Star Slugger Seen As 'Most Realistic' Addition for Washington Nationals This Winter
Nobody quite knows what the Washington Nationals are going to do this winter.
After back-to-back seasons where they finished with a 71-91 record, this campaign brought a bit more optimism based on many of their young players turning into impact pieces on this roster throughout the year.
There are clear franchise cornerstones at multiple positions in the field, and a couple in the rotation that can be built upon going forward.
But that also puts the front office at a crossroads this offseason.
With contracts coming off the books and money to spend, Washington could jump right back into the free agency market and go after some high-profile players to jumpstart this rebuild around their young stars.
They could also just decide to play things out in 2025 and give their youngsters another year to develop at the Major League level.
There's a chance the Nationals do a combination of the two, only targeting free agents to help their clear needs on short-term deals so they don't block playing time of those who they are building around.
One player Bennett Lehmann of District on Deck thinks could be an option for them this winter is star slugger Teoscar Hernandez.
"I think this one actually might be the most realistic of a possibility for the Nationals ... The 31-year-old would add a truly feared bat with a lot of pop to a lineup that desperately needs one. You would have to think that him signing with the Nats would force a move of Jacob Young to the bench as a 4th outfielder, as Hernandez is a solid defender in the outfield as well," he writes.
Moving Jacob Young into the fourth outfielder role is something that has been discussed as the Gold Glove candidate is still lacking some offensive productivity at the plate that is hindering his ability to be a true everyday player at this stage of his career.
That's not to say he won't ever get better, but bringing in someone like Hernandez would immediately help Washington while also giving Young more time to develop with his bat.
Signing the slugger won't be cheap, especially since he's coming off a resurgent year with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he slashed .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs and 99 RBI in the regular season and is a key contributor on their playoff run.
It will be interesting to see if Hernandez is on the radar of Washington this winter, but he should be someone they have interest in.
