The Washington Nationals have had a very disappointing 2015 season and the team has opted to fire manager Matt Williams after missing the playoffs this year. The team got a historic season from Bryce Harper, but multiple issues, including the bullpen, injuries and Jonathan Papelbon derailed things and now moving forward players like Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond and Denard Span could be gone in free agency.
The Nationals came into the season as a favorite to make the World Series and nearly every prediction had the team winning the NL East division. Clearly that did not happen, as the Mets are now in the playoffs as division champions and the Nats are on the outside of the postseason picture. According to the Washington Post, the team decided to make a move with Williams and general manager Mike Rizzo released a statement announcing the firing.
Rizzo said that this "wasn't Matt's best year" and he also had criticism on himself, saying it was not "my best year" or the "best year" for the organization. The team had previously made the playoffs last season, but they were knocked out in the NLDS after finishing with the best record in the National League. Williams still had one year left on his contract and the coaching staff for the team was also let go. The Nationals spent over $160 million in payroll this year, but they only won 83 games.
Williams had ups and downs this season with bullpen issues, injuries and other problems and things boiled over at the end of September with a dugout fight between Harper and Papelbon. The fight was not a good look for the team and Williams' decision to put Papelbon in that game after the fight was also looked at as a mistake. Williams reportedly did not see the fight and did not know what happened when he send Papelbon back out to pitch.
The Nationals now have some major questions heading into 2016, as they have a strong core of players, but a number of important pieces are hitting the market as free agents. Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Denard Span and Doug Fister are all free agents and the team may consider moving Papelbon after what happened at the end of the season. If the team doesn't move Papelbon they may end up trading Drew Storen, as the pitcher was not happy with his role following the move to add Papelbon.
The Nats got a historic season out of Bryce Harper and some great pitching from Max Scherzer and with those players returning along with Yunel Escobar, Michael Taylor and Stephen Strasburg, there is still plenty to be excited about for next season. The next step is finding a manager and while Cal Ripken has come up in some circles as a pick, CBS Sports reporter Jon Heyman writes that Bud Black is a "more likely" option at this point.
Check here for more on the Nationals, Williams getting fired and the off-season coming up.
