Adam Eaton
Atlanta Braves vs. the NL East in 2017:  Washington Nationals.
Adam Eaton

Atlanta Braves vs. the NL East in 2017: Washington Nationals.

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:39 p.m. ET

Nov 21, 2015; San Felipe, BC, Mexico; The sun rises over the Sea of Cortez on the second day of the 48th SCORE Baja 1000. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves has gone in perhaps a surprising direction for 2017, but one that should win some games.  But what has the rest of their division done?

Admit it:  when the off-season began, you weren’t thinking about R.A. Dickey or Bartolo Colon for the majoe additions of the Atlanta Braves, right?

Well, after a full season rotating youngsters in and out, it became clear that pitching wasn’t stable enough to give the offense much of a chance, so for 2017 the team has demoted/traded/dumped… pretty much everyone (in fact, TalkingChop beat me to this same point this morning) and instead brought in vets with a reputation for innings

ADVERTISEMENT

None of these new arrivals will remind you of Maddux, Glavine, or Smoltz, but the idea will be to save the bullpen and keep the damage under control… which might be all they need if the late Summer’s offensive burst mode can be repeated.

So what are the 2017 Atlanta Braves up against?  What have their rivals done to improve?

Let’s take a look this week – beginning with the Washington Nationals.

Oct 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) prepares to pitch during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

They Try Really Hard

It’s kind of funny that we look at the Nationals and lampoon their inability to win a playoff series.  Gotta admit, though, it’s been a bit since the Braves have gone deep in the playoffs, either.

That said, it’s uncanny that the Nats have trouble getting “their guy” in the off-season races, either.

    Now this writing may be premature, they are now suddenly being strongly linked to Matt Wieters (despite having already signed Derek Norris) and closer Brad Ziegler is still mulling offers.  But then Ziegler was about 4th or 5th on their shopping list.

    The only real contest they’ve won so far has been for Adam Eaton, which most observers agree was after an overpay – though he will certainly be another impactful offensive threat for a team that suddenly has quite a few of them:

      * He’s a free agent in 2019. If the Nats don’t win it all in 2017, where do you think the Nats might see more benefits:  waiting until he walks, or trading him after next season?  Yeah…. exactly.

      Mile Wide, Inch Deep

      But it’s the pitching staff that will have the concern of this club for 2017.  The depth in the starting rotation is all but gone now, and the bullpen is entirely suspect at this point.

      Max Scherzer is still there, but he’s really the only reliable arm.  Stephen Strasburg had an excellent start to 2016, but then couldn’t finish and only recorded 147 innings.  Gio Gonzalez didn’t pitch well, and the rest… are a big concern for Washington.

      This is where the Eaton deal will cause future headaches for the Nationals:  regardless of what you think about Lucas Giolito, he was still a future rotation arm for them at some level.  But Reynaldo Lopez was almost ready to hit the majors as well, and that leaves them with maybe Austin Voth, A.J. Cole, and Koda Glover as the depth of the organization, save for signing some make-do veterans.

      That is actually starting to happen:  Jacob Turner was inked on the 13th and invited to Spring Training.  But they could probably use another arm or two in the upper levels of the organization, whether it’s a Bud Norris of Jhoulys Chacin type of arm… depth is the entire need here… and the Braves managed to snatch away the innings-eaters the Nationals now need.

      Sep 7, 2016; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) is removed from the game with an apparent right arm injury during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. I had my choice of such photos.  Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

      Be Careful Out There

      So Washington will lead with Scherzer, Strasburg and a lot of bats.  With or without Wieters, their offense features probably the most formidable lineup short of the Cubs in the Nationals League – particularly if Harper figures out what plagued him during much of 2016.

      Like the trade or not, having Eaton and Turner leading off the order is going to be a devastating combination that will set the table for Murphy, et al.  This club will score runs in bunches… and they may indeed have to play to outscore the opposition at times.

      More from Tomahawk Take

        This may have been their strategy this off-season after losing out on Chris Sale.

        The keys for Washington for 2017 will be twofold:

          If there’s any issues with Strasburg or if Gonzalez doesn’t pitch any better, then it may not matter how many runs the Nats score as the bullpen could keep the late innings quite interesting.

          All that said, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Nationals finish lower than 1st in the NL East… certainly not below second.  That would require injury to their horse – Mad Max – who has racked up almost 1700 innings in the past 8 seasons.

          It’s not quite “2017 or bust” for the Nationals:  with Turner, Eaton, Scherzer, and Strasburg, they have a core locked up for several years yet.  So even if Harper is traded in another year or something, they aren’t going to be in terrible shape.

          Werth comes off the books after next season, which frees $21.5 million… and Harper has his third (of 4) arbitration years this time ’round, so he’ll be expensive too.  So Washington will have money to spend after 2017.

          They just may have to wait for that inevitable trade of Harper to get back the pitching supplies they now desperately need.

          share


          Adam Eaton
          Get more from Adam Eaton Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more