Rising Sun: Washington Nationals

Are the Nationals the next Tampa Bay Rays? With the news this week that they signed Jayson Werth to a 7-year $126 million contract, a record for outfielders, combined with recent draft picks Bryce Harper and the now-injured Stephen Strasburg, the team is setting themselves up to be one of the better teams in baseball within the next 5 years or so. Gone are the days when Owen Wilson might actualy be able to pitch for the Nationals.

Nationals 2009 Opening Day Starter

So what do I make of all these moves? Well taking into account that Strasburg will probably miss most of 2011 with Tommy John surgery, and now that they've lost Adam Dunn to the White Sox, I don't project too much of a difference this year (however they may still show marked improvement, perhaps finishing ahead of the Mets) however two or three years from now, the Nationals could be a force to be reckoned with in the NL east. The addition of a guy like Werth, who, while not the best outfielder brings postseason experience and knows how to play on a competitive team in the east and how to supercharge a locker room, could conceivably give a big boost too a Washington club that's needed just that for some time now. Here's my 2011 NL east prediction:

Philadelphia 95-63
Atlanta 89-73
Florida 75-87
Washington 74-86
Mets 69-93

So there you have it, for only the second time in their history in Washington, the Nationals will finish out of last in the East. As for the Mets...well...