The Nationals have opted for an additional risk-averse offseason. On the finish of final season, Washington normal supervisor Mike Rizzo teased the chance for an affect lineup addition.
“We want a few bats that may hit in the course of the lineup and take the onus off a few of these good younger core gamers and help them within the run creation of our offense. Now we have the core gamers to be middle-of-the-lineup hitters,” Rizzo advised MLB.com’s Invoice Ladson. That offered some hope that the Nats would make an enormous free agent push, however that has not come to be.
Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell have been Washington’s greatest lineup acquisitions. Lowe, whom the Nats acquired from Texas for reliever Robert Garcia, has been a properly above-average hitter in three consecutive seasons. He’s a reputable middle-of-the-order bat. A reunion with Bell, who has been one of many sport’s streakiest hitters all through his profession, on a $6MM free agent deal is much less thrilling.
Lowe, who will make between $10.3MM and $11.1MM in his penultimate arbitration season, has been Washington’s costliest acquisition for 2025. They took a $9MM flier on Michael Soroka and introduced again Trevor Williams for 2 years and $14MM. They’ve made minimal commitments to Shinnosuke Ogasawara ($3.5MM over two years), Jorge López ($3MM) and Amed Rosario ($2MM). Williams and Ogasawara are the one gamers to whom they’ve dedicated a number of years. The latter’s contract pays him like a seventh or eighth starter. Lowe is beneath arbitration management for an additional season that would value upwards of $15MM, however the Nationals might commerce or non-tender him in the event that they’re not eager on that worth.
It wasn’t the type of headline-grabbing offseason that implies the entrance workplace felt they had been a transfer or two away from pushing the highest three groups within the NL East. They continue to be the fourth-best group within the division on paper. Lowe could possibly be a reputable 2-3 win improve over final yr’s assortment of first basemen, who hit simply .241/.310/.376. Past that, they’re principally counting on inner enhancements.
The Nationals dramatically minimize spending throughout their rebuild. The Lerner household thought-about promoting the franchise and didn’t wish to saddle potential patrons with long-term offers. Whereas they’re not actively exploring the sale risk, possibly they haven’t given Rizzo and his entrance workplace leeway to make a major splash.
If that’s the case, the entrance workplace’s actions have been comprehensible if largely unexciting. This roster nonetheless appears to be a yr away from viable playoff competition. Pursuits of even higher center tier free brokers like Anthony Santander or Sean Manaea had been unlikely to alter that. They had been by no means going to noticeably threaten the Mets, Yankees, and many others. on Juan Soto. A top-of-the-rotation arm like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried might need offered the ceiling increase wanted within the rotation, however that requires an possession group keen to approve a $200MM+ free agent deal.
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