Maybe I should have seen it coming. They have a $36 million dollar payroll -- almost half of their 2006 budget and the third lowest in Major League Baseball. They have 16 players on their roster who spent the majority of last season in the minors, on the disabled list or out of baseball, according to The Washington Post.
This offseason, team executives signaled their intention to cut costs and basically stomach one bad season so the squad could gear up for 2008 with a brand new stadium, expanded payroll and revamped farm system.
Still, there was no way I could wrap my head around the idea the Washington Nationals would be this bad.
After Saturday's victory against the New York Mets, the Nationals stand at 3-9, tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in Major League Baseball.
Any comparison to the Royals and you know you're in trouble. During the last decade the franchise has been one of the three worst teams in the American League eight times, ranking dead last twice. (Folks, it takes some skill to continuously be that bad with all the top draft picks they receive annually.)
Although it's only 12 games in for the Nats (eight games for the Mariners who got an entire series snowed out in Cleveland and another contest rained out last week in Boston), it's going to be an excruciatingly long, 162-game season for the Nationals and rookie manager Manny Acta.
The Nats are last in the league in runs and RBIs per game with 2.58 and 2.5, respectively, and have the third-worst slugging percentage at .342. The team's starting pitchers have the third worst ERA in the MLB at 5.06 and have allowed the second highest slugging percentage in the National League. The team's defense doesn't fare any better. The squad has the fourth worst fielding percentage in baseball at 97.3 percent.
I'm at a complete loss of what to do as a fan. Usually there is some sliver of hope that your team could surprise some people and make a run for the playoffs. But it seems the Nationals brass had given up on the 2007 season before it even began. The offseason is supposed to be full of the most unjustified optimism by team officials, not a concession of a last place finish in the standings.
An unnamed Nationals executive joked to Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell that the Nats may be in the running for the number three overall pick
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