Nationals Sing New Song for 2010

Washington baseball has been a Leonard Cohen song, a suicide dirge with dark, seductive overtones.  With free agent signings like Jason Marquis, Matt Capps and Pudge Rodriguez, and the trade for Brian Bruney, the search for textural complexity in 100-loss seasons may be over.  We are switching to Bruce for 2010, “praying for a savior to rise from these streets.”  Hit a big strong guitar chord and bring on Stephen Strasburg for the New Year.

The Nationals’ morbid theme of loss will be buried quietly by the banks of the Anacostia as 2010 looms scant months from now increasingly full of hope.  After 75 years of baseball depression, the slumbering giant in the Nation’s capital may be awakening and shaking off the cob webs.

The Nationals have been one of the most active franchises in the off-season so far.  Washington ownership has lured talent young and old with a commitment to invest much-needed capital in the team.  Pulling in both Marquis and Capps in the same week–and for market rates–should convince other free agents the franchise is sincere about changing directions.

The biggest marker on DC’s baseball landscape is what Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus recently called “the pitcher most likely to win three Cy Youngs in the upcoming decade,” Stephen Strasburg.  Hopefully that will come to pass, but Strasburg is not the only young pitching talent in DC.  Maybe a unique one, but there are others.

Jason Marquis will start the season at the head of a very young rotation in Washington likely to include John Lannan (25), Scott Olsen (26), JD Martin (27) and Ross Detwiler (24).  Newly signed closer Matt Capps is only 26, but Brian Bruney (28) wants a shot at closing as well.  If you look at the numbers 23-year old closer in waiting Drew Storen put up in Harrisburg in August–nine saves in ten appearances without allowing a run, then a bullpen emerges with as many reasons for optimism as the rotation.

The Nationals want to leave Strasburg pitching in the minors for what everyone hopes will be a very brief stint.  The Nationals have enough talent to bridge to Strasburg, pitchers like John Lannan and Ross Detwiler who should benefit from having Marquis at the front of the rotation.

Lannan said the signing of Marquis takes the pressure off him to lead the young starters.  It takes even more off Strasburg who can now find his way in his own time.  He can still pitch his way onto the starting roster in spring training.  No one will argue if he does, but with real competition for the Washington rotation, allowing him a month or so of seasoning at Harrisburg or Syracuse could pay dividends for the young phenom in the longer term.

Putting it all together for the Nationals in 2010 would mean that the young pitchers blossom.  It would be a surprise to see it all fall into place, but there are early, budding seeds of hope.  The Nationals have bred rational skeptics.  Inveterate losers are endemic to Washington.  Some would even say “it’s a town full of losers.”  Which makes what Ryan Zimmerman has done in Washington all the more impressive.

Zimmerman is likely to have his best supporting cast yet in 2010.  Mike Rizzo still has the end game to play out.  He is still shopping for a middle infielder–maybe Adam Kennedy.  He needs another outfielder and Randy Winn has been mentioned, but there are plenty of bargains that can still be had.  Confidence that Rizzo will make the right moves is growing as is the optimism that the Nationals will field their best team since 2005.

Washington won’t beat the Phillies, but the talent gap will narrow significantly.  The Nationals will leave Viera, FL in March with a legitimate chance to exit the basement in the NL East.  “The door’s open, but the ride ain’t free.”  Ownership has taken that sentiment to heart.

The result is that the Nationals are cranking their engines and heading out on a road in 2010 that will cheer the hard core fans who have been waiting now through four tough seasons.  The signs say it’s going to be a happy new year, one where we are finally “pulling out of here to win.”

Thanks to Bruce Springsteen for “Thunder Road” and 40 years of great music.