Washington Nationals Must Pursue This Ace Starting Pitcher in Free Agency

The Washington Nationals must look to pursue this specific superstar starting pitcher.

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Heading into the MLB offseason, the Washington Nationals have some money to spend. They also have a goal of getting back into contention in the National League.

In order to become a team that can compete, the Nationals will need to get aggressive. They could use more offense, but they could also use a legitimate ace for their rotation.

Looking ahead to the free agency market, there are quite a few players Washington could take a look at. There are plenty of bats and a lot of good starters as well.

Specifically evaluating the starting pitcher market, there is one player that stands out above the rest as a perfect target for the Nationals to be their new ace.

Corbin Burnes is coming off of a big-time season with the Baltimore Orioles. After being acquired by the Orioles in a trade last winter, Burnes could end up leaving town in free agency.

Washington should be one of the teams pursuing him.

During the 2024 MLB season with Baltimore, Burnes ended up making 32 starts. He compiled a 15-9 record to go along with a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 3.8 K/BB ratio, and 194.1 innings pitched.

Those numbers make it very clear why the Nationals should pursue him.

At 30 years old, Burnes should still have at least a good four or five seasons left pitching at a high level. Depending on what kind of length he's wanting on the contract, spending big to land him would make sense.

Adding Burnes would immediately take the Washington rotation up a level. He would give them an arm to completely rely on at the top of the rotation and would also be a piece that could help the team's young starters develop.

If the Nationals can land Burnes and then add a couple of impact pieces for their lineup, they would have a chance of being a competitive team in 2025. Adding him would also help them add addition talent next offseason with an ace in place for the foreseeable future.

All of that being said, there will be a long line of teams with interest in Burnes.

If Washington truly wants to get him, they'll need to come in very aggressive right off the bat.

It will be interesting to see what the Nationals end up doing this offseason. Burnes may not end up being a top target for them, but he should be.