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3 Washington Nationals players who won’t be back next season

By Brad Berreman

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-5.(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 26: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-5.(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

1. 1B Ryan Zimmerman

Retirement rumors have easily lurked around Zimmerman in recent years, but he came back this year after opting out of the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He has actually been a solid bat for the Nationals when called upon this year (11 home runs over 216 plate appearances).

Zimmerman is the quintessential Nationals’ player. His first taste of big league action came in 2005, the franchise’s first season in Washington after moving from Montreal. For a stretch of years (2006-2013, with a 36-homer resurgence in 2017), he was one of the more underappreciated hitters in baseball. He is the all-time hits (1,833), home run (281), doubles (412) and RBI (1,055) leader in Expos/Nationals history, with top-10-12 rankings in some other categories.

But these days, Zimmerman is a 37-year old (on Sept. 28, to be fair) part-time player who has struggled to stay healthy. He may very well call it a career when the season is over. Seeing him in another uniform would be weird if he wants to keep playing and the Nationals don’t bring him back, but interest from other teams is sure to be minimal. Ideally, the final weeks of this season will be a proper send-off for one of the best players in Nationals’ franchise history.

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