Good Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, October 27, 2023. I am Haden and today there is not much to talk about.

Upgrade your subscription to get our weekly round-up of the biggest Washington Nationals stories over the past week, minor league game notes, and more MLB headlines.

Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Draft lottery odds are set

Because the Nationals landed the second overall pick in last year’s lottery, they are likely going to have to settle for 10th overall next year in that first round. Now this is not set in stone. There is a slim chance the Nationals end up higher, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. If the top four teams in odds, the Athletics, the Royals, the Rockies, and the White Sox, don’t get selected in the lottery, then the Nationals can pick higher than 10th overall.

Either way, this is not necessarily a bad thing. While the top-end talent isn’t there like it was in the 2023 draft, this is still a relatively deep college class. There is a strong mix of pitchers and hitters that when the dust settles, the Nationals can end up with a top player for their rebuild.

Right-hander Chase Burns has been one of the best strikeout arms in college baseball for the past couple of years and just transferred to Wake Forest, a school known for getting the most out of their pitchers. Corner infielder out of LSU Tommy White, better known as Tommy Tanks thanks to his propensity to hit home runs, could fall to the Nationals. There is also a future super-utility infielder in Seaver King from Wake Forest, a player with great defense around the infield and a plus bat. My personal favorite, left-handed Hagen Smith from Arkansas, offers the ace upside that the Nationals missed out on when Paul Skenes was selected first overall last summer.

If I had to guess, the Nationals probably end up with a pitcher here unless a major bat falls to them. But then again, we are nine months away from the 2024 Draft. A lot can change between now and then.

ICYMI: Latest articles on the Nats Report

Even though it is the offseason, we have been extremely busy producing a lot of great content here on the Nats Report. Here are just a couple of the articles that we have published this week that you might have missed:

• Player Profile: RHP Jackson Rutledge
• This is not the free agency you are looking for
• A practical free agency wishlist
• Player Profile: Outfielder Dylan Crews
• 2023: A Nationals Year in Review

We are working on a lot of great Nationals-themed content all off-season so make sure that you are following us on all the major social media channels for the latest.

We need your feedback

Now that is the offseason, we want to prepare the best content that you need the most. We’ve added three writers to the team since the end of the season, and we want to know how we can improve and best curate the content for you. Let us know what you want to see and read from us in the survey linked here.

Fan Corner: Your Nationals Stories

Do you have a memorable Nationals story or experience you'd like to share with our community? Whether it's a special moment at the ballpark, an encounter with a player, or a favorite Nationals tradition, we'd love to hear from you! Send us your story to Themorning@thenatsreport.com and we might feature it in a future weekly or Morning Briefing.

Featured Stories of the Day

• “Mad Dog” Russo did not retire after the D-Backs win via The Washington Post
• Giants hire Bob Melvin to be MLB manager via ESPN
• Who is Danny Haas? via The Nats Report

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting this publication with a paid subscription so you don’t miss a thing:

The Nats Report is an independent reader-supported project with both free and paid subscriptions.

The Nats Report is an independent reader-supported project with both free and paid subscriptions and not affiliated with the Washington Nationals.

Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster our independent coverage of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball.