Capitals and Nationals going in opposite directions yet similar retools

Not too long ago Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals took in a Nationals game against the Baltimore Orioles. Instead of the boring oh my gosh they went to a baseball game let’s look at pics and videos type of article let’s look at the state of both the Caps and Nats.

Now these teams are still in opposite directions yet are trying to create a new window at the same time. The Capitals missed the playoffs this year but the Nationals haven’t been to the postseason and said goodbye to their stars since winning the World Series in 2019.

Davey Martinez is still around managing the Nationals. The Caps went through two head coaches in Todd Reirden and Peter Laviolette since that Nats World Series.

The Caps also committed to keep the core while the Nats struggled to keep their core. Whether it is cheap management, the MASN money being withheld from them, or just the after effects of COVID there’s no more Trea Turner or Juan Soto in Washington. Now there’s CJ Abrams and Joey Menesses.

The Capitals were able to keep guys like Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, all key pieces that helped them win that Stanley Cup in 2018. And both teams have always been close even before we became the District of Champions.

Ovechkin threw out the first pitch at RFK Stadium at a game in 2006 after his rookie season. It went a little better than the first pitch he threw in 2018 after winning the Stanley Cup but remember Ovechkin was a little more intoxicated after that Cup win.

But the Nats might be something they weren’t the last two years, more scrappy and competitive. Still a couple years away from a playoff team but they did take two out of three from the Mets in New York. Maybe we can get another parade from one of these two beloved DC teams someday.