Nationals first round draft pick outfielder Dylan Crews (M), and agent Scott Boras (R) at an introductory press conference prior to the Nationals' game against the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason after a much better 2024 campaign compared to 2023. 

This season, the Nationals took a nice step forward in their rebuild, as they exceeded a lot of expectations going into the season. The rebuild has certainly taken some time, but there is a clear direction for the franchise and things are looking good. 

Washington is building through their farm system and over the last few years some of these players are coming up and making an impact. In the infield, Keibert Ruiz, CJ Abrams, and Luis Garcia Jr. are building blocks in the infield. At shortstop, Abrams was named to his first All-Star team this year. 

In the outfield, the Nationals have some elite prospects in James Wood and Dylan Crews who both came up this campaign. Wood got a lot more playing time in the Majors, and he looked excellent. 

Washington’s jump from 2023 to 2024 was a whopping 16 wins, but general manager Mike Rizzo didn’t want to label the season a success. 

“I don't think that it's a successful season, but it's a very encouraging season,” said general manager Mike Rizzo to Bobby Blanco of MASN. “Nobody wants to aim to win 70 games in a season. We want to win 97 games in the season. So that's our goal. That's always been our goal. But this is a good step in the right direction to that.”

Even though Rizzo might not think that the improvement was a success, that type of jump in a season for a rebuilding team is. 

This offseason, the general manager should have the opportunity to really help expedite this rebuild, as the franchise should have some money to spend in free agency and a clear direction on where they should spend it. 

With talented young players in the middle of the infield and the outfield, the Nationals should be focused on adding a top-end of the rotation starting pitcher and a corner infielder who can provide some power in the middle of the order. 

If Washington is able to address some of these needs, they could see another nice jump in their win total with expected improvement from their young players. 

While the goal for the team is to make the playoffs and win 90+ games, Rizzo and the organization should be pleased with the process that they have been doing.