A season that began with Bryce Harper asking "where's my ring" ended with the firing of Nationals skipper Matt Williams.
Upon Washington adding Max Scherzer to an already stacked rotation spearheaded by Steven Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman, the Nationals automatically became the team to beat. And they were beat, by the Mets for the NL East, and ended up beating on each other as well.
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After New York overtook Washington and clinched the NL East for the first time since 2006, an ugly campaign turned even more morose when Harper and trade deadline acquisition Jonathan Papelbon came to blows in the dugout during a game.
That incident was just a microcosm of how dysfunctional the Williams' bunch became, leading to his ouster on Monday, just one day after completing an 83-79 season. Williams won Manager of the Year in 2014, and overall finished with a 179-145 record with the club, but a change was needed.
Here are three potential replacements for Williams in the Washington dugout.
1) Cal Ripken Jr.
Baseball's ironman has been linked to the Nationals in the past and he's also been open to returning to the bench in a managerial role. Before Williams was picked to replace Davey Johnson as the club's skipper, Ripken was in serious talks with the team about coming aboard. Two years later, the Nationals may go back to the well.
"It's been interesting where there's been some interest and some talks, and quite frankly the juices get flowing when you start to think about the prospects of it, because it's what I know," Ripken told ESPN's "The Sports Fix" in August. "I don't know whether there's some hope. I'll be 55 this month. If you look at the stages of your life, that's not old by any standards, so there's an opening for a lot of things left in my life and maybe that's one of them."
2) Wally Backman
If the Nationals want to turn the rivalry up a notch, they can pluck Backman away from the Mets and have an immediate edge since New York's Triple-A manager has experience with working with some of the club's young stars, which could give Washington an edge. Backman also brings a certain energy level with him that could help smooth out the battered Washington clubhouse.
3) Don Mattingly
Yes, Donnie Baseball is still employed by the Dodgers, but he could be on his way out depending how their NLDS series goes with the Mets. There have been rumors that Mattingly may look to leave Los Angeles or the Dodgers may part ways with him if they have yet another early postseason exit. Mattingly has insisted he wants to remain where his is, but anything can happen this offseason. If he becomes a free agent, Washington needs to nab him off the market.
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