What Role Will Newly Acquired Slugger Have For Washington Nationals Next Season?
The Washington Nationals are getting set for an important offseason after a 71-win campaign in 2024.
Even though they might not have won as many games as they would have liked last year, there were a lot of positives to take out of the season for the Nationals.
Last campaign, Washington saw a lot of their talented young prospects get called up and the youth of the organization is starting to make an impact. As the team heads into the offseason, they have a pretty good idea of who will be starting and at what positions.
In the outfield, the team looks set with James Wood, Jacob Young, and Dylan Crews. While the outfield might be set, the corners of the infield are a little bit more murky. At third base, it was a bit of a revolving door like at first base in 2024, but toward the end of the season, Jose Tena got a chance.
Tena came over from the Cleveland Guardians in the Lane Thomas trade, and as a solid hitter, he got a chance in the Majors at the end of the season. Even though he's not a natural third baseman, Tena did the best he could defensively at the position. While his defense was suspect at third base, he proved to be a good hitter.
Recently, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports spoke about what 2025 could look like for Tena on the Nationals.
“2025 outlook: The Nationals didn’t acquire Tena thinking he was going to be a big part of the immediate plan, but his offensive performance in the minors and their own revolving door at third base gave them the opportunity to get a look at him and see what they have. What do they have? It’s still not entirely clear, but it seems to be worth a further look.”
The infielder was impressive for Washington after coming over, but with shortstop or second base being a more natural position, playing time for the slugger could become an issue if he doesn’t improve defensively at third base.
This spring will be crucial for Tena, as top prospect Brady House will be knocking at the door for a starting spot, and as a natural third baseman, he very well could have the edge.
While the sample size was small, Tena did prove that he could hit in the Majors. If House ends up coming right away and taking over at third, Tena could be a piece that the Nationals might have to flip in a trade with nowhere to play him.
