That was absolutely epic. The Washington Nationals not only finished the fight, they flat out won it by mounting a comeback against the heavily favored Houston Astros. From Zim’s Game One homer to Soto’s bat-carrying blast to an October Strasmas to Howie’s foul pole heroics in Game 7, these games will forever live in D.C. lore.

Don’t worry, there’s plenty more celebrations, parades (on Saturday at 2 p.m., to be exact), baby sharks, and dancing to ‘Calma’ left. But after all of that, there will be one question left: Can the gang stay together?

In short, it’s going to be really tough. On average, teams turn over nearly half of their roster during the offseason. Even World Series-winning ones are not immune to the significant shuffling of players.

But national baseball writer Ben Clemens for Fangraphs, a baseball analytics website based out of Arlington, says that these Nats should do all they can to keep this team in tact for a chance at a repeat.

“The Nats have a young core and an old core,” Clemens told DCist before the final game. “It would really behoove them to push as many chips as they can into 2020.”

Let’s start with superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon, who will likely finish in the top tier of MVP voting this season. He’s an unrestricted free agent, meaning that any team, from the New York Mets to the Los Angeles Dodgers, can secure his services simply by offering a contract that he accepts. And there’s little doubt that the contract will be worth a lot of money over a long period of time. Clemens makes the educated guess of seven or eight years at just under $30 million per year. So, that would position Rendon for a contract that would be north of $200 million. In fact, it was reported that Rendon was offered something close to that by the Nationals back in September.

Now, will Rendon accept or will the Nats up that offer? If history is any guide, there’s a decent chance that a deal will be struck between the star player and the hometown team. In 2015, the team signed pitcher Max Scherzer to a massive seven year, $210 million contract. At the time, it set the record for a contract given to a free agent pitcher. The next year, Stephen Strasburgh signed a seven year, $175 million extension with the team. Both big money deals have worked out pretty darn well so far. And Clemens says that the Nats, at least when comparing their current 2019 payroll to the committed 2020 contracts, have room in their budget for a significant investment.

Putting aside contracts and on-field production, Clemens says it actually may come down to off the field implications. “You can picture if it’s a close baseball decision, that the tiebreaker may be that [re-signing Rendon] keeps fans excited and keeps monutemum.” He gives it about a 50 percent chance that we haven’t seen the last of Rendon in a Nats uniform.

When Strasburg signed his extension in 2016, there was a provision in it that allows him to opt out after this season. In fact, this decision has to be made within 72 hours of the World Series’s final pitch. So, this means by Saturday night. And the freshly minted World Series MVP Strasburg opting out absolutely could happen, leaving the Nats high and dry without a pitcher that pitched an epic Game 6 and will get some Cy Young votes. It would also mean that Strasburg would be leaving $100 million on the table, but he would likely recoup that and then some on the open market. Clemens believes, in the end, the right hander will use the leverage of the opt out to get a new, more pricey deal with the hometown team, much like All-meme-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw did last November with the Dodgers. “It does seem like he loves pitching in D.C., so I think he’ll get a new contract from the Nats,” says Clemens.

Rendon and Strasburg aren’t the only ones who may have played their last games in the curly Ws. Howie Kendrick, he of foul pole fame, is also an unrestricted free agent. He had a great hitting season and became a Nats legend during these playoffs. But he’s 36 and his fielding left a good deal to be desired. This has left Clemens believing that Kendrick won’t be on the team next year. “I think he’s hit himself out of coming back. I think an [American League] team will end up making him a [designated hitter].”

Then, there’s the man behind baby shark: Gerardo Parra. Clemens says there’s a place for a player like Parra on every team. He maybe a back-up outfielder who skills have declined a bit at age 32, but he still brings value. “He’s not in demand for on-the-field skills but the clubhouse loves him. I think he’s likely to stay.”

Finally, there’s the face of the franchise: Ryan Zimmerman. He was the Nats’ number one draft pick back in 2005, the man who lead the team through not-so-good seasons, dealt with many heartbreaking playoff exits, and has a baseball field named after him less than a mile from Nats Park. There’s little doubt that he will be one day inducted into the Nationals’ Ring of Honor. While his contract is technically not up, there’s a provision in his contract where the club has to decide to pay him $18 million to be on the team next year or buy him out at $2 million. That’s a hefty price to pay a soon-to-be 35 year old, often-injured first baseman who only hit six home runs during the regular season (which doesn’t include his shot against the Dodgers or the huge homer in game one of the World Series).

All of that being said, Clemens is confident that we haven’t seen the last of Mr. Nat. “I don’t know that Zimmerman figures into the Nats’ plans as a starter going forward, but I find it really hard to believe that he and the Nats won’t find come to some agreement that keeps him on the team.”

All in all, there seems to be at least a decent shot that, for the most part, the gang will be back together next season. If this happens, would it make them favorites to win the World Series again in 2020? “I would have them as the second favorites, right behind the Dodgers,” says Clemens.

Of course, it was only last year when a star player opted to leave D.C. for a larger contract with a team further north. And that worked out just fine for the Nationals.