The 2018 Nationals are beginning to resemble the 2015 Tigers.

Those Tigers had won the previous four AL Central titles (all with current Nationals ace Max Schezer). But they could never win a championship despite a concerted effort to do so in the lifetime of elderly owner Mike Ilitch. Through July 25, 2015, the Tigers were one game under .500, and then-general manager Dave Dombrowski was wavering over whether to buy, sell or do nothing.

Over the next few days, Detroit played worse, and in his final important acts in the job, Dombrowski traded Yoenis Cespedes, David Price and Joakim Soria (who by coincidence was traded again Thursday from the White Sox to the Brewers).

The Nationals have won four of the past six NL East titles, including two in a row, but have been unable to win in the playoffs despite a concerted effort to get a title for elderly owner Ted Lerner. Through July 25, 2018, the Nationals were one game under .500.

Their GM, Mike Rizzo, told me Wednesday he was wavering between buying, selling or doing a little of both.

But while there are no indications yet that he would part with his biggest walk-year player, Bryce Harper, Rizzo is letting teams know he might deal a walk-year reliever or two from among Kelvin Herrera, Shawn Kelley and Ryan Madson (Jeff Passan of Yahoo reported this first).

First baseman Matt Adams, and maybe more, also could be had if the Nats pivot toward selling.
According to one interested executive, Rizzo said he would be definitive on Sunday.

This executive took it as a sign of how badly Rizzo does not want to sell, but wait to see if the Nats could right themselves this weekend against the lowly Marlins.

Rizzo had told me his inclination was to believe in his team. But that was before Stephen Strasburg had to be put on the disabled list again on Thursday morning, this time with what was called a cervical neck impingement. In addition, third baseman Anthony Rendon went on paternity leave and Daniel Murphy was scratched from Thursday’s lineup after reportedly feeling sore.

The Nats have some feel of the 2017 Mets in huge expectations being suffocated to some degree by injuries (no NL team has had players serve more DL days).

As if to fortify the comparison, to replace Strasburg in the rotation the Nationals called up Tommy Milone, who was a symbol of lack of Mets depth in the face of injuries last year.