NY Mets: 6 teams that could compete to sign Noah Syndergaard

Suddenly, the Washington Nationals need starting pitching

Are the Washington Nationals going to fold for the 2022 season already? I don’t think so. They sold at the trade deadline because they weren’t going to make the playoffs. Rebounding in 2022 is a logical progression. First, they need to add some help to the rotation and the lineup.

The winter of 2022 might not be a free-for-all spending frenzy for Washington but it is a time to maybe take a chance on some players. For several years now, the team has always had one of the best rotations on paper. Never shy about handing out big dollars to free agent starting pitchers, it won’t end anytime soon even if they’re paying Max Scherzer for the next century.

We shouldn’t expect the Nationals to give up so easily on playing competitive baseball next year. Adding Syndergaard won’t immediately make them number one contenders, but it is the kind of move to show the fans and rest of the team they are hoping for better things ahead. A two-year deal with some incentives for the second season could be what they need to get Syndergaard to D.C.

More than any other team on the list, I could see the Nationals doing this simply to throw some shade at the Mets. Something about that franchise has always felt brutally-business-minded. Maybe it’s the close relationship with Scott Boras that makes them feel like major baseball villains.