The Morning Briefing: A Problem that Needs to be Fixed

Good Monday Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for Monday, October 18, 2021. Thank you for starting the week with us.

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Leading today's Morning Briefing is our newest article that focuses on the starting rotation and how the Nationals should address the issue over the offseason. Once the envy of Major League Baseball, the Nationals starting rotation has become a major issue that the team needs to address. From the article: "We all know that Patrick Corbin and recently acquired Josiah Gray will be making the starting rotation, we don't know if Stephen Strasburg can pitch a full season or should he even pitch tons of innings next season, and with Joe Ross and Erick Fedde's arbitration Eligible the Nationals don't really have things tied up nicely." Read the full article here.

A look at the Washington Nationals Prospects in the Arizona Fall League. The Arizona Fall League kicked off last Wednesday and already Washington Nationals prospects have hit the field. On Friday, RHP Jackson Rutledge made his Arizona Fall League debut for the Surprise Saguaros. Rutledge took the loss, going only four innings allowing four runs on six hits including one home run. Rutledge struck out five and walked one.

Five Nationals prospects who could figure into their 2022 plans and three more who may not be far behind. The Athletic has a very interesting article that focuses on prospects of the Washington Nationals, that is worth the time to read. From the article: "After a 97-loss season, the Nationals’ future looks bleak. Juan Soto’s bat probably will continue to light the baseball world on fire but there aren’t many near-certainties for the Nationals to count on beyond him. They are relying on too many starting pitchers to bounce back from injury-plagued or ineffective seasons and expecting too many inexperienced players to spend their 2022 seasons finding footing in the major leagues. That’s a tough position for any organization, but it is particularly difficult for one not far removed from a championship." Click here to read the full article.

Quick Hits:

MLB in talks to launch nationwide streaming service for home games without cable TV via New York Post. From the article: "Major League Baseball is in talks to launch a nationwide video-streaming service that would enable fans to watch their teams’ hometown games without a cable-TV subscription, The Post has learned. The web-based service — which could address a decades-old annoyance for baseball fans that some have partly blamed for the league’s steadily declining viewership — could launch as early as the 2023 season, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said."
Major League Baseball to require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022 via ESPN. From the article: "Amid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball said on Sunday it will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022. While MLB has yet to outline its plan formally, six team officials told ESPN they are starting to prepare to help house players across each of their four minor league affiliates. In mid-September, owners from the league's 30 teams agreed unanimously to a plan that would provide housing for certain minor league players, the league said in a statement. Whether they will offer stipends that fully cover housing or provide the lodging itself has yet to be decided, sources said."
NLCS Recap: Braves take a 2-0 lead over the Dodgers. Over the weekend, the Atlanta Braves took a 2-0 lead over the Los Dodgers with two back to back walk off wins. The Braves joined the 1997 Marlins (NLDS vs. Giants), ‘81 Astros (NLDS vs. Dodgers) and ‘69 Orioles (ALCS vs. Twins) as the only teams with a walk-off win in the first two games of a postseason series. The series now switch to the West Coast and who knows what's next.
ALCS Recap: It's all Tied Up. The American League Championship Series is tied at one game apiece as it shifts to Boston for Game 3 at Fenway Park on Monday night, with the Astros and Red Sox having split the first two games of the best-of-seven series at Minute Maid Park. Zack Greinke might be the potential starter in Game 4, the bats staying hot and more.