EXPECTATIONS: The Washington Nationals Have A Great Pitcher In Connelly Early BUT Not An Ace

Washington Nationals fans are buzzing as Connelly Early joins the rotation, but is he truly the future ace or more of a dependable middle-of-the-rotation arm? Ryan Clary unpacks Early’s arsenal, highlighting his underused but dominant sweeper and urging realistic expectations compared to stars like Max Scherzer. The Nationals’ roster strategy intensifies with Brady House taking reps at first base—does this hint at a Luis Garcia Jr. trade, especially with Garcia experiencing a career offensive year as the deadline approaches? Clary breaks down how these moves could reshape Washington’s infield and pitching staff while analyzing trade market scenarios that balance power bats and much-needed arms. The episode also spotlights Max Scherzer’s emotional return to Nationals Park on his 42nd birthday and the crowd’s standing ovation, underscoring his lasting legacy. 00:00 Expectations for Connelly Early 04:25 Is Early Helping The Nats In 2026? 07:15 Connelly Early's underused best pitch 12:25 Brady House practicing first base... 15:24 Discussing Nationals' trade strategies 19:36 Brady House as first base backup? 22:57 Max Scherzer's emotional return Follow Ryan Clary on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ryanclary11 Follow Locked On Nationals on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LO_Nationals   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   Amazon This Back To School Season, spend less on your kids, with Amazon. With Amazon’s low Back To School Prices, just spend less on your kids. Because every dollar you don’t spend on them, is a dollar you haven’t spent on them.  Stance Check out the ICON collection from Stance—premium comfort, performance, and durability designed for whatever your day brings.  Use promo Code LOCKEDON at checkout for 20% off your purchase.  Learn more at https://Stance.com. Stance. The Official Sock Partner of Major League Baseball. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at https://Indeed.com/podcast   KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get up to $500 in bonus credits when you trade $25.    Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMto play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.    FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.