The Nationals have made a pair signings to bolster their lineup. They introduced again former fan favourite Josh Bell in free company, and traded for Nathaniel Lowe. Nonetheless, one huge gap stays, and that’s third base.
The 2 present potential occupants are Jose Tena and Trey Lipscomb. Given what he confirmed final yr, Lipscomb completely can’t be the starter. Whereas Tena confirmed extra flashes on the plate, his protection was tough at third base, wanting extra snug in his transient cameos at second base. Ideally, Tena is a bench bat, and Lipscomb begins the season at triple-a.
There are nonetheless a number of choices out there that ought to intrigue the Nationals. The dream possibility could be Alex Bregman, however that feels extremely unlikely, so we’ll transfer on from that. The subsequent smartest thing that’s extra attainable is buying and selling for Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. He is without doubt one of the greatest defensive third baseman in all of baseball, and in addition supplies some energy. McMahon has three years left on his present contract, the place he makes $44 million. He would price the Nationals some strong prospects, however none of their prime guys.
An fascinating free agent possibility is Yoan Moncada. He has struggled with accidents and ineffectiveness over the previous few years, however has numerous pedigree, and has proven flashes. He’s nonetheless solely 29 years previous. Whereas Moncada is unlikely to repeat his breakout 2023 season, one thing like his 2021 season may very well be attainable if he avoids accidents. He’ll probably settle for a reasonably low cost one yr deal.
Paul Dejong is one other free agent, who will probably be low cost, and can carry a strong mixture of protection and energy. Dejong hit 24 dwelling runs final yr, and had 4 outs above common between third base and shortstop. Dejong doesn’t carry a lot outdoors of protection and a few dwelling runs, these are issues the Nats want. Whereas Dejong is a flawed participant, his skillset has some fascinating traits. He may even take an affordable one yr deal, most likely one thing much like the six million that Josh Bell bought.
Whereas none of those choices are excellent, they signify upgrades for the Nats. Most of them additionally considerably increase the Nationals flooring. They might not get the Nats to the playoffs, however they create competence, which is one thing the Nationals want whereas they preserve the seat heat for the eventual arrival of Brady Home. The objective of 2025 needs to be so as to add to the win whole and begin pushing in direction of a return to the playoffs.
