Fansided

Five MLB teams that need to get aggressive

By Nathaniel Reeves

Oct 2, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo watches during baseball workouts at Nationals Park. The Nationals will play the San Francisco Giants Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo watches during baseball workouts at Nationals Park. The Nationals will play the San Francisco Giants Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 5, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker smiles at a press conference introducing Baker as the new Nationals manager at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker smiles at a press conference introducing Baker as the new Nationals manager at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

3) Washington Nationals

The Nationals were the most disappointing team in the majors last season and failed to reach the postseason despite arguably having the best roster on paper entering the season. Still, with stars like Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer still around, it’s certainly time to reload rather than rebuild in 2016.

That won’t be easy, as the Nationals lost Jordan Zimmermann and have a  number of critical free agents in the upcoming years. Adding Gott was a good move to shore up a weak bullpen, but it’s going to take more for Washington to reach its full potential.

Again, the Nationals deserve some credit for trying to add a few big names. Washington offered Heyward $200 million, but the star outfielder took less money for the chance to win a World Series in Chicago, which doesn’t exactly reflect well on the Nationals. The team also had offers on the table for Zobrist and reliever Darren O’Day, but both players went elsewhere.

Outfield is an area of potential improvement, so the Nationals should be in on all of the top remaining free agents. Even someone like Dexter Fowler or Gerardo Parra could make an important difference next season.

The bullpen also needs some depth, and Washington could look to make a run at Chapman after his MLB investigation is over. At this point, the Nationals need more to beat the New York Mets in the NL East next season.

Next: Baltimore Orioles

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