This entry was written by new DCist contributor Jeff Beam

Away from the three ring circus created by Major League Baseball, City Council, and Mayor Williams’ office, the 2006 edition of the Nationals prepares this week to close shop in Viera, Florida and head north for another season along the Anacostia. A number of roster moves via trade, promotion, and shoulder tears have changed the look of the team, so we’ve compiled a season preview to catch up on the offseason’s events:

Last Season: 2005 began with a promising first half that saw the Nationals hold a sustained lead in the NL East over the talent-rich Marlins, Phillies, and Mets, as well as perennial division champ Atlanta. With 50 wins by the All Star break, even the most hardened of DC skeptics started to have visions of the RFK stands bouncing into the October postseason.

Alas, it was not to be, as a lack of depth undid the Nats’ spirited but paper-thin roster. The club’s tight purse strings—still controlled by MLB—left the Nats’ front office and stalwart manager Frank Robinson with little recourse as the pitching rotation, relief corps, and middle infield struggled with injuries and prolonged slumps. While mathematically in the Wild Card race until the last week of the season, DC struggled to the finish with a .500 record—good for last place in the supercharged East.

In 2006, the Nats’ whirling dervish of a GM, Jim Bowden, has gone about shoring up the roster with a deeper bench, more line-drive power, and as many middle infielders as he can find. Interestingly, three players who didn’t figure into the long-term plans of the team—Vinny Castilla, Junior Spivey, and Preston Wilson—now find themselves starting elsewhere for contending teams. Those they left behind in this year’s edition already seem to be star-crossed with injuries and drama galore.

We here are “glass half-full” types, though, and see in this club a young and talented core of players that could be claiming pennants for the District in the not-too-distant future. With that in mind, meet the 2006 Washington Nationals:

Around the Horn: In the infield, Nick Johnson has shown flashes of brilliance at first base between annual trips to the disabled list. A Classic Johnson moment: after signing a contract extension this spring, he promptly missed a week with a nasty stomach virus. Otherwise, he has looked sharp this spring. Longtime Expo/Nat Jose Vidro returns at second base from offseason knee surgery, leading a sizeable corps of backups signed by Bowden. His clutch hitting early in the order was sorely missed during 2005’s second-half tailspin.

Shortstop Cristian Guzman had one of the least-productive years in history at the plate last year, but finished the year red-hot (.325 in September). He showed up in Viera this spring more fit and more assertive, and then proceeded to tear the labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder. He’ll start the season on the DL as the season begins, replaced by Royce Clayton, a solid but aging veteran acquired by Bowden to push Guzman for the starting job. According to Robinson, Guzman will have to earn his way back into the starting lineup, but he may even be lost for the season if he elects to have surgery to fix his ailing shoulder.

Former UVA star and budding wunderkind Ryan Zimmerman turns 22 this fall, but made such an impression at third base during his September call up last year that Bowden felt comfortable trading away ’05 starter Castilla. Zimmerman will be given an extended opportunity to prove he belongs in the big leagues, but will have to do so while enduring constant comparisons to slick-fielding Brooks Robinson. He’s looked more like a young Eddie Matthews this spring, struggling in the field while looking dominant at the plate.

Minding the Gap(s): In the outfield, newly acquired slugger Alfonso Soriano returned from a poor oh-for-twelve World Baseball Classic showing to the melodrama he created by resisting a move to left field for his new team. By finally acquiescing, he should add sorely needed power and speed to the lineup. But as Soriano adjusts to cavernous RFK, fans may find themselves pining for the departed Brad Wilkerson, who should be putting up big numbers for the Rangers in tiny Ameriquest Field. Jose Guillen returns in right field after a wrist injury scare during the spring. He remains a potent bat with an even more potent temper that he and the team must control. In the surprise of the spring, Ryan Church was demoted to the minors and rookie speedster Brandon Watson will start in center on Opening Day.

The Battery: Incumbent catcher Brian Schneider returned from the WBC needing to introduce himself to a drastically revised pitching staff. Livan Hernandez and John Patterson still anchor the rotation, but certainty ends there. After being acquired to replace the departed Estaban Loaiza, right-hander Brian Lawrence had been in camp a week before requiring season-ending surgery for a torn shoulder muscle. Tony Armas Jr. was in and out of the rotation (and the DL) last year, and had to play catch-up after missing most of camp to pitch sparingly for Venezuela in the WBC. He will fill out the three remaining spots with newcomers Pedro Astacio and Ramon Ortiz, with Jon Rauch and Ryan Drese (or even young southpaw Billy Traber) seeing action the minute one of them falters. Baby-faced Chad Cordero returns as closer, looking to stare down hitters from under his flat brim and build on last year’s league-leading 47 saves. The rest of the bullpen took a huge hit when right-handed set-up man Luis Ayala injured his shoulder pitching for Mexico in the WBC and put himself out for the year. Gary Majewski, Mike Stanton, Joey Eischen, and Felix Rodriguez will fill the void.

Season Outlook: The Nats will be hard pressed to repeat last year’s successful first half. Aside from the stadium squabble, pitching injuries, Soriano fuss, and lack of an owner, the team didn’t have that great a spring, winning only a third of their games in Florida and having repeated lapses in the field. Along with the Phillies and depleted Marlins, they may be looking up at a two-team race between stalwart Atlanta (who managed to rebuild with youth last year and still win the division) and the free-spending Mets, who’ve added pitching and power. Nevertheless, a season with few political shenanigans, progress on the new stadium, and a harmonious locker room would be a success by any measure. Robinson and Co. surviving through a competitive season in a fight for third place would be icing on the cake.