Washington Nationals Persistently Seeking Slugging at Winter Meetings
The first day of the winter meeting in Dallas were all about the after-buzz of Juan Soto’s mega-contract with the New York Mets.
For the Washington Nationals — who at one time employed Soto — the best they could offer was to tell everyone what they already knew.
The Nats need power. They need corner infield help. They need a designated hitter. They could use a veteran starter.
Nearly a month into free agency, that hasn’t changed, Neither has the fact that Washington hasn’t done anything about it yet.
It’s all groundwork right now, said manager Dave Martinez, who met with reporters.
“We’re working diligently,” Martinez said to outlets, including the Washington Post. “We’re looking at the free agent market. We’re actually looking at some trade opportunities as well. We’ll see what we can come up with.”
He later joked that what he wants is a “40-home run hitter.” Washington might settle for someone that can hit 30 at this point.
Washington was next-to-last in home runs last season, ahead of only the Chicago White Sox, who were so epically bad last season that makes sense.
C.J. Abrams led the Nationals with 20 home runs. Only three other Nationals — Luis Garcia Jr., Keibert Ruiz and Joey Gallo — had more than 10.
That won’t cut it these days.
“When you come in 29th in home runs and toward the bottom in slug, that’s a point of emphasis for us this offseason," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.
That’s why much of the speculation surrounding what the Nationals will do surrounds the batting order.
Soto’s signing means that the market may start moving and give the Nationals a fighting chance. A logical starting point is Pete Alonso, assuming the Mets don’t have any more money to fork over after Soto.
The first baseman has been one of the game’s best power hitters for six years. He’s never hit fewer than 34 home runs in a full season.
Alex Bregman, a third baseman, is out there, too. He’s hit more than 30 home runs twice and has emerged as a consistent 20-plus home run hitter the last three years.
There are lower-cost options, too, such as another first baseman, Christian Walker, who would bring his three straight Gold Gloves to the position.
Washington knows what it needs. Now it’s a matter of getting it. With the payroll clear of large contracts after years of waiting those deals out, the Nationals can finally make their move.
