Happy free agency: What does this mean for the "viejos" on the Nationals roster?

The Nationals' bizarre 2020 season is over. A season riddled with injuries, three hour plus long games, and disappointment.

 This season should have been the World Series victory lap. Fans missed watching the World Series banner being raised, a ring ceremony, and a hopeful back-to-back run. But, I don't have to remind you of that. You are well aware, none of that happened. 

The end of this season means one thing, it's time for a bizarre off-season. Questions about who stays and who goes have already begun. Does Sean Doolittle's letter to Nationals fans on social media mean he's gone? Will veterans like Howie Kendrick finish out their contract?

 Kendrick told reporters in a post-game Zoom press conference that he would have retired after this season had this been a normal year. But, this year has been far from normal. 

I guess you can take solace in the only sense of normalcy...baseball is still a business, the show must go on, and the 2021 roster will look different. 

The Nationals have quite a few notable names that are question marks that need addressing this off-season. Those names are; Anibal Sanchez*, Kurt Suzuki, Adam Eaton*, Michael A. Taylor, Asdrubal Cabrera, Sean Doolittle, Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Harrison, Emilio Bonifacio, Eric Thames, and Brock Holt. 

The "viejos" that made up the Nationals roster and led to the oldest team in baseball hoisting the World Series trophy has most likely played their last game in a Nationals uniform. 

These guys deserved a victory lap they didn't get to take. 

This list, though it looks daunting, is not to say the Nationals are done for and the championship window has completely closed. This season showed promise in the young core of the team. Juan Soto broke records, won the NL batting title, and proved he is the face of baseball. Trea Turner had an MVP caliber season, which should make Nationals fans count their lucky stars that he is under team control for two more years. Carter Kieboom and Luis Garc a are the future of this team, and it seems like Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez like it that way. 

The team has the option to keep Adam Eaton around for one more year. However, with Soto playing in right field for the final few games of the season and the steep price tag that comes along with this, I wouldn't bet on his option being picked up. 

The same goes for 37-year-old Sanchez. His $2 million buyout might make sense after a rough start to his eventual 6.62 ERA season. 

This off-season is going to be weird for free agents. Team owners can drive prices down after losing money this season. 

What do they say in business, it's a buyers market? 

The Nationals will need to add left-handed help in the bullpen, but what else is new. They might look at a certain NL East catcher to take the spot of Suzuki and add a hot bat to the starting rotation, but that will require spending quite a few bucks. Strasburg and Corbin are the only starting pitchers on veterans' deals. The Nationals need to add a new fourth arm to the rotation for 2021 and make a plan well past that. 

Rizzo has stated that he believes this team is still capable of winning a World Series title in the foreseeable future. If that is the case, this off-season should be an aggressive one to fix whatever this season was.