The Daily Chop: Ron Washington, Arbitration, and more

The offseason has yet to begin in earnest around Major League Baseball, as the Championship Series just got under way on Friday, but changes are already abound throughout the league. Managerial hires have dominated headlines, and candidates will be vetted heavily over the course of the next few weeks as teams lock in on their top choices. Eight teams are current in the market for a manager, which should heighten the urgency for clubs with a vacancy at the helm.

Unfortunately the Braves may experience some loss in this regard, as Ron Washington has quickly emerged as a viable candidate for the San Diego Padres. Washington is a defensible choice for any team, but especially one with such an abundance of youth on its major league roster. The Padres would be well-served to bring in Washington as they attempt to groom their prospects in a manner similar to those in Atlanta. Washington played a large part in developing those young stars over the past three years, and could impart a great deal of wisdom on any club.

Washington has been especially influential during his time working with second baseman Ozzie Albies, who has become one of the premier defensive infielders in baseball. Braves players rave about the impact of Washington on their careers, especially as an infield instructor, for which he is best known at this juncture. A successful managerial tenure in Texas should only serve to enhance the viability of Washington as a candidate this offseason, though some teams may be leery of the manner in which his Rangers career ended.

Whatever the result this offseason, Washington has been a positive addition to the Atlanta Braves over the past three years, and as become a beloved asset in the hearts and minds of fans. Best of luck to Washington as he pursues another opportunity at the helm over the next few weeks.

Roster decisions upcoming for Atlanta

• Mike Foltynewicz, Shane Greene headline Braves’ arbitration eligible players
• Looking ahead to Braves’ potential 2020 roster

MLB Playoffs

• The Nationals likely had alternate options that sounded more favorable than starting Anibal Sanchez in the opening game of the NLCS, but things could not have gone better for the veteran right-hander, who fired 7²⁄₃ hitless innings against the Cardinals in a 2-0 win.
• This series already features about as much nonsense as you might expect, as Juan Soto continued to do weird things and Miles Mikolas responded by respecting the game in a way that only the Cardinals would deem fitting.
• The much-anticipated series between the Astros and Yankees will feature a collection of the best players in baseball, and MLB.com has a preview that includes seven bold predictions.

MLB News

• Here are the biggest needs for each MLB team this offseason.
• Tyler Glasnow was clearly tipping his pitches on Thursday and addressed the issue in the aftermath, which unfortunately was too late for the Rays.