Could Washington Nationals Pursue Rangers Blueprint and Sign Top Free Agent?
The Washington Nationals have made plenty of moves this offseason to make themselves much more competitive in 2025.
Their offensive floor increased when the Nationals pulled off a trade with the Texas Rangers for first baseman and Gold Glover Nathaniel Lowe and by singing Josh Bell to be the everyday designated hitter.
Washington has a promising rotation that is starting to bud and top prospects are knocking on the door. This team feels very much like the Texas Rangers ahead of the 2022 MLB season. That winter, the Rangers went and signed both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in free agency and created a bedrock for the franchise that allowed them to win the World Series just a year later in 2023.
Bold moves and a firm belief in your team is a recipe for success in this league. Perhaps the Nationals could attempt the same blueprint?
If so, there is no better time than now to pursue the best remaining free agent starting pitcher on the market in Jack Flaherty.
Coming off of a career year with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, Flaherty could not only sit atop Washington's rotation for years to come but he could offer a veteran presence with a championship mentality that could help develop the young rotation even further.
Flaherty is likely to command a deal north of three-years and $63 million but that should not deter the Nationals from pursuing him. In Flaherty's second and third years of the proposed contract, Washington should firmly be in their window of contention with plenty of talent to compete in a crowded National League East.
Once again, the bedrock of that foundation would be Flaherty who would be brought in to help shape a culture of winning, much like he did with the Tigers before being traded last season at the deadline to the Dodgers. His presence was still felt in Detroit after his departure and the Tigers went on to not only make the postseason but knock off the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round.
If the Nationals are serious about contending in the near future, then signing a player like Flaherty this winter makes perfect sense.
