How many games will the Nationals win in 2024?
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“Nobody wants to aim to win 70 games in a season,” Washington Nationals’ GM and President of Baseball ops Mike Rizzo told reporters, as quoted by MASN’s Bobby Blanco, late last season when the club hit the 70-win plateau, before they added another W for 71 total on the year, a 16-game jump for the club from 2022.
“We want to win 97 games in the season,” he explained. “So that’s our goal.
“That’s always been our goal. But this is a good step in the right direction to that. I’m really excited about what’s coming down the pike and the players that are going to be the next core group of the championship team that plays in Nationals Park.”
The key to the jump in wins between ‘22 and ‘23?
“The key to that was we won so few games the year before,” Rizzo said, or, rather, deadpanned.
“That was really the key to it. We’re not proud of 71 wins, believe me. It was a step forward, but more importantly, young players made progress. I wasn’t trying to be a smart-aleck when I say that. Our goal was never to win 71 games, our goal is to win a division, win world championships. We think that — I feel that — we took a step in the right direction last year doing that and we’re going to try to facilitate another roster that allows us to take another step forward and get into action with a terrific division that we have to deal with. We understand the challenges in front of us, and I think that we’re a capable group, and I think you’ve seen in the past that we’ve done it, and I think that we’re going to be able to do it in the future.”
Fangraphs.com is projecting a slight drop to 66 wins on the year in 2024, with the rebooting ballclub quiet this winter with their free agent spending and the NL East still a tough division. How many wins do you see Davey Martinez and the boys putting up this season?
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