Washington Nationals Pursuit of Top Free Agent Reliever Makes Sense
The Washington Nationals are heading into free agency hoping to improve a young roster that is getting closer to being ready to compete in the National League East.
As the Nationals head into the offseason, there is a lot of excitement surrounding what the team could accomplish. In 2024, the young roster showed a lot of promise, as shorstop CJ Abrams was named to his first All-Star Game. HIs double-play partner, second baseman Luis Garcia Jr., also looked like an All-Star caliber player.
In the outfield, Washington called up two of its top young prospects in James Wood and Dylan Crews. Also, Jacob Young showed that he could become one of the best defensive center fielders in the game.
When it comes to pitching, there are some concerns in the starting rotation that will have to be addressed. The Nationals will also likely look to upgrade their bullpen.
As of now, Washington's bullpen is strong at the back-end with Derek Law and Kyle Finnegan. However, Finnegan is entering the final year of his contract and could be a good bargaining chip on the trade market if the Nationals aren’t playoff contenders come the summer.
With some money to spend in free agency, Washington could look to improve the bullpen and make it a strength of the team. Since the starting rotation has question marks, investing in the bullpen might be the cheaper way to improve their pitching staff overall.
One of the top prizes in free agency is going to be left-hander Tanner Scott. The Nationals know Scott well from his time with the Miami Marlins, as he had an excellent campaign in 2024 with the Marlins and the San Diego Padres.
Scott was used as both a closer and a set-up man at both stops, which can create flexibility out of the bullpen. Also, as a left-hander, pairing him with the right-handed Finnegan could create a dynamic 1-2 punch in the back end of the bullpen as both can close games.
In addition to helping improve the unit next season, adding the southpaw could make him the long-term answer in the ninth inning, should the Nationals lose Finnegan during next season or in free agency.
If the Nationals sign him, it would help create a really talented back end of the bullpen and help shorten games for a starting rotation that, as of now, is a bit suspect.
