Why Have Washington Nationals Had an Incredibly Subdued Offseason?
Heading into the MLB offseason, the Washington Nationals were a team that looked like they were ready to spend some money.
An impressive core has emerged with a lot of talented young players emerging during the 2024 season. Coming off a 71-win campaign, there were plenty of spots on the roster in need of an upgrade to help push the team further out of their rebuild.
Augmenting a core that includes left fielder James Wood, center fielder Jacob Young, right fielder Dylan Crews, shortstop CJ Abrams and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. was the No. 1 goal.
An infusion of power would be helpful, and the team is hoping that the acquisition of Nathaniel Lowe in a trade with the Texas Rangers will help, as he provides a huge upgrade at first base.
Veteran free agent signing Josh Bell provides more insurance at the corner infield spot and is excited to be handling a designated hitter’s role for the first time in his career. He has set lofty goals knowing power is what the Nationals are expecting from him.
On the mound, Washington has lefty MacKenzie Gore who showed ace potential at points last year. DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker were solid in unexpectedly large roles as rookies and Jake Irvin remains a consistent innings eater.
Josiah Gray, Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli offer even more upside and depth.
Veteran Trevor Williams was signed to a two-year, $14 million deal to add much-needed experience and is expected to be a starter out of the gate. Mike Soroka offers some intrigue as well after agreeing to a one-year, $9 million deal as he too has experience as a starter and coming out of the bullpen.
The additions that the Nationals have made will certainly help improve the product on the field. However, the front office and ownership may not believe they are as close to making a move in the standings as originally thought.
That is part of the reason why Jim Bowden of The Athletic has given the team a “C+” grade for their offseason work thus far and predicts they will finish near the bottom of the National League East, likely missing the playoffs for a sixth straight campaign.
“Surprisingly, the Nationals didn’t believe they were good enough to make a big splash in free agency and instead decided to improve around the edges. Lowe should help their first-base production and Bell can supply some power in the DH spot. Williams is a quality back-end innings-eater. Soroka was a worthwhile gamble. However, they didn’t do enough and again look like a fourth-place team.”
Those veterans will raise the team’s floor, but their ceiling is still going to be determined by the youngsters and their development.
If they get off to a hot start, general manager Mike Rizzo has the means to make moves as the salary cap is as clean as any team in baseball and their farm system is well-stocked with high-upside youngsters knocking on the door of the Major Leagues.