Washington Nationals Free Agent Infield Target Has 'Bust' Potential
The Washington Nationals are heading into the winter with the potential to make some big splashes to improve their team.
It was another tough season for the Nationals in 2024 with just 71 wins. However, the team featured a lot of talented young players and the lengthy rebuild could come to an end soon.
Due to Washington having a big difference between their payroll now and their payroll last season, the team could be spending a lot of money on free agents this winter. In fact, one estimate noted the Nationals could field a team with a payroll of $35 million if they made no offseason acquisitions.
It's just one reason why many experts are bullish on the Nats adding some veterans around the young core, which makes a lot of sense to help improve the roster. The Nationals have a few positions where adding those players makes a lot of sense.
One of the positions that is arguably the biggest need is at first base. There are a lot of potential players to pursue in free agency that could make sense. One player who could be the top option is Pete Alonso.
The slugging first baseman is arguably the best player at the position, and should have plenty of suitors. However, Alonso is not a perfect player and Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report highlighted why he could have bust potential.
“How big of a deal is it that Alonso is coming off his worst season?," he wrote. "It was his worst according to his .788 OPS, anyway, and there are real issues underneath that number. A career-high rate of ground balls is one. He also didn't pull as many fly balls as he usually does. More generally, the aging curve for right-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing first basemen is rough. Even Albert Pujols didn't last long as a star after turning 30, and Alonso will arrive at that point on December 7.”
Since coming up to the Majors, the 29-year-old has been one of the best power hitters in baseball, with only Aaron Judge having more home runs during that span.
Even though he has been an excellent power hitter, 2024 was a down season for a player going into a contract year, at least by his standards. Alonso saw a drop in home runs and OPS in 2024, which could be concerning for a player about to turn 30.
The Nationals have had some bad misses recently on big contracts with Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg. Washington hasn’t made any big moves recently, as they have been waiting for their young core to develop, along with the costs of those contracts to come off the books.
With a lot of young, talented players, the time to strike in free agency and make a splash seems like it should be now for the Nationals. However, if they target Alonso, they have to be mindful that he could be a bust with a drop in power numbers.
