Blake Butera Might Have Given Nationals Fans a Sneak Peek at Opening Day Lineup

The Washington Nationals faced Venezuela in an exhibition game on Wednesday night as the latter gears up for their time in the World Baseball Classic.

While it was nice to see the Nationals come away with a 5-1 win over a star-studded lineup that featured multiple high-end major leaguers, the storyline coming out of that contest is that manager Blake Butera might have given fans an idea of how Washington is going to look on Opening Day.

This was how the skipper situated things for that matchup:
-Nasim Nunez: 2B
-James Wood: LF
-CJ Abrams: SS
-Luis Garcia Jr: 1B
-Daylen Lile: RF
-Dylan Crews: CF
-Brady House: 3B
-Keibert Ruiz: DH
-Drew Millas: C

-Foster Griffin: SP

There are two clear spots that could change: the starting pitcher and catcher. Since Harry Ford is with Great Britain for the World Baseball Classic, he wasn't an option to play on Wednesday. So that moved Drew Millas into the starting catcher role with Keibert Ruiz being the designated hitter. It's almost guaranteed the starter will be different when the Nationals face the Chicago Cubs on March 26, but's unclear if it will be Ford or Ruiz as the backstop.

As for the starting pitcher, there's no doubt that Cade Cavalli is going to get the ball if he stays healthy for the rest of spring leading into Opening Day. Now the ace of this rotation following the MacKenzie Gore trade earlier in the offseason, this could be a breakout year for Cavalli.

But with those two things in mind, the alignment when it comes to the outfield and infield could be how Butera sets things to start the season even though there is a lot of time left during spring training that will impact his final decision.

Outfield Has Clear Offensive Upside With Major Defensive Risk

Daylen Lile of the Washington Nationals | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The thing that stood out with this outfield setup is the fact that this is easily the best offensive unit they would have. But it could also be the worst defensive one when taking into account the shortcomings of Daylen Lile and James Wood in the field.

Lile has to be, and will be, an everyday player for Washington this year. The easiest way to keep his bat in the lineup while reducing the risk of his poor defense is to slot him in as the DH. However, it appears like Butera prefers to have that spot rotated amongst different players to keep them fresh over the course of the long season.

So, Lile is going to be playing outfield. And like this new Nationals regime stated when they evaluated him, he's too good of an athlete to already be worth minus-14 in defensive runs saved and minus-eight in outs above average.

Wood worked to improve his defense during the offseason. But whether that turns him into an average defender compared to one who has been worth minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-12 outs above average remains to be seen. Still, a corner outfield duo of Wood and Lile gives Washington the most offensive upside, and they might just live with what could be poor defense.

All of that would put major pressure on Dylan Crews to be elite in center field when it comes to his defense and serviceable at the plate when he's on offense. While he's been above average with the glove in right field, he's been average in center. And he pales in comparison to Jacob Young, who has become one of the best defenders in baseball. That means Crews has to perform with the bat in his hand, as both he and Young have career wRC+ marks of 78.

Nationals Might Have Already Decided on Their Infield Setup

Nasim Nunez of the Washington Nationals | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

While there is still some sorting out to do in the outfield, there's a chance the Nationals might have tipped their hand when it comes to how they are going to set up their infield, with Luis Garcia Jr. moving to first base, Nasim Nunez taking over at second and CJ Abrams and Brady House manning the left side at shortstop and third base, respectively.

Garcia handled himself well at first base against Venezuela, which was a great sign that he can make a smooth transition to that spot and become the starter. That would allow the middle infield defense to vastly improve with Nunez slotting in at the keystone.

Don't be surprised if that's how the infield looks on Opening Day. Butera already stated they have prepared Garcia to play both second and first base this year, so it seems like the team is comfortable making the position change permanent during the early stages of the season.