Washington Nationals Will Regret Missing on Christian Walker in Free Agency
Washington Nationals fans have to be a little bit disappointed with how the offseason has unfolded to this point.
It is nice that they will be able to add another young player with immense potential to the organization after landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery. Their already overflowing treasure trove of prospects will become that much deeper.
However, unless they are going to start packaging some of those youngsters to acquire established Major League talent, it is fair to wonder how much better the team will be in the present.
To this point, the Nationals have only made one significant move to the Major League roster and that was signing pitcher Michael Soroka to a one-year, $9 million deal.
Another significant move was the surprising decision to non-tender closer Kyle Finnegan. After recording a career-high 38 saves in 2024, the team opted to send him to free agency after pre-arbitration negotiations didn’t result in a deal getting done.
With each passing day, the options to fill weaknesses on the roster dwindle. On Friday, one of the team’s presumed targets, Christian Walker, came off the board.
The former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman will be heading to the Houston Astros after agreeing to a three-year, $60 million deal.
He fills a major void for the franchise that is in the process of an on-the-fly retool after trading right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and star third baseman Alex Bregman becoming a free agent.
First base is a void that Washington also had to fill, as they are desperate for help at the corner infield spots.
It takes two to tango, and the Nationals could have certainly pursued Walker to no avail. There were rumors that he was seeking a fourth year on any contract offer and they may not have been comfortable going to that level.
Alas, given their lack of payroll commitments, it isn’t something they should have been overly worried about. The highest-paid player on the 2025 payroll is retired starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg at $5.3 million.
Not a single player on the current active roster will be making more than $5 million next year, so they could have afforded a $20 million player and even exceeded that offer had they wanted.
On the field, Walker would have been a perfect fit for what the franchise is seeking.
An experienced bat, he would provide the team with the kind of pop they entered the offseason wanting to add. He has hit at least 26 home runs in each of the last three campaigns and has a 162-game average of 29 in his career to go along with 86 RBI and 31 doubles.
Outside of a down 2021 season, he has had a slugging percentage of at least .459 in each season he has been an everyday player since 2019.
On top of his value as a hitter, he also plays stellar defense. Walker has won the Gold Glove Award three seasons running as arguably the best defender in baseball at his position.
With him off the board, Washington will have to pivot elsewhere.
Unfortunately for the Nationals, there aren’t many starting caliber players left in free agency. They could get aggressive and pursue Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, but extremely risky given some of his peripherals and the cost. He will likely land a deal twice as long and much more expensive than Walker.
Stopgap options such as Carlos Santana, Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Rizzo could be targeted on the market. It seems unlikely, but Washington would also try the trade market, where Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians, Nathaniel Lowe of the Texas Rangers and LaMonte Wade Jr. of the San Francisco Giants are reportedly available.
Given how desperate the team is for an infusion of experience and power to their lineup, Walker would have been the perfect fit. They are going to regret not pursuing him with more aggressiveness to outbid the Astros.
