Twitter Poll: Did Nats have successful offseason?

On Monday afternoon, I asked my Twitter followers this question: Did the Nats have a successful offseason? Yes or No? Why? A lot of the followers responded to this question and the results were mixed. Here is what they had to say. 

@JHell3: Yes. They no longer have the cheapskate image.

@Natss9: Overall, I like what they did. The Nats’ defense is better and the pitchers in the rotation are MLB pitchers. General manager Mike Rizzo tried his best!

@nationalsreview: Defense and starting pitcher are better. The offense is similar, plus Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa are a year older so they should improve.

@BDadant: I feel they’re one pitcher and one proven bat short. I hope Nyjer Morgan proves me wrong and the current pitching staff does as well.

@thebrowncoat: They tried, but, ultimately, they didn’t quite get there. Lack of a No. 1 starter leaves the rotation with a lot of question marks.

@ZachMyles:  No, because they got worse offensively and the only “front-line starter” they were able to get was Rick Ankiel and he doesn’t pitch anymore.

@WillFacc: Yes. Improved defense, athleticism, long and short relief, kept key youngsters and made leaps by paying a high profile player.

@eenyy820: Even though nobody thinks they can compete with the Phillies, signing Jayson Werth proves they’re committed to building a winner.

@pbsenerchia: The Nats are an improved team, stuck to their principles, didn’t panic, but made moves, got people talking. It will pay off with next year’s free-agent/trade class.

@therealarosen: I’d give them a 6. The Nationals picked up a few above-average position players and a good pitcher. Didn’t land an ace though. The pitching is still shaky.

@CraigMac: The team is better than it was in September. Pitching is an issue with just about every team. Lineup, bench and bullpen are strong.

@CDublin: No. I was hoping for a solid No. 1 pitcher.

@Fazeshiftalec: The Nats’ offseason was a success. They made a splash with Werth and will have a great rotation battle. They will finish third in the East.

@ghue: Absolutely not.

@SodaPop6548: Not really, while we got a few good players, we lost quite a few.

@BigDaddyDemps: The Nationals didn’t get a frontline starting pitcher, were embarrassed by Zack Greinke while overspending for Werth. However, they did good job acquiring Adam LaRoche and trading Josh Willingham. 

@IBALLZACH: I suppose so. They improved their defense, but the main goal of improving the rotation wasn’t reached.

@DArkMEATHOOK: They didn’t re-sign Adam Dunn and didn’t get a top-line starting pitcher. However, that doesn’t mean the Nationals will not have a successful season. It was considered a successful offseason when the Redskins signed Brandon Lloyd, Adam Archuletta and Antwawn Randle El and hired Al Saunders as coach. Look how well that ended.

@DinoFTW: It depends. Pitching wise — no. We are relying on our “young” pitchers. We needed a big-time pitcher. But I also think we picked up some nice pieces from a position standpoint. Our outfielders will be more reliable and our first baseman is a huge upgrade.

@natsnq: In terms of quantity, yes, but the quality of their pick-ups don’t seem to match what was promised.

@jamiemac3: Yes

@Dapple_Juice: They improved the team without depleting the farm system or giving up Desmond and Espinosa

@BDadant: The Nats are you concentrating a lot on pitching. I feel unless Morgan produces, we are going to need another bat.

@HendoDC: No. Too many missed chances. It hurt not to pick up a starting pitcher of the caliber of Jorge De La Rosa or Cliff Lee. Also, postponing the fanfest was understandable but wrong.

@Tbridge: Yes and No. Some good signings, but too many swings and misses. I’ll also second @HendoDC in saying the postponement of Fanfest was not good.

@kevin_reiss: Yes, if you judge by the process. No, if you judge by the outcome.

@Evolution33: They shored up the defense without taking too much of an offensive hit, and the starting pitching should be marginally better.

@gopherballs: No. They failed to address the biggest concern — starting pitching — and were forced to make “frantic” moves late in the offseason.

@jpminter: They upgraded at every “hole” in their lineup. They probably spent a little too much money, but I’m OK with that.

@szul: Yes. They became much more athletic and defense-oriented. Improvements by the middle infielder are key now.

@md_schmidt: Made incremental-plus progress in offense and pitching. Improved defense through subtraction.