Ok, I'd say mission accomplished for the first half, all things considered.
Soto is a very interesting development. I am surprised by how many news stories identify us as among his top potential suitors, even moreso after we took a catcher with our first round pick yesterday, which is leading to speculation that Alvarez maybe on the block in a potential trade. I just don't see the Nats letting him go to a division rival, especially when we already have Scherzer. We could definitely use his bat, but I'd rather see us grab a Dan Hurley, catcher or 3B. And with Boras as his agent, you know he will just use us to set the market.
Still think the top priority has to be two solid relief pitchers (at least one lefty), followed by a bat; and I still think we could use another starter for insurance, but that may present more problems than solutions if deGrom does return to the rotation and everyone else stays healthy, because we would have a logjam then.
I don't like the reports of Atlanta coveting deGrom and trying to make a run at him in the off-season. Unless there is absolute clarity about his health by then, that really presents a conundrum because the choices will be to overpay or lose him to our biggest division nemesis. Which, of course, is exactly what Atlanta is hoping to do to us. And deGrom is hard to read about all of this. I wonder how much he is bothered sharing the ace spotlight with Scherzer.
