Washington Nationals Future May Depend on Drastic Upgrade to First Base
After another disappointing season, the Washington Nationals have finished their 2024 campaign, and now all eyes are on the upcoming offseason.
This season did not go as the team hoped. They missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, not appearing since they won it all back in 2019. Although the front office is doing a great job developing and rebuilding the organization from the ground up, there are still a couple of glaring problems that will need to be addressed if the team is to improve in 2025.
On a recent radio appearance, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo stated that the team must improve to contend in the National League East. One of the biggest emphasizes was on improving middle-of-the-order bats.
The main puzzle yet to be solved is replacing the greatest Washington Nationals player of all time.
After Ryan Zimmerman's retirement in 2021, Washington has continued to struggle to find the right player to replace Mr. National. This season was no different.
The Nationals treated first base as an afterthought throughout the season, playing six different players at the position.
Joey Gallo played the majority of the games at first, with 59 games played. Although he was great with his glove, he struggled at the plate with a brutal .161/.277/.336 slash line. The offensive production was the worst in his career, and as a pending free agent this winter, there should be no reason the Nationals look to bring him back. He may not even be worth bringing back on a minor-league deal for next season.
Joey Meneses gave the organization a ton of hope of being a possible, solid replacement for Zimmerman after bursting onto the scene. He has a .324/.367/.563 slash in 2022, but never could regain that form again for the Nationals. He stumbled so far that the team optioned him to Triple-A Rochester at the beginning of July, and did not return to the major league club for the rest of the season.
Other players who found time at first base this year were Andres Chapparo (12), Trey Lipscomb (5), and Ildemaro Vargas (2).
Leaving one player off the list, and that’s Juan Yepez. The 26-year-old signed a minor league contract with Washington this past offseason and had his contract selected on July 5th. He ended up playing 47 games for the Nationals at first this season and finished with the best WAR among all players mentioned above, with 0.6 wins above replacement. Nothing special, but positive nonetheless.
Even if you plan to resign Yepez, the Nationals should not assume the position is set and move on to other roster priorities. A great scenario for the team would be to give Yepez a short-term “prove it” contract, as the market is loaded with first-base talent this winter.
Washington should absolutely consider bringing in one of those top free-agent first baseman this offseason.
This is the perfect time for Rizzo and the rest of the front office to make a big splash in free agency, as they are just a few pieces away from contending for at minimum one of the three wildcard spots within the National League. A signing like one of the top first base free agents on the market may be exactly what they need to get them over the top.
