BURNING QUESTIONS
How much will they miss Rendon?
Anthony Rendon spent seven seasons in Washington and hit .290 with a 162game average of 24 homers, 97 RBI and a .859 OPS. “Tony Two Bags” was a fan favorite but a driving force behind the Nationals’ run of success that culminated in last year’s World Series title. He was as selective a hitter as they had, drawing a big walk as often as big hits, and played strong defense at third base.
Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels, leaving a gaping hole in their lineup and at third base that Washington acknowledges. Carter Kieboom, 22, the Nationals’ top prospect, will have a chance to win the job.
Kieboom has mostly torn through the minor leagues but stalled in an 11-game major league stint in 2019. The Nationals have veteran coverage in Asdrubal Cabrera, Howie Kendrick and Starlin Castro. If Kieboom can’t win the job, Cabrera likely gets the most time there.
How do they keep the fire?
The Nationals nearly lost the NL wildcard game to the Brewers before powering past the Cardinals in the NLCS and surviving a seven-game World Series to beat the Astros.
They feel like they have upgraded the bullpen significantly from the start of last year with the likes of Will Harris and
Daniel Hudson. They also still have their enviable starting corps of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez.
If something is missing, they’ll also be able to find improvements at the trade deadline.