The MLB Winter Meetings just wrapped up in Texas and the Nationals have not yet made an offseason splash. Mark & Al begin with the pleasant surprise that Washington won the lottery and will have the top pick in next summer's Draft.

(05:30) Mike Rizzo said on TV that it is time "hit the gas" despite the team not signing anyone thus far. Is it too early to panic and think it will be another quiet winter?

(09:00) Juan Soto signed a massive contract with the Mets, but it seems like the Nationals were nowhere in the hunt. The Winter Meetings began on Sunday night with the shock that Soto and the Mets reportedly agreed to a 15 year/ $765 Million contract.

(26:10) Given how Soto's value ballooned on the Free Agent market, should the Nats consider signing James Wood to a long term extension now?

(31:45) Max Fried and the Yankees agreed to an 8 year deal this week and other pitcher's deals have exceeded initial expectations of what the market was expected to be. How does this affect Rizzo's approach?

(37:20) Kyle Finnegan will not return to the team in 2025 and it was a very curious move. Why did they not tender Finnegan considering they didn't trade him before the summer's deadline?

(44:00) Washington acquired Evan Reifert in the Rule 5 Draft. Reifert is a RHP that comes from the Tampa Bay organization and now will likely be on the team's Opening Day roster.

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The World Series is now behind us and Juan Soto's Free Agency has arrived. Mark & Al begin with a nod to Nationals October legend Daniel Hudson, who announced his retirement shortly after the Dodgers won the title, Hudson was warming up in the bullpen when Walker Buehler closed out Game 5.

(05:00) Will the Nats be active on the Free Agency market for the first time in awhile? Will it be a Buyer's Market for the non elite players?

(14:10) We give an early handicap of the Soto Sweepstakes now that the Yankees season is over.

(28:20) Comparing Soto's Free Agency situation to the scene six years ago when Bryce Harper & Manny Machado's signings took longer than anticipated.

(33:45) Corbin Burnes is the top pitcher on the market. Will the Nats be in the chase for the righty?

(40:15)Trevor Williams and Jacob Barnes are Free Agents? Will they return to Washington?

(45:00) November will likely be a bit sleepy and the Winter Meetings are scheduled for December 9th-12th in Dallas.

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The Nats lost 6-3 on Sunday afternoon to the Phillies to finish the season at 71-91 overall. Mark & Al bridge the end of 2024 to the outlook of the 2025 season.

(16:10) Dylan Crews closed out his season on a high note with a triple, two singles, and a stolen base. Crews ended up with 119 Big League at-bats after getting called up in late August.

(19:30) Luis Garcia Jr. homered on Sunday to fittingly wrap-up his best season so far. Al points out that he was Washington's best 2B this year since peak Daniel Murphy.

(26:00) Jake Irvin had a rough outing as he allowed six runs in less than five innings of work. His ERA finishes at 4.41, which is much higher than where he was at at the end of June (3.03).

(32:15) A look ahead at what moves might need to be made to improve the pitching staff and at 1B.

JOIN US AT WALTER'S ON OCTOBER 4TH FROM 6:30-8:30PM FOR OUR PODCAST PARTY.

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The Nats topped the Phillies 6-3 on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd for their 71st victory; tying last year's total. Mark & Al recap MacKenzie Gore's stellar final outing of the season where he tossed six shutout frames. Gore's season ends with a 3.90 ERA, a stark improvement from where he began September (4.45). It is the best end of season ERA for a Nats starter with 20+ starts since... 2019.

(16:45) James Wood had a big day as he tripled and homered in the win. Wood has nine homers on the season and already has four career triples.

(22:10) The top of the 8th concluded with benches clearing following Bryce Harper's at-bat vs. Jose A. Ferrer. Keibert Ruiz was involved in the mix and Mark gives his observations from how everything unfolded. Harper continues to get booed by fans in Washington even though he is now in his 6th season in Philadelphia.

(33:00) Derek Law is close throwing 90 IP this season and is roughly three frames away from setting a franchise record for usage by a reliever.

(38:00) Jackson Rutledge was recently called up after DJ Herz ended his season. Will he pitch on Sunday in the season finale?

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The Nats clubbed the Phillies 9-1 on Friday night to end their four game skid. Mark & Al recap Stone Garrett's "too good to be true" evening as he fell a triple shy of the cycle in his first Big League game since August of last season. Garrett broke his leg last year and spent the bulk of this season with AAA-Rochester.

(13:30) Trevor Williams tossed five shutout innings in his 2nd start since returning from the IL. The hosts look at what the chances are that he is back in the team's rotation next season. His ERA after 13 starts is 2.03, the lowest of his career.

(21:00) Mike Rizzo spoke with the media prior to the game and among the topics addressed were CJ Abrams, offseason spending, and more.

(27:00) Luis Garcia Jr. won the Nationals Player of the Year Award as voted on by the media. Garcia led the team in OPS and was 2nd in homers with 17. What would have happened if the vote had gone to Abrams instead?

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The Nats were swept on Thursday afternoon by the Royals in a 7-4 loss. Al hosts solo to send off Patrick Corbin after his final start in a Washington uniform. Corbin gave up four runs, but did retire the final 10 batters he faced before Davey Martinez lifted him in the top of the 6th. The crowd applauded and Corbin tipped his cap back as a way to wrap up his six year tenure in D.C.

(16:00) Kyle Finnegan took the loss after allowing three runs in the top of the 9th. Al looks back at the recent decision to not trade Finnegan ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.

(21:10) The scoreless inning streak immediately ended from a Juan Yepez RBI in the bottom of the 1st inning. The other batch of offense came off Luis Garcia Jr.'s 17th homer of the season, a 3-run shot.

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For the third straight game the Nationals couldn't plate a run in their 3-0 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday night. Mark & Al dive into the continuing offensive ineptitude as the team is now 8-14 in September.

(07:00) The lack of runs leads to re-visiting the conversation about the decision in August to bring back the entire coaching staff in 2025.

(14:10) DJ Herz only allowed one run in his start of the season. Herz was called up in early June to replace the injured Trevor Williams and ended the year with an ERA of 4.16

(22:45) Cade Cavalli was at the stadium on Wednesday and Mark gives an update after the right hander met with the media. How much was this missed season due a to "dead arm"?

(31:00) Thursday afternoon will be Patrick Corbin's final start in a Washington uniform and it will be interesting to see how the home crowd receives him when he exits the game.

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The Nats rough September continued on Tuesday night as they were blanked 1-0 by the visiting Royals in extra innings. Mark & Al convene after back to back shutout defeats and the team has now lost seven of their past eight games.

(07:10) Dylan Crews went 0 for 4 and struck out 3 times. Crews' average is now down to .196 after his first month in the majors.

(15:30) Stone Garrett was called up from Rochester to replace Andres Chaparro, who was placed on the Paternity List. Over a year ago Garrett had a gruesome leg injury at Yankee Stadium and has spent the bulk of this season in AAA.

(22:45) Mitchell Parker's final start of the season was a strong one as he did not allow a run and make an excellent defensive stab. Parker ended up making 29 starts with Washington after getting called up in mid April.

(30:00) The organization handed out its end of the year minor league awards and Elijah Green won Defensive player of the Year. Green played CF for the Fred Nats, but the former 1st Round pick (2022) has struggled mightily at the plate.

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Following a two hour rain delay, the Nats were blanked 5-0 on Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Before we get into the show, we are excited to announce that WE WILL BE RETURNING FOR A 5TH SEASON AT NATS CHAT in 2025.

(06:00) Jake Irvin allowed a trio of early Cubs homers and he has now given up 29 of them this season. Irvin is now at 10-13 with an ERA at 4.22 and afterwards was critical of how mentally handled the delay start to the game.

(16:30) The offense outhit Chicago, but yet again did not score due to the lack of homers. Dylan Crews snapped an 0-19 slump and only had one hit in the final five games of the road trip. Crews is at 98 at bats since being called up and his OPS is now down to .599.

(22:00) Washington has six games remaining all home at this upcoming week. They host Kansas City and Philadelphia for 3 games apiece and both teams still have October implications. It has been a rough September for the Nationals as they are 8-12 this month.

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The Nats ended their five game skid on Saturday afternoon, but the major news of the day came beforehand. Mark (From Wrigley Field) & Al dive into the shocking news that CJ Abrams was optioned to the minors and will not play the rest of the season. There were reports that Abrams was out at a Chicago casino until 8AM on Friday morning, just a handful hours prior to 1st Pitch. Abrams will spend the next week at the team's facility in West Palm Beach since AAA-Rochester's season ends on Sunday.

(24:00) Almost lost in the shuffle from the busy Saturday, MacKenzie Gore took a no hitter into the bottom of the 7th. Gore struck out nine Cubs and navigated through a trio of walks issued. His ERA is at 4.04 and he has one start remaining next week in D.C.

(30:00) Five Washington hitters had multiple hits in the win. Joey Gallo hit his second HR of the series and he now is up to nine on the season, a far cry from last season's 23 homers with the Twins.

(34:00) Kyle Finnegan pitched the 9th and it was his first appearance in a week. The Nats are at 69 victories and need to go 3-4 down the stretch to exceed last season's win total.

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The Nats lost their fifth in a row on Friday afternoon, but there were positive items to focus on amid defeat. Mark (From Chicago) & Al gather after the Nationals 3-1 loss at Wrigley Field that keeps the team stuck at 68 wins. Trevor Williams had a solid outing after returning from a long stint on the IL; he only allowed one run in five frames in his first appearance since May 30th. Williams has one start remaining and these outings might serve as a de facto tryout for 2025.

(17:00) The only Washington run came off of James Wood's 8th HR of his rookie year. No National has hit 30 HRs in a season since Anthony Rendon & Juan Soto in 2019.

(20:10) Crews went 0 for 3 and has not had a hit in three straight games. He is hitting just .211 so far in the majors and his OPS is at .621.

(23:00) A long form discussion on if ownership will spend money this offseason? What will Mike Rizzo be authorized to do?

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