When he is gone, you necessarily miss a player like Bryce Harper. He's an energizing talent with demonstrated MVP upside, and at age 26 he's got plenty of glory ahead of time. The Nationals -- who drafted him with the first overall pick in 2010, promoted him to the majors for good at age 19, and claimed four division titles on his watch are now faced with moving on from Harper, who recently agreed to terms on a record $330 million contract with the Phillies. So what becomes of the Nationals after Harper?

What's notable, laudable is that the Nationals, coming off a disappointing 82-80 season in 2018 and faced with the loss of their franchise superstar, conducted themselves like contenders this offseason. In these, the days of tanking and "payroll efficiency" to the point of languor, that's a point of distinction. Consider what Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has done over the winter of 2018-19:

That's the work of a front office bent on contention. In addition to Scherzer and Strasburg, the Nats will also return third baseman Anthony Rendon, shortstop Trea Turner, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and closer Sean Doolittle. 

You'll note we haven't mentioned Harper's former domain of the Nationals' outfield. This area merits closer inspection. Right now, the Nationals are poised to open the season with 2018 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Juan Soto in left, 2019 NL Rookie of the Year preseason short-lister Victor Robles in center, and veteran fly-catcher Adam Eaton in right. To get a better idea of how this arrangement might fair in the season to come, let's turn to the SportsLine Projection Model (@SportsLine on Twitter). Here's how SportsLine forecasts these three outfielders for 2019:

Outfielder Projected AB Projected AVG/OBP/SLG Projected HR Projected 2B Projected SB/CS

Juan Soto

504

.290/.391/.530

29

30

7/3

Victor Robles

375

.272/.345/.459

14

22

13/4

Adam Eaton

495

.287/.371/.426

10

31

15/2

That's strong production all around. Soto projects at an All-Star level, Robles hits the ground running with good numbers for an up-the-middle defender with a plus glove, and Eaton provides OBP and solid fielding in right. Skeptical about Robles' bullish projection? Don't be. The 21-year-old five-tooler enters the 2019 season as a consensus top-10 overall prospect, and in addition to putting up good numbers in the bigs across a very limited sample he boasts a career line of .300/.392/.457 in the minors. And that's despite being significantly younger than his peer group at every stop. Robles is for real. Elsewhere in the outfield, the Nats also boast some glove-first depth with Michael Taylor, who can also spell Eaton against tough left-handers. 

So you've got a strong infield, an outfield that shouldn't miss a beat post-Harper, a front-to-middle of the rotation to envy, and a bullpen that has depth for the first time in a while. What does it all add up to? Once again, we'll turn to SportsLine for the current NL East projected standings for 2019:

Team Projected wins Chances to win division

Nationals

93

65.0 percent

Braves

83

13.4 percent

Phillies

83

12.9 percent

Mets

81

8.6 percent

Marlins

64

<1.0 percent


Surprised? Don't be. Last season, the Nationals of course bumbled their way to a disappointing 82 wins. However, at the level of the run scored and run allowed they played more like a 90-win team. That obviously doesn't matter for purposes of the 2018 standings, but that better informs their 2019 outlook than does a simple glance at last year's results. Throw in Rizzo's targeted additions and the positive outlook for Robles, and you've got a solid favorite in the tough NL East. I'd perhaps take the over on the Braves, but otherwise everything passes the sniff test. 

It's too much to say the Nationals won't miss Bryce Harper. He's a magnetic, brand-enhancing player who's self-evidently capable of churning out a 10 WAR season. The Nationals in the near- to mid-term, however, are positioned to weather his departure just fine. Harper is still just 26, and long-term they'll miss him -- he'll be productive player for perhaps the next decade or so -- but in the here and now the Nationals are still the on-paper favorites in the NL East. Yes, even without Bryce Harper.