The 2022 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 18th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the 15th season at Nationals Park, and the 54th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Nationals failed to improve on their 65–97 record from the previous year, losing 107 games, having the worst record in the major leagues for the first time since 2009. The 107 losses came just three years after their first World Series title in 2019. It also marked the first time since 2009 that the Nationals lost 100 or more games in one season. In addition, it is the fifth time in franchise history that the Nationals lost 100 or more games, along with 1969, 1976, 2008, and 2009. To further add to Washington's dismal season, Juan Soto, along with Josh Bell, left the team via a trade to the San Diego Padres during the trade deadline.
On December 2, 2021, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred announced a lockout of players, following expiration of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). On March 10, 2022, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, thus ending the lockout. Opening Day was played on April 7. Although MLB previously announced that several series would be cancelled due to the lockout, the agreement provides for a 162-game season, with originally canceled games to be made up via doubleheaders.
Near the end of the first half of the MLB season, the Washington Nationals went on a 9-game losing streak, their longest since their 11-game losing streak that started near the end of their 2008 season and extended into the beginning of the 2009 season. On September 6, they were the first team eliminated from playoff contention.“We weren't eliminated, we chose to leave. It's a mutual thing” “Mentally, I'm in October 2019” - Washington Nationals fans react to team's official elimination from playoff contention, SportsKeeda, September 6, 2022
Offseason Lockout
The expiration of the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Major League Baseball Players Association occurred on December 1, 2021, with no new agreement in place. As a result, the team owners voted unanimously to lockout the players stopping all free agency and trades.
The parties came to an agreement on a new CBA on March 10, 2022.
Rule changes Pursuant to the new CBA, several new rules were instituted for the 2022 season. The National League will adopt the designated hitter full-time, a draft lottery will be implemented, the postseason will expand from ten teams to twelve, and advertising patches will appear on player uniforms and helmets for the first time.
Team news
After finishing with the fifth-worst record in Major League Baseball (65–97) in the 2021 season, the Nationals are expected to draft fifth overall in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft, barring a change in the draft order under a new collective bargaining agreement.
Despite the Nationals' losing record and poor pitching performances in 2021, manager Dave Martinez announced that pitching coach Jim Hickey would return for a second year in 2022; Martinez himself will return for a fifth season, along with most of the 2021 coaching staff. The Washington Post reported that first base coach Randy Knorr and third base coach Bob Henley would not return to the major league field staff, instead becoming the catching and field coordinators for the Nationals' player development system, following the departure of a number of coaches and coordinators late in the 2021 season. With hitting coach Kevin Long's one-year contract expiring, The Athletic reported that he would join the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff, replacing former Nationals coach Joe Dillon, who returned to Washington as the organization's new minor league hitting coordinator. To replace Long, the Nationals announced the hiring of veteran hitting coach Darnell Coles, most recently of the Arizona Diamondbacks, on October 18, 2021. The Nationals hired former professional outfielder and Seattle Mariners minor league coach Eric Young Jr. as their first base coach later that month. The day after the 2021 World Series ended, on November 3, the Nationals announced the hiring of two new coaches previously with the New York Mets: third base coach Gary DiSarcina and bullpen coach Ricky Bones, with incumbent bullpen coach Henry Blanco moving to a newly created position as catching and strategy coach. The Nationals also replaced head strength and conditioning coach Matt Eiden, promoting Tony Rogowski from a minor league coordinator position to take on the major league coaching job. Minor league pitching coach Sam Narron was named pitching coordinator for the entire player development system, paired with Knorr and Henley in their new development roles. The Nationals also hired former major league outfielder Coco Crisp as outfield and baserunning coordinator, along with former minor league manager José Alguacil as infield coordinator and former major league infielder Bill Mueller as quality control coordinator. De Jon Watson, previously a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo, was named as the Nationals' new director of player development after assistant general manager Mark Scialabba, who had overseen player development for the Nationals since 2013, was reassigned to focus on player personnel. Organizational stalwart Spin Williams was joined by former Mets bench coach Dave Jauss as senior advisor to Watson in his new player development role. Under Watson, the Nationals made a major expansion to their minor league player development staff over the offseason, creating fourteen new positions and hiring more than 20 new staff members.
Catcher Alex Avila, left-handed pitcher Luis Avilán, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, infielders Alcides Escobar and Jordy Mercer, and outfielder Gerardo Parra were set to become unrestricted free agents following the 2021 season. Three of those players retired, while the other three returned to the organization on new contracts. Avila announced on September 19, 2021, that he would retire from professional baseball. Zimmerman, the Nationals' longest-tenured player and first pick in the 2005 draft, announced his retirement on February 15, 2022. Mercer announced he was retiring as well on April 5, 2022. The Nationals announced a $1 million extension for Escobar through the 2022 season on October 5, 2021, days after the end of the regular season. Avilán signed a new minor league deal in November to remain with the Nationals as he continued to rehab from Tommy John surgery. Parra also signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Additionally, the Nationals saw left-handed pitchers Alberto Baldonado and Sean Nolin and right-handed pitchers Steven Fuentes and Kyle McGowin depart as minor league free agents after they were outrighted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. Baldonado, Fuentes, and Nolin signed new minor league contracts to return to the Nationals organization, although the Nationals later released Nolin so he could sign with the Kia Tigers of the KBO League in South Korea.
The Nationals entered the offseason with ten players expected to be eligible for salary arbitration: right-handed pitchers Erick Fedde, Ryne Harper, Tanner Rainey, Joe Ross, Wander Suero, and Austin Voth, first baseman Josh Bell, and outfielders Víctor Robles, Juan Soto, and Andrew Stevenson. They avoided arbitration with Stevenson on November 29, signing him to an $850,000 non-guaranteed salary. Harper and Suero were not tendered new contracts, nor was first baseman Mike Ford, who was not eligible for arbitration. The Nationals settled with Bell, Fedde, Rainey, Ross, Soto, and Voth on March 22, 2022, and with Robles on April 3.
Free agents linked to the Nationals in media reports included left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney (most recently of the Los Angeles Angels; ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers); and outfielders Kyle Schwarber (most recently of the Boston Red Sox; ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Phillies), Seiya Suzuki (posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball; ultimately signed with the Chicago Cubs), and Chris Taylor (most recently of the Los Angeles Dodgers; ultimately re-signed with the Dodgers).
For their first offseason acquisition, the Nationals claimed rookie left-handed reliever Francisco Pérez off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on November 5, 2021. Washington also claimed infielder Lucius Fox from the interleague-rival Baltimore Orioles on November 30, furthermore signing free agent infielder César Hernández the same day.
The offseason was brought to a virtual halt as Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner and 29 other team owners voted unanimously to institute a lockout, due to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement that had been in effect since the 2016 season on December 1, 2021. During the lockout, the Nationals continued to sign players to minor league contracts, including veteran infielders Dee Strange-Gordon and Maikel Franco and outfielder Rusney Castillo, and acquired another player with major league experience, infielder Andrew Young, from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. The lockout was in effect for 99 days, delaying the start of spring training and forcing some games in the regular season to be rescheduled, before owners voted unanimously to lift it after a new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to March 10, 2022.
Following the lockout, the Nationals signed infielder Ehire Adrianza and right-handed reliever Steve Cishek to major league deals announced March 14, 2022. The Nationals also brought back reliever Sean Doolittle, who served as the team's closer for parts of the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons and departed as a free agent after the 2020 season, announcing a one-year major league pact with the left-hander on March 16. Nelson Cruz signed a one-year deal with the Nationals that was announced the following day, filling Washington's need at the new designated hitter lineup spot. With an open roster spot due to third baseman Carter Kieboom spraining his ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow and landing on the 60-day injured list, the Nationals claimed former first-round pick Hunter Harvey, a right-handed pitcher, off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on March 21.
Transactions
October 5, 2021: The Nationals signed infielder Alcides Escobar to a one-year contract extension. October 13, 2021: The Nationals outrighted left-handed pitchers Alberto Baldonado and Sean Nolin and right-handed pitcher Steven Fuentes to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings; Nolin elected free agency. October 18, 2021: The Nationals hired hitting coach Darnell Coles. November 3, 2021: The Nationals hired first base coach Eric Young Jr., third base coach Gary DiSarcina, and bullpen coach Ricky Bones. November 5, 2021: The Nationals claimed left-handed pitcher Francisco Pérez off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians and outrighted right-handed pitcher Kyle McGowin to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. November 19, 2021: The Nationals selected the contracts of outfielder Donovan Casey and left-handed pitcher Evan Lee. November 30, 2021: The Nationals signed infielder César Hernández to a one-year major league contract, claimed infielder Lucius Fox off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, and declined to tender new contracts to right-handed pitchers Ryne Harper and Wander Suero and first baseman Mike Ford. March 14, 2022: The Nationals signed infielder Ehire Adrianza and right-handed relief pitcher Steve Cishek to one-year major league contracts. March 16, 2022: The Nationals signed left-handed relief pitcher Sean Doolittle to a one-year major league contract.