Nats set up well for the future

[Taz_Hokie]

Nobody would argue that the Washington Nationals had a storybook ending to their 2012 season. Washington burst out to a six-run lead in the early going of Game 5 of the NLDS, only to watch the St. Louis Cardinals chip away at that margin and Drew Storen pick a rather unfortunate time to have a rare meltdown on the mound.

Despite the weak end, 2012 as a whole should be considered a roaring success for the Nationals. Their 98 wins set a new franchise record, and whether in D.C. or Montreal, it was the first time the team finished a completed season as the division champs. Washington residents got to see the city's first taste of baseball playoffs since the Senators lost the 1933 World Series to the New York Giants.

The good news is that the tale of these Nationals isn't finished and there are more sequels to come. Volume 1 didn't end with Gio Gonzalez and the rest showering with champagne, but the team enters the offseason in perhaps the strongest position of any team in the National League for the next few years.

Washington's best players aren't going anywhere. Gonzalez is signed through at least 2016, and if he continues to pitch as well as he did this year, the team can retain his services for $12 million in 2017. Ryan Zimmerman's in town until at least 2019. Stephen Strasburg won't hit free agency for four more years and wunderkind Bryce Harper until after 2018. Jordan Zimmermann hasn't yet been signed to a long-term deal, but can't seek a contract anywhere else until after the 2015 World Series.

Even better, with roughly $50 million of the team's 2013 payroll guaranteed -- and even with arbitration awards imminent -- the team still has plenty of money to spend. Jayson Werth is probably signed for too much for too long, and only so many teams can trick the Los Angeles Dodgers into picking up their unwanted long-term contracts, but the Nats have enough good contracts elsewhere on the club to lessen the impact of Werth's in the years to come.

With the core of the team returning, the Nationals get to be in that rare situation in which their winter shopping list can consist of wants, rather than needs. Without any real holes in the lineup, they have the luxury of getting to window-shop and kick a lot of tires. The San Francisco Giants have to fill two-thirds of their outfield, and their only non-terrible second baseman is a free agent. The Atlanta Braves have to replace one of the best third basemen of all time and possibly center fielder Michael Bourn. Washington gets to pick and choose its offseason targets.

One of the stunning things about Washington's 2012 run was how few players really performed at levels that are likely unsustainable going forward. Harper and Strasburg are two of the brightest young stars in the game. When you take into account the league change, Gonzalez prevented runs just as well as he did in 2010-11. The only player who really was a huge surprise on the upside was shortstop Ian Desmond, hitting .292/.335/.511 after entering the year with a .262/.304/.387 line in two-plus seasons in the majors. Even with some healthy regression in 2013 -- the ZiPS projection system has him at .269/.312/.432 for the 2013 season -- he's more likely to be a positive than a problem next season.

With 98 wins, Washington had the youngest pitching staff in the majors and the fourth-youngest lineup in the majors in 2012. They keep all of their best players and have money to spend and the flexibility to go after any player they want this winter. Fans may have been disappointed not to see Strasburg pitch in the playoffs in 2012, but short of worst-case scenarios, they won't be waiting long to see his postseason debut. With all of their organizational strengths, the Washington Nationals have plenty more opportunities to write their happily ever after.

Washington Nationals are set up well for offseason and beyond - MLB - ESPN