Washington Nationals Predicted To Make Major Free Agency Deal at First Base
The Washington Nationals haven’t signed a major league player to their roster yet, but this offseason has already been a winning one for the franchise.
They came out on top in the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery, landing the No. 1 pick and putting them in a position to potentially select star high school player Ethan Holliday, the son of former Major Leaguer Matt Holliday and younger brother to former No. 1 prospect, Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday.
The Nationals are going to have the chance to add another impact youngster to the mix, as their future is looking brighter and brighter each day.
Alas, the front office would love for the present and immediate future to also look brighter.
After missing the postseason in five straight years, many were expecting the team to spend this offseason upgrading the team for 2025. There are clear areas of need and luckily for them, a few players still fit the bill.
Washington needs an infusion of power to their lineup, and if it came at one of the infield corner spots, they would kill two birds with one stone.
And that is exactly what MLB writer David Schoenfield of ESPN is predicting the franchise will do.
“The Nationals have been my sleeper team to land Alonso, so Walker is a possibility there,” he wrote in a recent piece predicting where the best remaining free agents will wind up.
Schoenfield believes that Pete Alonso will return to the New York Mets, which leaves Walker as the big upgrade the team needs at first base. What separates Washington from the other suitors Walker has is their ability to overspend without negative ramifications.
“I'd love to see Walker return to the Diamondbacks where he has been such an instrumental part of the team's recent success, but the Nationals might be willing to overpay a bit to land that Jayson Werth-type veteran leader,” he wrote.
There isn’t an active player on the team’s roster making more than $5 million in 2025. The player who will be making the most money is retired starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg at $5.3 million.
Fitting the three-year, $57 million that Schoenfield has shared as Walker’s projected contract onto their payroll will be easy. And, he fills several of the voids the team has in their lineup.
He has hit at least 26 home runs and drove in 84 runs in three consecutive campaigns. His 162-game average is 29 homers with 31 doubles and 86 RBI, bolstering a lineup that lacks a legitimate power threat.
On top of the upgrade at the plate, Walker is an elite defender at first base. He has won the Gold Glove Award three consecutive seasons, providing the team with some more stability in the field in a lineup that lacks much defensive prowess.
