The Washington Nationals return a strong cast of characters and emerges as major favorites to win the NL East again. As long as the Chicago Cubs retain their core and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to improve, they may still be underdogs to win the NL Pennant, though some moves at the trade deadline could certainly change that.

This team has plenty of fantasy promise and I will be helping you all establish expectations for the team and some of its key players. So without further ado, here is my preview for the 2017 Washington Nationals.

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Offseason Moves

Acquired Adam Eaton from the White Sox for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez
Eaton is escaping one of the worst lineups in baseball and finds himself atop one of the best. His offensive production decreased rom 2015 to 2016, but he was one of the only threats in that Chicago lineup and it’s possible pitchers pitched around him. Now batting ahead of the likes of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, Eaton looks poised to surpass the 100 runs scored mark for the first time in his career and should still provide his normal home run and stolen base production. He is by no means one of the top 10 outfielders (not yet), but he certainly will enter 2017 with plenty of value for fantasy owners.

Acquired Derek Norris from the Padres for Pedro Avila
Norris is no Wilson Ramos, let’s just get that out of the way. He is a definite downgrade at the position for Washington. But Norris offers fantasy owners with power and some RBI totals now that he’s batting behind a potent lineup. The batting average will likely stay low, though it might creep above that bleak .186 line and he might hit for more power now that he’s escaped Petco. The catching position is weak, but even this move does not quite make Norris a fantasy starter. Look for him though in two-catcher leagues.

Hitting Overview

The Nationals enter 2017 with a drastically improved lineup from the beginning of the 2016 season. Beyond just the offseason acquisitions of Eaton and Norris, the team will now have a full season the explosive shortstop Trea Turner near the top of their lineup. Turner may have a bit of a drop-off in power numbers (13 home runs is two shy of his total over the previous year-and-a-half), but the stolen bases totals appear realistic as he has true game-changing speed. He should also have no issue scoring 100 runs.

Batting behind Turner and Eaton will be Daniel Murphy, fresh off a season where he was fourth in the majors in wOBA and second in MVP voting. Even if he regresses (which I expect he will), he still provides elite production from the shallow offensive position of second base. Bryce Harper will enter 2017 with slightly lowered expectations from 2016, but he again owns a top-10 ADP according to FantasyPros. He certainly has the skill to rebound and figures to have plenty of RBI opportunities. Anthony Rendon figures to bat in the middle of the lineup too, probably fifth, giving him plenty of RBI chances throughout the season. This is an extremely deep lineup and fantasy owners will be sure to add many of them in this year’s draft.

Pitching Overview

The lineup may have improved for Washington, but the pitching staff took a hit over the offseason. They lost closer Mark Melancon and have no viable candidate to fill the position. Shawn Kelley appears to be the front-runner and though he had a great season in 2016, he will be 33 for most of the season and might lose the role midseason if the Nats acquire a closer at the deadline. They also suffered losses in the depth of their pitching staff as they dealt away Giolito and Lopez to Chicago for Adam Eaton. If any of their starting five finds themselves on the DL for an extended period of time, the team has little depth to fill the void.

On the bright side, the team will return all five of their regular starting pitchers who helped the rotation post the second-highest fWAR among MLB starting rotations. Two-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer will once again be the Opening Day starter and Stephen Strasburg should be healthy and hopes to finally reach the 150 inning mark. Tanner Roark was a surprise and while peripherals suggest regression, he should be a solid own in fantasy leagues. Joe Ross showed immense promise in 2016, but spent plenty of time on the DL. He could be a big help for teams looking for starting pitcher sleepers. Gio Gonzalez is reliable, but he did regress from 2015 and may be nothing more than a backend innings-eater for fantasy owners.

Prospects Overview

Once Giolito and Lopez were dealt away, this section essentially went blank. It seems plausible, though unlikely that Victor Robles might debut in 2017, but at most it would be for a cup of coffee in September. Austin Voth and A.J. Cole figure to be competing for the sixth starter spot for the team and Koda Glover will pitch in the bullpen. If you are expecting a true impact prospect for 2017, find another team.

Conclusion

Fantasy owners have an abundance of talent to find on this team. The lineup is incredibly deep and though the bullpen and rotation both downgraded, Scherzer, Strasburg and Ross still stand out as three incredibly valuable starting pitchers and Kelley could be a great pickup out of the bullpen. This is one of the clear best teams in baseball and fantasy owners should definitely view them as one full of strong fantasy options.