Nationals Are Officially in Playoff Mix After Securing Series Win Over Royals
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On Tuesday, the Washington Nationals won their fourth series in a row and their seventh out of their last eight when they beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-4.
The Nationals began the new week with a win in the opener of their set against the Royals. That got Washington's record to three games above .500 for the first time since their World Series-winning season in 2019.
Now, after once owning a share of the final NL Wild Card spot, the Nationals have taken over sole possession of the final spot with their victory on Tuesday, as this young squad continues to show no signs of going away anytime soon when it comes to the playoff race this year.
Nationals Would Make Playoffs for First Time Since 2019 With Current Standings
There's a long way to go before the regular season ends, but as it stands right now, Washington would make the playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series in 2019.
That is a massive step forward for this franchise, and it's one that not many people were expecting based on preseason projections. With Paul Toboni taking over the front office as the president of baseball operations, the belief was even more of a focus would be placed on rebuilding.
While that was the case over the winter when left-handed ace MacKenzie Gore was shipped out of town for a package of five top-30 prospects, the players on the roster have done an incredible job of competing when they are on the field. That has resulted in this phenomenal start to the year, as the Nationals appear to have real staying power based on their high-octane offense that leads the majors in runs scored. And with the pitching staff slowly starting to improve, Washington has given themselves a real shot to make the playoffs at the midpoint of June.
Could Nationals Actually Become Buyers Ahead of Deadline?
All of a sudden, the Nationals could have a tough decision to make when it comes to their approach ahead of the trade deadline. They were expected to be sellers to get back more pieces of the future in exchange for their most attractive assets. However, if they continue to remain in the playoff picture throughout the summer, then those plans might have to change.
Toboni admitted that a postseason appearance is something he's started to think about recently, but he's not going to make a decision about strategy before things become crystal clear ahead of Aug. 3. Because of that, it's too early to say one way or another that Washington might actually give up long-term resources to push for the playoffs, but plans are meant to be broken.
So if the Nationals continue to own a playoff position late in the summer like they do on June 17, then there's a chance Toboni brings in some reinforcements so Washington can make the postseason for the first time in seven years.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai