Mere weeks after winning their first ever World Series championship, the Washington Nationals are now locked into a game of catch-up in their own division.
Wednesday has been a big day in the National League East, starting with the Atlanta Braves' one-year, $18 million deal with left-hander Cole Hamels:
And later with the Philadelphia Phillies' agreement with right-hander Zack Wheeler, which was first reported by Marc Carig of The Athletic.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Wheeler's deal will pay out $118 million over five years:
Hamels, who'll turn 36 on December 27, is essentially sliding into the role Dallas Keuchel occupied with the Braves down the stretch of 2019: That of the veteran stabilizer in a predominantly young starting rotation.