Second half of season could be even worse than first for Nationals

The first half of the Nationals’ season was ugly. 

Their 31-63 record at the break has them dead last in the major leagues. Somehow they’ve been even worse against division opponents with a putrid 8-36 record. And they’ve already had four losing streaks of six or more games. 

It’s hard to imagine the second half of the season, which begins Friday in Arizona, being much worse. But, with the Nationals expected to be aggressive sellers at the deadline, it likely will be. 

All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, who has been the subject of reports and speculation the last week after turning down a $440 million contract, could be on his way out via a massive trade package. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Thursday that seven teams — the Mariners, Padres, Giants, Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Mets — have reached out to the Nationals about the 23-year-old superstar. 

In addition to Soto, first baseman Josh Bell, who is having a career year and leads the Nationals in Baseball-Reference’s wins above replacement, was considered the top available bat on the trading block before Soto came up for grabs. Therefore, he should still net a pretty penny in return. And then there’s everyone else — second baseman Cesar Hernandez, designated hitter Nelson Cruz and relievers Kyle Finnegan, Carl Edwards Jr. and Steve Cishek — who are also potential trade pieces for the Nationals to garner prospects for their rebuild.

Putting Soto to the side — a difficult task for everyone the last week, as Soto went from quiet superstar to embroiled in a contract dispute and on the trading block to winning the Home Run Derby all in a matter of three days — the other players make sense to trade before the Aug. 2 deadline. Bell, Hernandez, Cruz and Cishek are all veterans who will be free agents after the season. 

That reality, though, doesn’t change the fact that the Nationals simply don’t have the organizational depth to fill out a competitive major league roster if all those players are traded. If the team won less than a third of its games with Soto, Bell and the others, how many will they win without them?

Manager Dave Martinez often says the team is “trying to do too much.” But the reality of the Nationals through the first 94 games of the season, no matter the effort, is that they’re simply not doing enough — from the batter’s box to the mound to the field. The offense is hot and cold, and the lack of power hitting (27th in the majors with 74 home runs) has hampered the team. The 5.13 team earned run average is second worst in the majors, and that’s exacerbated by the club’s MLB-worst negative-37 defensive runs saved in the field, according to FanGraphs.

As opposed to earlier in the season when the organization was optimistic about getting starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross back to bolster the rotation, there aren’t reinforcements waiting in the wings to provide hope. 

Strasburg is on the 60-day injured list once again and could miss the remainder of the season after starting just one game. Ross had Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. And closer Tanner Rainey and left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle both damaged their ulnar collateral ligaments this season and are on the 60-day IL. 

With a little-to-no chance of turning the season around and the expected selloff at the trade deadline approaching, Martinez said before the All-Star break that he wanted his players to use the time off to reset. After his team snapped a nine-game losing streak Sunday, he said that he’s “worried” about the young players on the Nationals — some of whom could be part of the team’s potential turnaround in the future — getting discouraged by the current struggles.

“I’m more worried about the players, especially the young players. I want them to be successful, I really do,” Martinez said. “I was once in that position. I tell them all the time my first year in the big leagues I hit .139. It wasn’t fun. Every day, I came to the ballpark, and it was almost like what’s next? Even though you really thought things were going to change, they didn’t. But I learned a lot. And I keep praising these guys and tell them to keep learning and keep playing hard.”