Washington Nationals Believe They Can Win Sooner Rather Than Later

The Washington Nationals have reported to Spring Training, and there is something a little bit different in the air.

Nationals players believe they have the talent to compete and win right away.

In a conversation with Mark Zuckerman of MASN, Washington pitcher Jake Irvin had this to say about the team, "We've got incredible, young, talented players here now. There's no reason we can't win right away."

That optimism could just be a result of the first day of camp excitement, but Irvin is not wrong about the players they have.

After winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals immediately entered a rebuild. They won 65 games in 2021, 55 in 2022 and 71 each of the last two seasons.

It is not something normally seen directly after winning a championship, but Washington's rebuild seems to be getting on the right track.

This winter, the Nationals made some moves to improve their team. They did not spend a lot of money, but their roster still got better.

Washington traded for Nathaniel Lowe to play first base while signing free agents Josh Bell, Mike Soroka and Trevor Williams. These four players should make an immediate impact in 2025.

The high expectations are put on the shoulders of their young players, though.

The most notable pieces on the roster are James Wood and Dylan Crews. These two players have the potential to be the best on the team.

Wood played in 79 games at the big league level last season and slashed .264/.354/.427. He hit nine home runs, collected 41 RBI and also stole 14 bases. Crews dominated in the minor leagues, but did not enjoy the same MLB success as Wood.

Fortunately for him, his rookie status is still intact for 2025.

Joining them is shortstop CJ Abrams.

He made his first All-Star team in 2024, but had some struggles in the second half the season. He was also sent down to the minors after being caught staying out late in Chicago before a day game.

Still, Abrams has a bright future ahead of him.

On the mound, the Nationals will be without one of their best pitchers in Josiah Gray to begin the season. However, the rotation also features intriguing arms.

MacKenzie Gore leads the way after an up-and-down year. He was in the 74th percentile in whiff rate and 65th percentile in strikeout rate last season. He will have to make progress with his command, but he is a very good, young pitcher.

Irvin ate a lot of innings for Washington last year, but his numbers were not great. However, it was just his second season in the MLB. One positive to take away from his sophomore year in the bigs is all of his numbers improved across the board.

With two seasons under his belt, they will need the right-hander to continue that development.

Now, is this enough for the Nationals to win right away?

Only time will tell.

But it is easy to understand why the players believe they have the pieces to make some noise.

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