{"id":76338,"date":"2015-01-12T19:18:40","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T19:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=76338"},"modified":"2023-04-13T15:16:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:16:32","slug":"sportstalk-shop-redskins-eagles-nationals-phillies-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/sportstalk-shop-redskins-eagles-nationals-phillies-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The SportsTalk Shop:  Redskins, Eagles, Nationals &#038; Phillies Off-Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It certainly has been an interesting few weeks for these four pro teams in the RCN viewing area\u2014all for different reasons.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/washington.nationals.mlb.com\/index.jsp?c_id=was\">Nationals<\/a> are heading into, what I believe, is a very critical season for them sustaining their long-term success.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.redskins.com\/\">Redskins <\/a>are trying to figure out how everything went tragically wrong in 2014 and how to rebound as quickly as possible.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com\/index.jsp?c_id=phi\">Phillies <\/a>are starting a rebuilding process that\u2014if it doesn\u2019t gain traction over the next several months\u2014could produce massive changes to their long-time front office personnel.\u00a0 And the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.philadelphiaeagles.com\/\">Eagles<\/a>\u2026well, even the most seasoned beat writers are still trying to figure out just exactly what happened over the last month, and whether the off-season moves they\u2019ve made so far will make the team dramatically better\u2014or worse.<\/p>\n<p>First, here are some thoughts on all four teams as discussed by a panel of media pundits.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qaF9nociWAs\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Now, a little more now on the Nationals.\u00a0 I, too, see 2015 as a huge year for Washington.\u00a0 They clearly are the best team in the National League East and should have no trouble holding off any \u201csurpassing expectations\u201d type of season the Marlins or Mets might have.\u00a0 Washington is very similar to what the Phillies were as they were entering their 2008 season, with their core reaching the prime of their careers\u2014and several players about to begin their \u201ccontract year\u201d.\u00a0 In my opinion, the Nats MUST get to the World Series this season.\u00a0 I\u2019ll explain why in a moment, but first, here are three things that have to happen for the Nats to have success this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a01) \u201cGo To\u201d Players Must Step Up<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time for the big-money guys to do what they get paid for\u2014win.\u00a0 It\u2019s not enough to put up big individual numbers.\u00a0 It\u2019s not enough to say the right things in the media. The \u201cgo to\u201d guys have to take it to another level and make the players around them better.\u00a0 Jayson Werth, a player who has experience doing that with the Phillies, will have to make a successful recovery from his arthroscopic shoulder surgery this week.\u00a0 He won\u2019t be ready by the start of spring training, but needs to be ready to play by mid-April.\u00a0 The old adage of \u201cyou can\u2019t win a pennant in April but you certainly can lose one\u201d applies.\u00a0 Highly touted prospect Michael Taylor will probably be patrolling Werth\u2019s left field spot (remember, he\u2019s switching positions with Bryce Harper this season) for a good chunk of spring training.\u00a0 While I\u2019m very high on Taylor and feel he can be an everyday Major League outfielder at some point, it\u2019s extremely risky to rely on a minor leaguer\u2014no matter how high their pedigree\u2014for anything in a season as critical as this one\u2026which brings us to topic #2&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a02) \u00a0Stay Aggressive Adding Role Players.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Signing these guys are not flashy moves.\u00a0 Some of these acquisitions won\u2019t even register on national sports news programs.\u00a0 But these types of moves are what help win championships.\u00a0 Sticking with our parallels to the \u201908 Phillies, imagine that team without the following moves:\u00a0 Pat Gillick taking a chance on Werth as a \u2018complement\u2019 to Geoff Jenkins in RF; not having J.C. Romero anchoring the 7<sup>th<\/sup>\/8<sup>th<\/sup> innings; not having Matt Stairs available to pinch hit\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Injuries will occur.\u00a0 Players will go into slumps.\u00a0 The Nationals have already added some nice pieces over the last year (and a gritty player like Kevin Frandsen last year was a great example).\u00a0 However, I\u2019m not expecting much out of Dan Uggla, and continuing to search for diamonds-in-the-rough will be even more imperative as 2015 unfolds.\u00a0 GM Mike Rizzo must continue to look for even the slightest moves that can improve his team.\u00a0 The organization must continue to add depth and leave nothing to chance this season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Sign Desmond NOW!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ian Desmond is one of the best shortstops in the game.\u00a0 The Nats will have many questions heading into the offseason, resigning free agents-to be that are currently on the roster, regardless of how the team does this season.\u00a0 The last thing this year\u2019s team needs is added distractions.\u00a0 You clearly must bring him back for next season, and entering spring training with his future in limbo opens the door for speculation and puts doubt into the minds of other players about the future of the team.\u00a0 I mentioned earlier how important it is to get off to a quality start.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want one issue snowballing into an avalanche of ambiguity.\u00a0 There is no question that Desmond should be the one guy you bring back for next year, and to go into March with him NOT signing a long-term deal would be a colossal mistake.<\/p>\n<p>The Phillies were able to build on what they established in 2007 to capture a World Championship.\u00a0 A failure by Washington to at least get beyond the NLDS would signal a lateral progression&#8230;or worse, a regressive atmosphere around the organization.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t the type of feeling you want to have lingering as you try to re-sign as many of the current, productive Nationals players as you may need after this season.\u00a0 Hard decisions will have to be made on both sides, and those decisions get tougher for all involved if there are questions about the direction of the franchise.<\/p>\n<p>Philadelphia\u2014now\u2014is in a full-blown rebuilding process, and many more things need to be done.\u00a0 It will certainly not be easy to accomplish those things (moving Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, et al).\u00a0 While I actually think they have made some good moves\u2014so far\u2014this winter, I\u2019ll wait to talk about them more in detail until we see more of their off-season work.\u00a0 The Phillies now have the luxury of time to let their plan develop\u2026the element of time is exactly what the Nationals could soon be running out of.<\/p>\n<p>What are your thoughts on the four pro sports teams mentions?\u00a0 Who makes the biggest noise this offseason and what moves do you see happening?\u00a0 Email your comments to <a href=\"mailto:RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com\">RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com<\/a> and keep checking back to the RCN-TV website as we\u2019ll continue to follow these teams\u2019 storylines and in the coming weeks will have more programs on these franchises on \u2018RCN SportsTalk\u2019 (live, Thursdays at 6pm<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It certainly has been an interesting few weeks for these four pro teams in the RCN viewing area\u2014all for different reasons.\u00a0 The Nationals are heading into, what I believe, is a very critical season for them sustaining their long-term success.\u00a0 The Redskins are trying to figure out how everything went tragically wrong in 2014 and&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index 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ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The SportsTalk Shop: Redskins, Eagles, Nationals &amp; Phillies Off-Season - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It certainly has been an interesting few weeks for these four pro teams in the RCN viewing area\u2014all for different reasons.\u00a0 The Nationals are heading into, what I believe, is a very critical season for them sustaining their long-term success.\u00a0 The Redskins are trying to figure out how everything went tragically wrong in 2014 and...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/sportstalk-shop-redskins-eagles-nationals-phillies-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-12T19:18:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta 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