I think, looking forward towards the playoffs, they need guys on the mound that can be given the ball and intimidate the other team.  So I have 1A and 1B as "weaknesses" but it's probably better defined as places the team should look to upgrade.

 

1A - go get a big game starting pitcher.  MadBum would be my preference, but I highly doubt he would sign an extension.  So I would put Greinke high on the list too.  

 

Or if we want to get crazy?  What if the Nats go sell-mode?  Scherzer is too much probably, but a guy can dream, right?

 

1B - a reliever you can throw in and trust they can get anyone out.  I'm sure we can peruse the league and find some options, but think Andrew Miller and the Indians.  

 

So basically he needs to win a Cy Young award? 

I wouldn't mind a Cy Young for the young man! My point is he isn't a Verlander, Scherzer, or name your ace pitcher of the past. He's a notch or two below that level. I may be proven wrong and maybe he'll be the stopper if we're on a losing streak. The guy that stands on the mound and the opposing team hopes they can eek out a couple of runs. I guarantee that if the Yankees, Sox, Rays, Astros face Berrios they don't feel the intimidation other aces create when they're on the hill

 

Depth at the back end of the rotation could be a weakness. If one of the top three starters were to be hurt or start underperforming, the rest of the rotation could struggle. Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Lewis Thorpe, and Zack Littell are waiting in Rochester. Could they be trusted taking over a spot in the rotation?

 

This is probably worth it's own post here. I'm not terribly worried about these guys for a couple weeks or even if one pitcher goes down. It's a bigger issue if multiple pitchers go down for a long time, but to be fair, every team in baseball is in a similar spot... very few have even potential #1s sitting in the high minors, much less real ones... These 4 have some upside, perhaps not a ton (I still think Thorpe could be really good, but I'm losing faith on the rest), and are perfectly capable of handling things in a short stint, especially with Cleveland not keeping up.

 

I suspect at least one of them will be packaged in a trade this summer to get help. But as the season wears on, there's less time where this is even a big deal. 

 

Bottom line, if things continue to progress, the FO needs to be thinking about playoff rosters and not worrying as much about depth.

Or we are using different definitions. I count 10 mediocre games or worse (3+ runs or 5 innings or less). That's 70% -- the reason he was a Cy Young candidate.

 

Are there any other aces you know of other than the best starter in the game for the past 3 years? Seems to me the rest of the league is a big drop off from Scherzer. A drop off to, what, ~60% by this definition maybe?

Scherzer gave up 3+ earned runs exactly once, and went less than 6 innings exactly once. Might be time to recheck your math.

I think, looking forward towards the playoffs, they need guys on the mound that can be given the ball and intimidate the other team. So I have 1A and 1B as "weaknesses" but it's probably better defined as places the team should look to upgrade.

 

1A - go get a big game starting pitcher. MadBum would be my preference, but I highly doubt he would sign an extension. So I would put Greinke high on the list too.

 

Or if we want to get crazy? What if the Nats go sell-mode? Scherzer is too much probably, but a guy can dream, right?

 

1B - a reliever you can throw in and trust they can get anyone out. I'm sure we can peruse the league and find some options, but think Andrew Miller and the Indians.

Scherzer has been on my mind for a while now.

 

Washington isnt going anywhere. Push hard for Scherzer. That moves everyone down in the rotation, and maybe Pineda becomes a weapon in the pen.

 

Go big or go home.

 

Scherzer has been on my mind for a while now.

Washington isnt going anywhere. Push hard for Scherzer. That moves everyone down in the rotation, and maybe Pineda becomes a weapon in the pen.

Go big or go home.

 

His contract is totally reasonable and not a challenge for this team to absorb.  Berrios and Scherzer match up with anyone.

 

Which weakness could hurt the team in the long run?

The Bullpen
 

 

You answered your own question correctly right here

 

Scherzer gave up 3+ earned runs exactly once, and went less than 6 innings exactly once. Might be time to recheck your math.

 

Exactly once.

 

The weakness definitely isn't in the defense. I think that's something that's really getting overlooked. According to FanGraphs, we have the top ranked defense by a large margin. Especially in the outfield, Buxton is 1st in cf in majors, Kepler is 3rd in majors in rf and 1st in al, and Rosario is 2nd in majors and al.

Exactly once.

 

Oops, embarrassing user error. Bbref was only showing me through June for some reason.

 

I'd quibble with a complete game, 11k,0bb,3 er game being mediocre though.