The Washington Nationals were in a tough position as the trade deadline approached, sitting 5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and the 2nd wild card spot. The Nationals have been right around .500 or under for most of the season despite being preseason favorites to make the World Series. The Nationals have dealt with several issues including injuries to big name players like Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick and Sean Doolittle. Injuries can always derail a season, but one of the big issues for the Nationals this year is the fact that Bryce Harper is not performing up to his expectations. Harper is hitting 50 points lower than his career average at .226, he is also on pace for a career high 180 strikeouts, and he has an OPS of just .855 compared to last year's 1.008.
Harper's struggles have clearly impacted the club in the win/loss column as he is the heart of the offense. Harper also impacted the decision making of GM Mike Rizzo at the trade deadline. Had Harper been having a better year offensively approaching the deadline there may have been strong offers for Harper making the decision easier for Rizzo. Harper is destined for free agency after the season and will more than likely test the market. Rizzo knows that Harper will probably get significant offers from the big markets like New York, Boston, and LA. For most GM's when you have a big time player in the last year of a contract and you know they are headed for free agency, you try to move them to get something in return unless you're in the middle of a playoff run. The problem for Rizzo is Harper's value in the market leading up to the deadline was way below what it should have been.
Another factor that caused Rizzo to stay the course is that the two teams in front of the Nationals in the NL East, Atlanta and Philadelphia, are both very young teams with little to no playoff experience on their rosters. While both teams are very talented, many people are still giving the Nationals the edge with 2 months to go despite the 5 game deficit. I think that these outside voices still picking the Nationals impacted Rizzo's decision to hold onto his most valuable players.
There have been many grumblings about the clubhouse situation in Washington. The Nationals are on their 4th manager since Harper's debut in 2012 and despite making the playoffs 4 times in that span, they are yet to win a playoff series. I think the Nationals need a fresh start, while they are definitely talented with a pitching staff that when healthy rivals any in the league and an offense that has shown the ability to produce at an elite level, they don't have that "IT" factor that winners have. They haven't shown the cohesiveness that championship team show, most teams that win titles have a bond that you can just see, there is just positive energy all around whether they are the most talented team on paper or not. This is not to say that all World Series Championship teams were full of great clubhouses, but I would argue most of them were. It does appear that this team is one of those.
If Harper was having a good year and the Nationals were in the same position I believe Rizzo makes the move, gets the prospects and looks to move his other big names in the offseason. The Nationals window is closing, the Braves and Phillies are both on a fast track to dominating the NL East. I understand Rizzo's reasons for holding on, but I think Harper handcuffed Rizzo on making a blockbuster deal.
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