Washington Nationals Shortstop Provided Excellent Value Based on Contract
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason with the hopes of taking the next step forward in their rebuild after a 71-win season.
It was a solid campaign for the Nationals in 2024, as they were able to get a lot of their young players on the field in meaningful action. While that didn’t result in any more wins than in 2023, it does create a sense of hope for the future.
With the franchise heading into the winter, they will now need to surround some of this young talent with some veterans who can take the team to the next level. Ideally, that would involve adding a starting pitcher to anchor the rotation and a power bat for the middle of the order.
Fortunately, the organization will have the contract of Patrick Corbin coming off the books, which should allow them to be fairly aggressive in free agency this winter. With a lot of young players on the team, Washington isn’t paying players a ton of money currently.
Recently, Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report spoke about some of the players on the Nationals who provided the most performance value compared to their contracts.
“The Nationals are still in the early stages of rebuilding, but the continued development of second baseman Luis García Jr. (+$15.7M) and shortstop CJ Abrams (+$26.5M) was a promising takeaway from the 2024 season. Young outfielders James Wood (+$8.4M) and Dylan Crews (+$4.7M) also look like potential building blocks.”
The Nationals really saw a lot of their young hitters make an impact in 2024, as shortstop CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. led the way. Abrams was a big piece in the Juan Soto trade a few years ago, and he was named to his first All-Star team last year. Garcia also had a breakout year, as he has solidified his spot with an All-Star caliber season.
While Abrams was the best value player for Washington, he could likely have been even more valuable based on his contract if he didn’t struggle like he did in the second half of the season.
The Nationals certainly hope that the bad second half of the season stays in 2024, as their young shortstop was also punished for some off-the-field activities that were against team rules.
With a lot of young players under team-friendly contracts for years to come, Washington will have the unique opportunity to be aggressive in free agency, knowing a lot of their core won’t cost them much for years to come.
