It's hard to know just how good the Nationals will be without Stan Kasten at the helm. They were never very good during his time here, but on the other hand, it might not bode well for an Organization's attempted re-build when they lose the man who laid the blueprint.
Adam Kilgore wonders how the Nationals will replace not only his performance, but his presence.
The Nationals are not sure what will happen without Kasten, how they'll replace his leadership, his energy, his experience and his -- yeah, pretty much everything. At this moment, the Nationals have a lot of good things going on on the field, despite their record. Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa up the middle alone is a reason for a season ticket holder to smile. Will they be able to finish it from here?
Kilgore also has quotes from Kasten on what he believes to be the state of the franchise moving forward.
"I think now is not the time for that global assessment," Kasten said. "But I will say briefly, I think we are poised to really take off. I think we have ownership that is ready to take the next step. We talk a lot about it privately, and I have a high level of confidence that's going to happen ...
"There's still plenty to do," he said. "I always think of the lifespan of building something in three phases. There's constructing, there's competing, there's contending. I really think we've come through the constructing. Now we're on the cusp of really competing. The line from constructing to competing is really long. It's a big difference and a big distance. The distance from competing to contending can be very short. A couple of key moves can make that change. I think that's where we are, on the cusp."
The Nationals have better pieces in place for the future than they had at any point in Kasten's tenure here. It must be hard for him to leave before those players come into their own and he can receive the credit he deserves for assembling them.They may look like a bad team on paper, but in a few years, they might make the next President look very smart.