Washington Nationals Don't Have Any Scary Contracts Through 2026
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason with a lot of hope that they will continue to improve their team heading into 2025.
The Nationals have a really solid young core of talent led by a lot of good position players. In the infield, Washington features a strong middle of the diamond with CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr.
In the outfield, there is a ton of young talents, with Jacob Young, James Wood, and Dylan Crews.
The Nationals have done a nice job building from within, as they have shedded a lot of their bad contracts and really don’t have any bad contracts on the books all the way through 2026 as of now.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about teams with the scariest contracts in 2026, but fortunately Washington, didn’t feature any. The only contract that was mentioned was that of Keibert Ruiz, who is making about $6.3 million annually.
“Keibert Ruiz isn't much of a hitter, but he's still a semi-dependable everyday catcher. His average salary of $6.3 million is far from an offensive sum, especially considering the considerable resources at Washington's disposal.”
If Ruiz is going to be the worst contract on the team in 2026, it is a clear indication that Mike Rizzo has done a really nice job over the last couple of years. Patrick Corbin was a contract that loomed over the team for a number of seasons, as he was nowhere near the pitcher he was when the Nationals signed him.
Luckily, Washington also avoided handing out a massive contract to their former All-Star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who would have been handicapping the franchise salary wise.
As the Nationals head into the winter, they will have a lot of money to potentially spend this offseason to improve the team. With a lot of young talent already in the majors, they could potentially be looking to spend at first base, third base, starting pitcher, and potentially in the bullpen.
Even though it has been a tough few years for the franchise, the rebuild is starting to take shape. While Washington was recently burned by the Corbin contract, they must not be afraid to spend big again in the near future.
If the Nationals make a couple of additions in free agency, they could easily become an 80+ win team in 2025 as long as their young players continue to develop.
