Washington Nationals Players Have Clear Goals in Mind for the Future
The 2024 season was a tale of two halves for the Washington Nationals.
While they were competitive early on, hanging around the wild card race, they quickly fell out of the race as the summer went along. A lot of that had to do with the youth movement that occurred.
The Nationals’ roster by the end of the campaign was completely changed from what it was on Opening Day. Their best player entering the season, outfielder Lane Thomas, was traded to the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the deadline.
Veteran Joey Meneses was demoted to the minor leagues. Jesse Winker was traded to the New York Mets. Presumed ace Josiah Gray, who started Opening Day, ended up needing Tommy John surgery.
The losses piling up were frustrating, but young guys who could be part of the team’s long-term core were contributing every day. This was exactly how a franchise wants to see a youth movement unfold, as you need to take some steps backward before moving forward.
Veteran closer Kyle Finnegan believes the difficulties on the field this season will pay off.
“There are little things that good teams do to create wins,” said Finnegan, who had eight losses and five blown saves, via Mark Zuckerman of Masn. “And that’s part of the development process, as well. Things you can control like running the bases well, eliminating mental mistakes. I think winning is a skill that can be learned. There are things that winning teams do, and I think we’re trending in that direction.”
Two areas that Washington struggled in this past season were one-run games and extra innings. They were 14-23 and 5-12, respectively.
Better performance in crunch time situations and the team would have been pushing the .500 mark. After five straight losing seasons, their closer believes strides will be made to end that streak in 2025.
“I think next year it should be time to take a step forward and win more games,” Finnegan said. “I think we’ll be in a good position to be very competitive. That’s going to be our focus next year. We’re still developing, but we can win at the same time.”
A year of experience in this core will result in natural development. We have seen plenty of young teams take jumps; just look at what the Detroit Tigers accomplished this year after moving several veterans ahead of the trade deadline.
“The way I look at it, we’ve got a lot of guys who are ready to compete, and want to compete now,” starting pitcher Jake Irvin said. “For me and for everybody else in here, I hope the focus is to come and be ready to compete for that championship. And I have no doubt in my mind that’s what it’s going to be.”
With the right additions in free agency, such as adding a legitimate power bat to the middle of the lineup, this lineup will take off. If they can find a top of the rotation arm as well; watch out.
