While it seems like his words were more a reflection on the Padres’ struggles, Bogaerts’ criticism also happened to include some pretty harsh words on the Nationals.
“C’mon, man. We’re playing the Nationals,” Bogaerts said, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. “I don’t think they have playoff aspirations. I mean, they obviously have a young team and they fight. They do fight. But I wouldn’t say anyone picked the Nationals to be in the playoffs. So you have to beat the teams that you have to beat.”
While the former longtime member of the Boston Red Sox is right in his assessment of Washington’s preseason expectations, it’s not often you hear a player outright say that an opponent doesn’t “have playoff aspirations” and that nobody picked them to make the postseason.
After winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals went 26-34 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, dropped to 65-97 in 2021 and finished 55-107 in 2022, which was the franchise’s most losses in a season since they lost 110 games as the Montreal Expos in 1969. Since finishing in first, second or third place in the NL East for nine straight seasons (including first or second from 2012-19), the team has had three consecutive last-place finishes.
Even after their two straight wins over the weekend, Washington is still just 30-47 and is in last place in the NL East, 20 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves (50-27).
Bogaerts said he sensed a “lack of fight” from the Friars (37-41), who are in fourth place in the NL West and 9.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks (47-32).
After adding Bogaerts to a stacked roster that already included the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Manny Machado on offense, as well as Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish in the starting rotation, many expected San Diego to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division crown this year. Instead, the Diamondbacks and second-place San Francisco Giants (44-34) have seemed like the bigger threat to the Dodgers (43-34) over the first half of the season.
Through 72 games covering 270 at-bats, Bogaerts’ slash line of .256/.341/.389 is his worst since his 2014 rookie campaign. While he’s hit eight home runs and could pass his career high of 15 stolen bases (he’s got nine already), his 27 RBIs are also well off the pace of his 162-game average of 86.
