SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025

Game Recap

PORT ST LUCIE, FL - The Washington Nationals dropped a tough one yesterday afternoon to their division rival, the New York Mets, after a thrilling comeback. Jake Irvin took the bump for Washington and, despite having been elite to start the spring, ran into some nasty trouble early. The offense, specifically Luis Garcia Jr., Alex Call, Andrew Pinckney, Daylen Lile, and Nasim Nuñez bailed him out of it after some time. However, a costly run in the eighth cost the Nationals the game after all of that drama.

Despite the pitching staff surrendering seven runs today, they actually did a great job. A look at the box reveals that the group only allowed one earned run. Irvin threw 38 pitches in the first and allowed six runners to cross the plate, even though the only one he was responsible for came from Mark Vientos’ two-run homer. Francisco Lindor had reached base off an error from Nathaniel Lowe. Because of this error, the inning was still alive, and eventually, former Nats prospect Jakson Reetz hit a grand slam off Irvin to make it a 6-0 ballgame.

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Up Next:

Today, the Washington Nationals will participate in another split squad game against the Miami Marlins, with the afternoon game being at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, FL, and the evening game being played at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL. Southpaws Shinnosuke Ogasawara (1 - 1; 7.71 ERA) will take the mound for the Washington Nationals in the evening, and Mitchell Parker (0-0; 5.40 ERA) will take the mound for the Nationals in the afternoon.

After these two games today, the Nationals will have Tuesday off, return to action on Wednesday, and face the Houston Astros, with the first pitch scheduled at 1:05 p.m. EDT.

Follow our LIVE SPRING TRAINING BLOG for the latest updates before, during, and after the game.

 WASHINGTON NATIONALS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Home Run for the Ages

 SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025

Analysis: Juan Soto’s Words Sting, But I’m Over It?

Does it matter? Maybe, no, who knows or who cares. That’s the thought rattling around my head as a Washington Nationals fan, hearing Juan Soto’s latest podcast bombshell: “If the Nationals built a winning team, I’d have signed an extension for less than their $440M offer.” Once upon a time, those words would’ve sent me spiraling—anger, nostalgia, a desperate wish to rewrite the past. But now? I’ve moved on. The sting of losing Soto has faded, and I’m not sure his what-ifs change much anymore.

Look, I’ll never forget 2019. Soto was electric—swinging for the stars, flashing that grin, dragging us to a World Series title. He was the heartbeat of D.C. baseball, the kid we thought would wear the curly W forever. Then came the trade to San Diego, a detour through the Bronx, and now he’s settled in Flushing, Queens, with the Mets. So, when he says he’d have stayed for less than that jaw-dropping 15-year, $440 million offer if we’d just built a contender? It’s hard not to feel a twinge. But it’s only a twinge—not a full-on ache.

What he’s really saying is that the Nationals didn’t sell him on a future worth sticking around for. Soto was 23 when he got traded, a phenom watching the Nationals stall while he was ready to soar. That $440 million deal was huge, but it wasn’t paired with a roster screaming “championship.” He wanted wins as much as he wanted the paycheck, and D.C. couldn’t promise both.

Could they have done more? Sure, maybe. Lock him in, sign some bats, bolster the rotation—paint him a picture of contention. He says he’d have taken a discount for that. But I’m not losing sleep over hypotheticals. The trade happened, and it wasn’t nothing—C.J. Abrams is a sparkplug, James Wood’s got upside, let's not forget Hard-throwing righty Jarlin Susana, and it looks like Robert Hassell III is shaping up to be this year’s prospect of the year. The Nationals are piecing something together, even if it’s not Soto’s Nationals anymore. I’ve let go of that old fantasy.

He’s killing it with the Mets now, still the same disciplined slugger I adored. Good for him. I don’t begrudge him chasing his path—$765 million and a shot at October glory in Queens. His words don’t haunt me; they echo a choice already made. I’m rooting for the Nationals we’ve got, the slow grind back to relevance. Does it matter what he’d have done? Maybe once. Now? Nah. Who knows, who cares, we will be writing about it anyways.

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Speed Reads

📌 Mets starting catcher Francisco Alvarez out 6-8 weeks with broken left hand (Fox News)

📌 Washington Nationals Lauded by Former MLB Executive for Bullpen Strategy (Sports Illustrated)

📌 Finley: MLB should pardon Pete Rose (Detroit News)