BALTIMORE -- A rival evaluator noted the other day that among all of the would-be contenders, the Washington Nationals probably vied with the Cleveland Indians at the outset of spring training as the most prohibitive favorites to make the playoffs. The perception at that time was that the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies would need at least another year to join baseball's elite, and the New York Mets needed everything to go right. And the Miami Marlins were tanking.
Their 2018 plans derailed, Nationals seek a sense of direction
