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How The Nationals Can Overcome COVID-19 Opt-Outs

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals heavily in recent weeks as two players have tested positive for Coronavirus while three key key players chose to opt-out of the MLB season 

In addition, star Juan Soto has been forced to isolate from the team after coming in contact with one of the unidentified infected players and it is unknown whether he will be ready for Opening Day on July 23 against the New York Yankees.

The Nationals will need to not only replace star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who departed Washington to play for the Los Angeles Angels, but also the three players on the team who have opted out of the season so far in Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross and Wellington Castillo.

It will certainly be tough to replace Zimmerman and Ross as both were key cogs in the Nationals’ historic run to a World Series championship. 

The 35-year old Zimmerman played only 52 games at first base for Washington in the regular season, but hit a memorable home run in the Game 4 of the NLDS against the Dodgers and added a solo shot against Gerrit Cole in the Game 1 of the World Series in Houston. Zimmerman was projected to be a starter, whether it was at first base or the newly-implemented designated hitter.

Ross appeared in 27 games for the Nationals during the 2019 regular season and started Game 5 of the World Series in place of an injured Max Scherzer. Ross looked solid in spring training with a 2.45 ERA and was projected to be the No. 5 starter in a stacked Nationals starting pitcher rotation.

Castillo, a non-roster invitee, had been expected to compete for a backup catcher position after posting 12 home runs and 41 RBIs for the White Sox in 2019. Castillo has built the reputation of being a solid power-hitting backup catcher since he debuted in 2010. 

So, how should the Nationals make up for the absence of these three players?

There’s no doubt that Mr. National, Ryan Zimmerman, will be irreplaceable when it comes to clubhouse chemistry. However, Zimmerman was oft-injured in recent years and the Nationals signed some insurance bats to replace Zimmerman during the offseason.

Former Brewer slugger Eric Thames was signed in January and can easily slide in at first base or designated hitter. Thames is coming off a year in which he hit 25 home runs. The Nationals also signed Starlin Castro from the Marlins and Castro has always been a solid hitter during his time with the Cubs, Yankees and Marlins. The Nationals can slide Castro into the designated hitter spot in place of Zimmerman if they choose to slide Howie Kendrick over to first base. The team can also bring up Jake Noll from the minors as he can fit in at first base or designated hitter too. 

It’s much harder to replace a starting pitcher than a hitter and the Nationals don’t have too many options to replace Ross. RHP Austin Voth is expected to slide into the No. 5 spot in the rotation but the 28-year-old doesn’t have much MLB experience and with a 60-game season, every game will have the importance of a playoff game. 

The team also brought some other starters into their 60-man player pool, including journeyman Tyler Eppler and prospects such as Joan Adon and Jackson Rutledge. The Nationals also have former top prospect Eric Fedde, who made 12 starts last year but has struggled heavily during his three years with Washington.

Replacing Castillo shouldn’t be hard at all as the Nationals have two quality catchers in Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, plus Raudy Read, Jakson Reetz and Tres Barrera in their 60-man player pool.

Overall, the Nationals shouldn’t have that much difficulty overcoming the opt-outs of Zimmerman, Ross and Castillo. The team surely hopes no other players will opt-out before the season starts and that Juan Soto can get back into baseball activities shortly.

The Nationals will need to use their depth that was so crucial to their magical run in 2019 to overcome any further potential opt-outs if they want to successfully defend their title.

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