What Will Third Base Look Like For Washington Nationals in 2025?
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason looking to take the next step in their rebuild.
In 2024, the Nationals saw a 16-win increase from 2023, as the team clearly improved quite a bit. Now, while that might feel like a successful season, general manager Mike Rizzo wants much more for the organization.
This offseason, Washington should have some money to spend on free agents, as Patrick Corbin will be coming off the books, which will free up a lot of money.
Now where that money is going to be spent will be the big question. The Nationals have a couple of clear needs, as they will likely look to add a starting pitcher and also a power hitter for the middle of the lineup.
With a lot of talented players around the field, there are only a couple of positions that the Nationals could realistically upgrade. One of those positions is at third base. Recently, Rizzo spoke with Jessica Camerato of MLB.com about third base and what their options are.
“We like the depth that we have at third base,” Rizzo said. “We've got House in the Minor Leagues, we've got [No. 9 prospect Yohandy] Morales in the Minor Leagues that we think are going to be terrific players at both corners of the infield. [José] Tena has been superb over there since he came back, especially offensively. … And we’ve got [Trey] Lipscomb, who's already a big-time defender that's got to work out some things offensively. So we feel pretty good at that position.”
The Nationals certainly have depth at the position, but depth might not necessarily translate to what the team needs and is looking for. Within the organization, the top player potentially at the position is Brady House.
Their talented prospect could very well be the answer for the team at the positon, but when he comes up is still yet to be determined.
Jose Tena saw a lot of time at the position in 2024 and was pretty good. He would have to be the favorite to be the starter going into the season depending on free agency.
The comments by Rizzo might indicate that if the Nationals are going to be spenders this winter, they might not be in the corner infield spots like many have speculated.
However, barring big jumps in production, staying the same on the corners will limit what the Nationals might be able to accomplish in 2025.
