Should Washington Nationals Make a Big Splash in Free Agency This Offseason?
The Washington Nationals have a lot of important decisions to make for the organization this offseason, as after years of rebuilding, the time to make a move might be coming soon.
While 2024 might not have resulted in more wins than 2023, the Nationals used a lot of their talent in order to achieve that.
With some of the brightest young stars in the game, Washington is going to have the opportunity to contend soon. However, while they have some excellent young talent on the team, the Nationals know that they will need to make a few upgrades if they are truly looking to contend.
This offseason, there are a few clear needs for Washington, as they could use a power bat in the middle of the lineup, and also a front line starter.
Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about how the Nationals might attack this offseason, as the franchise could go in a couple of different directions.
“With both James Wood and Dylan Crews getting the call to the big leagues last season and both MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams about to enter arbitration eligibility for the first time, the clock is officially ticking on the Washington Nationals to become a contender again. So, do they give it one more year of player development and one more year for Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli to get healthy—and one more year for the Phillies to start aging their way out of the mix—before going all-in next offseason? Or now that Patrick Corbin's albatross of a contract is finally out of the picture, do they make a big splash for an ace like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried?”
Even though Washington has a lot of young talent, some of that talent has been up for a few years now in CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore. These were two of the key pieces they received in the trade for Juan Soto, and the Nationals are going to have to start paying them a bit soon.
While the window might seem like it hasn’t even opened yet for the franchise to contend, once their young talent starts hitting arbitration, they are going to have to start spending some money.
It might feel a bit early considering some of their star prospects haven’t even played a full season. However, the time to strike might be now.
With some internal development and a couple of talented veterans, Washington might be able to compete for a playoff spot in 2025.
