Washington Nationals Should Be Fairly Desirable Destination for Free Agents
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason hoping to make some improvements to help get this team to the next level.
In 2024, despite having the same number of wins compared to 2023, it felt like there was some growth with a lot of the young core coming up to the majors and performing well.
For the Nationals this winter, they have the opportunity to spend some money to really kick-start this rebuild. Patrick Corbin’s contract is coming off the books, which will free up a lot of money that the team should certainly be reallocating.
If the Nationals are willing to spend, they should be a fairly desirable destination for free agents this offseason. Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report ranked all the teams in terms of their appeal for free agents. Washington came in ranked fairly well at 14th overall, as they appear to be a somewhat desirable destination for players.
“Though the Nationals had a zero-win improvement from 2023 to 2024, this year made it clearer than ever that they're headed in the right direction. The right young players established themselves, including All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood. There's more where that came from, as 2025 will be a chance for Dylan Crews, Brady House and Cade Cavalli to make their presence felt. If they do so alongside some shiny new free-agent additions, it could be a return-to-form type of season for the Nats.”
Even though the Nationals haven’t made the playoffs since 2019, when they won the World Series, this is a team that has a sense of direction and a plan in place. Washington has been very patient not to hand out bad contracts of late to try and put a band-aid on things. Instead, they have let a lot of their young players get experience in the big leagues.
For potential free agents, seeing a team that is coming up certainly makes it appealing, as young talent like CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., James Wood, and Dylan Crews could be great for years to come.
Furthermore, the Nationals are certainly capable of making substantial financial commitments to players, as they have seen their salary cap get close to $200 million in the past.
With an ability to spend and young players already starting to establish themselves, there are a lot of appealing things about Washington for free agents.
