The 2018 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 14th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the 11th season at Nationals Park, and the 50th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The regular season began on March 29, 2018, and ended on September 30, 2018.
Nationals Park hosted the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 17, 2018, the first time it hosted a Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was the fifth MLB All-Star Game held in Washington, D.C., and the first since 1969.
Offseason.
Team news.
The Washington Nationals announced on October 20, 2017, that manager Dusty Baker and his coaching staff would not return for the 2018 season. Baker had originally been hired after the 2015 season to a two-year deal as manager, which the Nationals opted not to extend.
Among the candidates interviewed for the managerial opening were Chicago Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, former Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, and New York Mets hitting coach Kevin Long. "The Washington Post" reported October 29 that Martinez and the Nationals had agreed on a three-year contract with an option for the 2021 season. The hiring was officially announced October 30. General manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals chose to zero in on "someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players, and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game" and concluded Martinez — who had played for the Montreal Expos years before the team moved to Washington, D.C., and had won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs as manager Joe Maddon's longtime bench coach — was best suited for the job. Long was announced as the Nationals' hitting coach on November 2. The Nationals rehired Bob Henley as third base coach, also announcing November 9 that former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale had been hired as bench coach, former St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Derek Lilliquist had been hired as pitching coach, and former Seattle Mariners bench coach Tim Bogar had been hired as first base coach. Former major league utilityman Joe Dillon was also hired to support Long as assistant hitting coach. The Nationals rounded out Martinez's staff on November 15, announcing that Cubs quality assurance coach Henry Blanco had been hired as bullpen coach.
The Nationals had the largest free agent class in Major League Baseball, losing right-handed relievers Matt Albers, Joe Blanton, and Brandon Kintzler; left-handed reliever Óliver Pérez; starting pitcher Edwin Jackson; backup catcher José Lobatón; utility players Stephen Drew and Howie Kendrick; and outfielders Alejandro De Aza, Ryan Raburn, and Jayson Werth to free agency as their contracts expired. First baseman and left fielder Adam Lind also became a free agent as the Nationals declined his option. Catcher Matt Wieters decided to exercise his $10.5 million player option, remaining a National for another season. The Nationals signed nearly half of their departing free agents to new contracts: Kintzler agreed to a new deal including club and player options for the 2019 season to stay in Washington, and Kendrick agreed to a two-year deal to return, while Jackson, Raburn, and De Aza re-signed with the Nationals on minor league deals. The team elected to tender one-year contracts to all three of its arbitration-eligible players — third baseman Anthony Rendon, right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark, and outfielder Michael A. Taylor — after having previously reached a one-year extension agreement for right fielder Bryce Harper, who had also been eligible for arbitration in his final year before free agency, for the 2018 season back in May. The team avoided arbitration with all three players, with salary agreements for each being announced January 12, 2018.
Rizzo stated the Nationals were primarily interested in adding right-handed relief pitching, along with "depth" for their starting rotation and bench, during the off-season. Among the free agents Washington was linked to, with varying reports on their level of interest: catchers Alex Avila (ultimately signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks) and Jonathan Lucroy (ultimately signed by the Oakland Athletics); right-handed relievers Wade Davis (ultimately signed by the Colorado Rockies), Greg Holland, Addison Reed (ultimately signed by the Minnesota Twins), and Hector Rondon (ultimately signed by the Houston Astros); right-handed starting pitchers Jake Arrieta (ultimately signed by the Philadelphia Phillies); Alex Cobb (ultimately signed by the Baltimore Orioles), and Lance Lynn (ultimately signed by the Minnesota Twins); and Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher and outfielder Shohei Ohtani (ultimately signed by the Los Angeles Angels). They were also connected to Lind, who had contributed to the team's 2017 season, prior to signing free agent Matt Adams to serve as a backup first baseman and outfielder, as well as to Albers, another 2017 National, before re-signing Kintzler. Media reports also connected the Nationals to potential trade candidates like catcher J. T. Realmuto and outfielders Marcell Ozuna (ultimately traded to the St. Louis Cardinals) and Christian Yelich (ultimately traded to the Milwaukee Brewers), all of the Miami Marlins; right-handed starting pitcher Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates (ultimately traded to the Houston Astros); and right-handed starting pitchers Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi (ultimately traded to the Minnesota Twins), both of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Amid a fairly quiet off-season on the trade front, the Nationals made a deal with the division-rival New York Mets shortly before opening their spring training camp to acquire utility infielder Matt Reynolds for cash considerations. A rumored trade of Wieters to the Athletics during spring training did not materialize, with Oakland instead signing the free agent Lucroy to a major league contract.
The Nationals' streak of seasons, dating back to their inaugural 2005 season, of not having a player on their active roster test positive for performance-enhancing drugs came to an end February 7, 2018, when Major League Baseball handed catcher Raudy Read an 80-game suspension over a positive test for the banned steroid Boldenone. Read was placed on the restricted list.
Spring training.
The Nationals held spring training at their facility at The Ballpark of The Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, which they shared with the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros. It was their second year at the facility. On February 16, the Nationals and Astros signed a 12-year deal for the naming rights to the stadium with FITTEAM, an event brand partnership and organic products firm in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, resulting in the facility being renamed FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches effective that day. Astros, Nationals, and FITTEAM executives held a ceremony behind home plate on February 21, 2018, to officially unveil the new name and a new logo for the facility reflecting the name change.
The Nationals announced 21 non-roster invitees to major league spring training on February 13, 2018: pitchers Tim Collins, Jimmy Cordero, Brady Dragmire, David Goforth, Ismael Guillón, Bryan Harper, Edwin Jackson, Jaron Long, Román Méndez, Tommy Milone, Chris Smith, and César Vargas; catchers Taylor Gushue, Spencer Kieboom, Miguel Montero, and Jhonatan Solano; infielders Osvaldo Abreu, Reid Brignac, and Chris Dominguez; and outfielders Ryan Raburn and Moises Sierra. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp the following day, and position players followed on February 19.
The Nationals announced reliever Koda Glover was dealing with a recurrence of the right shoulder inflammation that had prematurely ended his season in 2017, leading the team to shut him down by February 18. Following the Nationals' signing of Joaquin Benoit to contend for a spot in the major league bullpen, starting pitcher Joe Ross, still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in July 2017, was placed on the 60-day disabled list effective February 21.
Washington sent Milone to the mound to start the opener of Grapefruit League action on February 23, an "away" game for the Nationals at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches against the Astros. Both teams elected to wear the caps of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball team to honor students and staff slain on February 14 in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in nearby Parkland, Florida. Houston took the lead in the third inning with a two-run home run by catcher Max Stassi off Long, who came on in relief of Milone after two scoreless innings. The Nationals struck back in the fifth inning, with the third baseman Dominguez driving home left fielder Andrew Stevenson after he doubled and then being brought home on an RBI single by first baseman Jose Marmolejos. But the tie game was short-lived, as Dragmire took the mound in the bottom of the fifth and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Astros third baseman J. D. Davis. Both teams were effectively kept off the board for the rest of the game, and the Astros won 3–2.
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, entering his final season before expected free agency in the winter, had an ingrown toenail that required minor surgery on February 28. He was one of several Nationals reported to be dealing with minor injuries, with outfielders Raburn and Michael A. Taylor both scratched from early spring contests with side tightness and first basemen Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Adams also missing several games early in the spring with fleeting health concerns: "stiffness" for Zimmerman and a foot blister for Adams. Additionally, the Nationals were cautious in their handling of second baseman Daniel Murphy and outfielder Adam Eaton, both recovering from knee surgeries in 2017. Reliever Wander Suero injured his side during an appearance out of the bullpen on March 8, prompting the Nationals to shut him down and option him to minor league camp; fellow right-hander Benoit was shut down in mid-March with a forearm strain. A. J. Cole, attempting to win a spot in the starting rotation, missed a mid-March start due to illness. Shortstop Trea Turner also underwent a procedure on March 19 to remove an ingrown toenail, prompting manager Dave Martinez to quip, "That's been the trend of spring."
Minor-league spring training began in the first week of March, and on March 5, the Nationals sent left-handed pitcher Seth Romero home to Houston indefinitely from minor-league camp for repeated curfew violations. Romero – the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 5 prospect in the Nationals organization – had been suspended twice and finally dismissed permanently for rules violations during his college career with the University of Houston Cougars baseball team, raising concerns about his character, but the Nationals did not cut ties with him. Instead, they gave him a list of things he had to do to earn his way back into the organization, with the expectation that he would meet those requirements and play in the Nationals' farm system again sometime during the 2018 season.
The Nationals made a late addition to their slate of non-roster invitees on March 17, 2018, signing starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp. Hellickson was reportedly brought into the organization to compete for the last spot in the major league rotation, along with Erick Fedde, Cole, Jackson, and Milone. The team announced March 23 that Cole would start the season in the major league rotation, with Hellickson working to build up his stamina as a starter. The Nationals informed Montero the following day that he would open the year as the major league backup catcher behind Matt Wieters. The day after that, the Nationals optioned utilitymen Matt Reynolds and Adrián Sánchez to the minor leagues, leaving the team with an extra reliever in the bullpen and a four-man bench at the end of the preseason.
Veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's 2018 spring training regimen was extremely unusual and perhaps unprecedented, sparking much discussion and debate among fans and the press. During the spring he appeared in only one major-league game, against the New York Mets at First Data Field at Port St. Lucie, Florida, on March 2, going 1-for-2 with a line out to right fielder Jay Bruce in the first inning and a soft liner into center field for a double off pitcher Hansel Robles in the fourth inning. Otherwise, he stayed out of the public eye, playing strictly in simulated and minor-league games on the back fields of the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches complex, virtually unobserved by fans and the press. A reported bout Zimmerman had with back stiffness early in spring training led