Looking back on Nats' late-season roster additions

It might be easy to forget now, given that the Nationals were knocked out of the postseason in the National League Division Series and have spent the last week reflecting on how everything quickly came to an end, but Mike Rizzo and his staff had a very successful six-day stretch from late July to early August that played a major role in the Nats' success. And while Nats fans are disappointed that their team isn't still playing, it's still worth looking back on just how much the roster got a boost late in the season thanks to two roster moves. It started on July 31, the day of the non-waiver trade deadline, when Rizzo acquired infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Indians in return for infielder Zach Walters. The Nationals knew they needed to upgrade their infield after Ryan Zimmerman went down with a strained right hamstring July 22, and Rizzo aggressively went searching for one, contacting multiple teams about multiple players. He ended up landing Cabrera, a two-time All-Star who had played shortstop the vast majority of his career with the Indians, but also had experience playing second base. The Indians picked up the entire $3.33 million left on Cabrera's deal for the 2014 season, meaning the Nats didn't owe him a dime. All they gave up was Walters, a talented prospect with pop, but one who didn't really factor into their long-term plans. (Multiple talent evaluators within the organization feel Walters will project as a corner outfielder, and the Nats have those spots taken for years to come.) At the time of the Cabrera deal, the Nats were just 1 1/2 games up on the Braves in the NL East, and they were looking for more offense out of their second base spot, with Danny Espinosa struggling at the plate. Cabrera hit just .229 in 49 games with the Nats, but he had a .700 OPS, hit five homers, and delivered quite a few big hits, all while playing a really solid second base. Just six days later, the Nats struck again, this time claiming left-handed reliever Matt Thornton off waivers from the Yankees. The move surprised many people around the game because the Nats were able to pick up a proven, veteran left-hander who throws in the upper 90s at no cost outside of the remaining money on his contract. Thornton immediately became an integral member of the Nats bullpen, appearing in 18 regular season games (spanning 11 1/3 innings), failing to allow a run and striking out eight. In eight of Thornton's 18 appearances with the Nats down the stretch, he came in with the game either tied or separated by a single run. This move didn't just impact the Nats for 2014, it will benefit them next season as well. Thornton has one year remaining on the two-year contract he signed with the Yankees last offseason, and will be owed $3.5 million for 2015 - a very reasonable price for a lefty who can be trusted to work high-leverage spots. There's disappointment among Nats fans now, but these two additions came at a time when the NL East was still very much up for grabs. Cabrera and Thornton played a key role down the stretch, helping the Nationals run away with the division and make the postseason for the second time in three years.