Washington Nationals Have Turned Infield Weakness Into Strength This Offseason
Coming into the MLB offseason, the Washington Nationals had some clear needs to address, with arguably the biggest being their corner infield.
While third base remains a need, the team has done a wonderful job of addressing a weak spot in their lineup in 2024 at first base.
The combination of Joey Meneses, Joey Gallo and Juan Yepez totaled a WAR of 0.4, making it a clear area to upgrade. Quickly in free agency, the targets whom the Nationals were connected to came off the board.
In a 24-hour period, Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana and Christian Walker were signed. Josh Naylor was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the first base carousel, leaving Washington out in the cold with options dwindling.
But, general manager Mike Rizzo was able to make a move, providing the lineup with a much-needed boost at first base.
The team acquired Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers in exchange for relief pitcher Robert Garcia. It created another hole in an already thin bullpen but was a necessary move to bolster the lineup.
Lowe brings a lot to the table which the team needs.
He will be one of the more accomplished players on the roster, adding some much-needed championship experience to the mix. With a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award already on his resume, he is a solid two-way player.
Since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays by the Rangers, he has recorded a WAR of at least 2.3 in each campaign, which is a major improvement over what the Nationals have received at first base in recent years.
A left-handed hitter, he takes pride in his splits not being too drastic, as he can hit both left and right-handed pitching.
Washington didn’t stop there, as they also signed a familiar face in Josh Bell.
He played in 247 games with the franchise between 2021 and 2022 after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bell was traded to the San Diego Padres along with Juan Soto in 2022 and has been well-traveled since.
While his production hasn’t reached the same levels as when he was with the Nationals, he will provide the team with another experienced power bat. A switch-hitter, he can be deployed in any situation but does produce at a higher clip batting left-handed.
Adding those two players to the roster will provide a much-needed upgrade at first base while also improving the designated hitter spot. Jesse Winker was productive before being traded to the New York Mets and the team didn’t find a player to step into the lineup in his spot.
Now they have that with Bell likely taking over there and giving Lowe some days off in the field when he needs it.
