Nationals Rumors

Opening Day has finally arrived, and teams all around the league are gearing up for another pennant chase in hopes of being crowned this year’s World Series champion. Of course, there’s still another seven months to go before someone raises the Commissioner’s Trophy. Until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. We’ll be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. That series already covered theNL West, where the Dodgers were viewed as an overwhelming favorite, and theNL Central, where the Cubs narrowly beat out the reigning division champs in Milwaukee. Now, the series continues with a look at the NL East. Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Philadelphia Phillies (95-67)

After the Phillies fell to their division-rival Mets during the NLDS, it appeared the club may consider making some considerable changes as they putAlec Bohm on the market and searched for outfield help rather than rely on internal options likeBrandon Marsh andJosh Rojas. Ultimately, however, the club’s additions this winter were fairly modest. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski swung a trade for a big-name pitcher in need of a bounce-back inJesus Luzardo. The signings ofJordan Romano andMax Kepler should help out as well but both are coming off down seasons due to injuries. WithJeff Hoffman andCarlos Estevez departing, the bullpen is arguably weaker than last season.

The Phillies will mostly rely on the same core players they trotted out last year. Fortunately, that’s the same core that allowed them to sail into the postseason with a bye through the Wild Card series last year.Zack Wheeler remains one of the very best pitchers in the entire sport, and a rotation featuring Luzardo as the likely fifth starter behindCristopher Sanchez,Aaron Nola, andRanger Suarez when fully healthy is in the conversation for the sport’s best. In the lineup, meanwhile,Bryce Harper returns as one of the sport’s most talented hitters, and his supporting cast of battle-tested veterans likeKyle Schwarber,Trea Turner, andJ.T. Realmuto all figure to contribute with the same consistency they’ve offered in previous years. It was more than enough to win the division last year, but will the same be true in 2025?

Atlanta Braves (89-73)

This past offseason was a relatively quiet one in Atlanta, as the club’s winter was defined more by the departures of franchise stalwarts likeMax Fried,Charlie Morton, andTravis d’Arnaud than any major additions, even asJurickson Profar profiles as a substantial upgrade over last year’s platoon ofJarred Kelenic andAdam Duvall in left field. Other relatively marginal additions likeAlex Verdugo,Nick Allen, andHector Neris should help out somewhat as well, but the main thing Atlanta has going for it in 2025 is hope for better health. The Braves’ core was ravaged by injuries last year, withRonald Acuna Jr. andSpencer Strider both missing virtually the entire season whileAustin Riley,Ozzie Albies,Sean Murphy andMichael Harris II all also missed significant time.

While health is never guaranteed, the club is all but certain to get more out of its two superstars in Acuna and Strider this year, and is overall unlikely to run into the same rash of injuries on the positional side even as Murphy is already out for the start of the season due to a cracked rib. The team that led baseball in runs scored in 2023 has brought in even more talent on offense since then while also building an impressive bullpen anchored byRaisel Iglesias andAaron Bummer. All of that is before even considering that the club will once again enjoy the services of reigning NL Cy Young award winnerChris Sale, as well asReynaldo Lopez as he tries to follow up on a 1.99 ERA campaign in 2025. In some ways, 2024 looked like a floor for the Braves’ talented floor. Will a bounce back be enough to win a tough division in 2025?

New York Mets (89-73)

For as talented as the Phillies and Braves are, it was the Mets who made the deepest run into the 2024 postseason of the NL East, getting all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS before falling to the eventual World Series champion Dodgers. Steve Cohen and David Stearns weren’t content to rest on their laurels this winter and made the biggest splash of any team when they signedJuan Soto to a record-shattering $765MM deal that will land him in Queens for the next 15 years. None of the club’s other moves matched that level of flash, but the returns ofSean Manaea,Jesse Winker, andPete Alonso as well as more modest additions likeClay Holmes andA.J. Minter leave the Mets looking like a stronger club overall than they were this time last year.

Impactful as pairing Soto withFrancisco Lindor at the top of the lineup figures to be, however, that won’t necessarily make the club a clear division favorite with many of the issues that made the Mets such underdogs last season still lingering. A rotation that featured little certainty on paper entering Spring Training is already getting tested by a number of injuries, and the club will rely onMark Vientos avoiding a sophomore slump in order to lengthen a lineup that looks softer at the bottom than its counterparts in Atlanta and Philadelphia. Still, a lineup featuring two MVP finalists, two other 30-homer sluggers, andBrandon Nimmo looks impressive on paper, and a late-inning mix ofEdwin Diaz, Minter, andJose Butto should be able to preserve late leads. Will that be enough to overtake their rivals?

Washington Nationals (71-91)

The Nationals showed some signs of development last year, but ultimately sold at the trade deadline and fell well short of playoff contention when all was said and done. Still, an emerging core ofJames Wood,MacKenzie Gore,Dylan Crews, andCJ Abrams inspired enough confidence for the Nationals to make some modest buy-side additions this winter.Nathaniel Lowe andJosh Bell should provide a notable upgrade overJoey Meneses andJoey Gallo at first base, whilePaul DeJong andAmed Rosario offer the sort of depth on the infield that was sorely lacking last year.

With three juggernauts at the top of the division, the path to a division title in D.C. is a murky one. With that being said, every member of that aforementioned core is young, talented, and capable of breaking out before even considering the potential impact other young pieces likeBrady House,Cade Cavalli, andRobert Hassell III could offer at some point in the year. The addition ofMichael Soroka to a rotation that already featured solid youngsters like Gore andJake Irvin should also offer plenty of upside. Steep as the climb to the summit of the NL East would be, it’s certainly not impossible to imagine the Nationals being the surprise of the NL this year.

Miami Marlins (62-100)

Things were bleak in Miami last year as they lost 100 games for the first time since 2019. And unfortunately for fans, there’s little reason for optimism about the potential for better days in 2025. The club made virtually no additions this winter, and moves to ship out solid pieces like Luzardo andJake Burger figure to be far more notable than the additions of minor pieces likeMatt Mervis andCal Quantrill. The return of stalwart aceSandy Alcantara from Tommy John surgery provides a nice story early in the year, and young phenomEury Perez could return later this season as well. Even the club’s vaunted collection of arms seems unlikely to be enough to get them back to the playoffs given a lineup that will rely on players likeJesus Sanchez andConnor Norby to carry its run production this year, and it would likely take a miracle for them to actually come out on top in such a tough division.

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The Phillies, Braves, and Mets all have strong cases to be the NL East’s best team after making the postseason last year. Philadelphia stands as the reigning champion, while Atlanta featured the best team in all of baseball just two years ago. New York, meanwhile, made a deep run in the postseason just last year and added arguably the most talented pure hitter in baseball over the winter. Meanwhile, D.C. is continuing to quietly assemble a young core that could break out and compete in its own right. Even with Miami deep in the trenches of a rebuild, it figures to be a deeply competitive division in 2025. Who do you think will come out on top? Have your say in the poll below:

The Nationals announced a series of roster moves to set up their Opening Day roster, including four injured-list placements retroactive to March 24.  Right-handersDerek Law (forearm inflammation) andZach Brzykcy (right quad strain) are both headed to the 15-day IL, infielderAndres Chaparro (oblique strain) is going to the 10-day IL, and right-handerCade Cavalli was placed on the 15-day IL as he enters the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

DJ Herz was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day IL as he could be facing a Tommy John procedure of his ownin the wake of a UCL tear.  Herz’s transfer opens up a 40-man roster spot the Nats to select the contract of right-handerBrad Lord, in a move that was reportedearlier today.  Finally, D.C. also optioned first/baseman outfielderJuan Yepez and rightyJackson Rutledge to Triple-A, and catcherAndrew Knizner was reassigned to Triple-A.

AsSpencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post wrote last weekend, Law’s injury dates back to last season, when the reliever missed just under three weeks in late August and early September due to a flexor strain in his throwing elbow.  Though Law was able to return in relatively short order, the discomfort lingered through the winter and into Spring Training, and Law pitched in only one game during the Nationals’ Grapefruit League schedule.  The team had already planned to limit Law’s spring workload in the wake of his 90-inning campaign last season, but the forearm issue kept him off the mound almost entirely.

Manager Davey Martinez said Law’s MRI came back clean and the injury isn’t thought to be too serious, with Law saying he believes he’ll be back when first eligible for activation on April 8.  Law was one of the game’s most valuable workhorses last season, tossing 90 innings of 2.60 ball over 75 appearances for the Nationals.

Brzykcy also pitched just once this spring, as his quad strain has kept him out of game action for over a month.  The righty has started throwing bullpens again, so he is at least partway through the ramp-up process even if it seems like Brzykcy could miss more than the 15-day minimum given how little he pitched in the spring.

Brzykcy was an undrafted free agent from the 2020 class (the year the draft was shortened to five rounds due to the pandemic) who signed with the Nats that summer.  He made his MLB debut last season, and was hit hard to the tune of a 14.29 ERA over the small sample size of 5 2/3 innings and six appearances.  Brzykcy didn’t pitch in 2023 due to a Tommy John surgery, but his overall impressive minor league numbers made him a candidate to win a job in the Nationals’ bullpen this winter before his quad strain ended his bid.

Chaparro is another player who made his big-league debut in 2024, and he hit .215/.280/.413 with four home runs in his first 132 plate appearances in the Show.  While the presence of the newly-acquiredNathaniel Lowe andJosh Bell may have hurt Chaparro’s chances of winning a bench job as a backup first baseman and outfielder, he was posting big numbers in camp before hurting his oblique during a batting practice session.  The uncertain nature of oblique injuries leaves Chaparro’s recovery timeline somewhat up in the air, but a best-case scenario would probably see him activated by mid-April.

Without Chaparro, Yepez, or Knizner, Washington’s bench now consists ofRiley Adams in the backup catcher role, veteranAmed Rosario,Jose Tena as the primary backup infielder, andAlex Call as the fourth outfielder.  Between Law’s injury and the Nationals’ decision to option Rutledge, the Nationals went with Lord and rookieOrlando Ribalta for the last two bullpen spots.

Note: The initial version of this post erroneously stated that Cavalli was placed on the 60-day injured list. MLBTR apologizes for the error.

The Nationals are going to promote right-handerBrad Lord to their Opening Day roster, reportsJeff Passan of ESPN. The righty is not yet on the 40-man, so a corresponding move will be required. That could be an easy call sinceDJ Herzhas been recommended for Tommy John surgery. It’s not fully confirmed that Herz will go under the knife but he will likely miss a decent chunk of time even if he avoids the surgeon’s table.

Lord, 25, isn’t a typical prospect. As Passan mentions in his report and as detailed bySpencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post last month, Lord has had to grind. While some top draft picks get multi-million-dollar signing bonuses, Lord was an 18th-round selection in 2022 and signed for $125K. He spent this past winter working at a Home Depot in Bradenton, lifting bags of mulch and Christmas trees, around his offseason training.

That makes it all the more impressive that he’s been able to improve his stock in recent years. In 2023, he tossed 104 2/3 innings at the Single-A and High-A levels, working both as a starter and reliever. He posted a 4.04 earned run average, 18.5% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and huge 61.6% ground ball rate.

Last year, he climbed from High-A to Double-A and Triple-A, logging 129 2/3 innings across a combined 29 starts at those three levels with a 2.43 ERA. His grounder rate dropped to 42% but he upped his punchouts to a 25.3% clip.Baseball America ranked him the #29 prospect in the system going into 2025.

Here in camp, his 6.08 ERA doesn’t look so nice, but that’s in a tiny sample of 13 1/3 innings. He was very unfortunate in that time, with an unlucky .348 batting average on balls in play and 50% strand rate. He only struck out 13.8% of batters but got the grounders back up to 55.6%.

He seems likely to start the season working a long relief role for the Nats. They project to have a rotation ofMacKenzie Gore,Trevor Williams,Jake Irvin,Mitchell Parker andMichael Soroka. By having Lord serve the longman role, it will allow the club to keep other potential starters likeShinnosuke Ogasawara andJackson Rutledge stretched out in Triple-A.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

March 26: TalkNats reports that Herz has been diagnosed with a UCL tear and recommended for Tommy John surgery, but the southpaw will seek a second opinion before making a decision regarding the procedure.

March 25:The Nationals announced this morning that left-handerDJ Herz has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. Herz had been optioned to Triple-A last Friday, but that option has been rescinded in favor of a major league IL placement, presumably after testing revealed an injury sustained in big league camp.

While the team hasn’t announced a formal timetable or treatment plan, it’s an ominous injury. The sprain, by definition, indicates some stretching/tearing of the ligament. The majority of UCL sprains result in Tommy John surgery or an internal brace procedure, either of which would wipe out Herz’s entire season. Andrew Golden of the Washington Postreports that Herz has experienced a dead arm throughout camp and saw his velocity drop this spring, which only further adds to the level of concern.

Herz, 24, came to the Nationals in the trade sendingJeimer Candelario to the Cubs back in 2023. He made his big league debut last summer and quickly showed that he has a place in the team’s long-term plans. After logging a 3.89 ERA in 10 Triple-A starts, Herz started 19 games and tallied 88 2/3 MLB frames, working to a solid 4.16 earned run average. The 2019 eighth-rounder fanned an impressive 27.7% of his opponents and also radically improved his command in the majors; Herz has walked more than 15% of his opponents throughout his minor league tenure, including a ghastly 19% in Triple-A last year, but he cut that to a 9.4% rate in the majors. That’s only one percentage point north of league-average and is plenty passable for someone who can miss bats at Herz’s levels.

Even without any knowledge of the dead arm, a cursory glance at Herz’s spring stats would’ve suggested something was amiss. After that strong output between Triple-A and the majors last year, he’s been rocked for nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and nine walks in Grapefruit League play. He’s fanned only four of the 49 batters he’s faced and yielded a pair of home runs.

Having been optioned to Triple-A Rochester already, Herz wasn’t in the Nationals’ immediate rotation plan. Now, the question is whether he’ll factor into their plan anytime before the 2026 season. With Herz sidelined for the short term at the very least, Washington’s rotation will featureMacKenzie Gore,Jake Irvin,Mitchell Parker and offseason signeesMichael Soroka andTrevor Williams (the latter of whom re-signed with the Nats on a two-year deal after also spending the 2023-24 seasons there). The Nats optioned another free-agent addition, former NPB leftyShinnosuke Ogasawara, to Rochester to begin his career in North American ball. They also have rightyJosiah Gray and former top prospectCade Cavalli both on the comeback trail after undergoing Tommy John surgery to address their own UCL injuries.

The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of left-handerColin Poche.  The veteran reliever signed a minor league deal with Washington last month, and he’ll now be a part of the team’s Opening Day roster.

Poche has pitched in four of the last six MLB seasons, as a Tommy John surgery shelved him for the entirety of the 2020-21 campaigns.  He returned from that long layoff in pretty good form, posting a 3.27 ERA over 156 2/3 innings out of the Rays’ bullpen over the course of the 2022-24 seasons.  His strikeout rate has declined over those three years, however, bottoming out at a modest 21.6% rate last year.  Some back and shoulder injuries also sent Poche to the injured list, limiting him to 37 1/3 innings in what ended up as his final season in Tampa Bay.

The Rays opted to non-tender Poche rather than pay him aprojected $3.4MM salary in what would’ve been his final season of arbitration eligibility.  The terms of his deal with Washington aren’t publicly known, but the southpaw will now lock in a guaranteed salary as a result of making the team.

Jose A. Ferrer is the only other left-hander slated to be part of the Nats’ bullpen, so there was clearly an opening for Poche to step in as a second lefty even though Poche’s spring numbers haven’t been impressive (a 7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings).  Amongst other southpaws on the 40-man roster,MacKenzie Gore andMitchell Parker will be part of the starting rotation, and the Nationals yesterday optionedShinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A, where they will act as starting depth. Konnor Pilkington is also in the organization on a minor league deal, but it stands to reason that Washington might look to add another lefty or two as other teams make their final camp cuts.

The Nationals announced on Friday that they’ve optioned left-handers Shinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A Rochester. Infielder Nasim Nunez and catcher Drew Millas were also sent down. AsMark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, this essentially finalizes Mitchell Parker as the season-opening fifth starter.

Manager Dave Martinez said early in camp that MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, Michael Soroka and Jake Irvin had rotation spots secure. The final job was up for grabs among Parker, Herz and Ogasawara. The former seemed to be the favorite going into camp, as he’d pitched to a 4.29 ERA in 29 starts as a rookie. Herz and Ogasawara probably had to pitch very well this spring to jump him on the depth chart.

That didn’t happen. Parker had the steadiest Spring Training performance. He allowed five runs with eight strikeouts and four walks across 12 1/3 innings. While that’s not exactly a dominant showing, Herz and Ogasawara both struggled. Herz gave up nine runs in 9 2/3 frames. He issued nine walks and only managed four strikeouts. Ogasawara was tagged for 19 runs (15 earned) over 12 innings. The Japanese southpaw recorded 10 strikeouts and walked eight.

Ogasawara signed a two-year, $3.5MM free agent deal over the winter. Unlike many NPB/KBO signees, he did not get a contractual clause that prohibits the team from sending him to the minors. He’ll begin his U.S. career in Triple-A after posting a 3.12 ERA with a modest 13.6% strikeout rate in his final NPB season. Herz made his big league debut last season. He struck out nearly 28% of opponents with a solid 4.16 ERA in 19 starts. He hasn’t consistently thrown strikes in the minors, though, and he clearly has not looked sharp this spring.

The Nationals have returned Rule 5 Draft pickEvan Reifert to the Rays, per announcements from both clubs. Washington’s 40-man roster is now at 39 players. The right-hander is back in the Rays organization and will not count against Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. The fact that Reifert is being returned to the Rays indicates that he first cleared waivers after being made available to the league’s other 28 teams.

The 25-year-old Reifert (26 in May) signed with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and was traded to the Rays a bit more than a year later in exchange for infielderMike Brosseau. He made his way to Double-A in 2024, pitching 41 1/3 innings of 1.96 ERA ball with an eye-popping 40.4% strikeout rate against a 9.9% walk rate. Despite the gaudy strikeout rate, Reifert was left unprotected last November and was the fifth player off the board in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Last year’s 9.9% walk rate was higher than average but still far and away the best mark of Reifert’s career. He walked 14% of his opponents in 2021, 12.5% in 2022 and 37% in 2023 (in a tiny sample of 7 2/3 innings). Command has long been an issue, and that was again the case during spring training. Reifert issued a dozen walks and tossed three wild pitches in just 6 1/3 innings (39 batters faced).

Reifert has yet to pitch in Triple-A, but he’ll presumably do so this season. If the Rays can get his walk numbers back to even the 10-12% range, he has the potential to be an impactful big league reliever. The 6’4″ righty features a heater in the 94-97 range and an overpowering slider that MLB.com credits as a 70-grade pitch (on the 20-80 scale). FanGraphs touts that slider as a legitimate 80-grade offering … but couples it with 30-grade command.

The Nationals continue to evaluate candidates for the final spot in their rotation. Manager Dave Martinez confirmed to reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that four pitchers will be in the Opening Day rotation if healthy:MacKenzie Gore, Michael Soroka, Jake Irvin and Trevor Williams. The Nats haven’t revealed in what order those pitchers will take the ball, but the more meaningful development is that there’s only one rotation spot up for grabs.

There appear to be three candidates for that job.Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz are coming off solid rookie seasons. The Nats added former NPB southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara on an affordable two-year, $3.5MM free agent deal. All three are left-handers who are in their mid-20s and aiming to break camp for the first time in their MLB careers.

Parker is the most experienced of the bunch. Washington called up the 6’4″ southpaw in the middle of April. He stuck in the rotation for the remainder of the season. Parker made 29 starts and worked to a 4.29 earned run average through 151 innings. He posted a slightly below-average 20.6% strikeout rate against a solid 6.7% walk percentage. Parker doesn’t have huge stuff but looks the part of a solid back-end command artist.

Herz has the opposite profile. He missed bats on nearly 13% of his offerings. Herz posted a 27.7% strikeout rate, continuing a trend of plus swing-and-miss numbers he showed throughout his minor league career. His minor league walk numbers wouldn’t point to a long-term future in the rotation, but he showed surprisingly reasonable control (9.4% walk rate) over his first 19 MLB starts. He turned in a 4.16 ERA through 88 2/3 frames.

Ogasawara’s profile is closer to Parker’s. He allowed 3.62 earned runs per nine over his nine seasons in Japan. Ogasawara worked to a 3.12 ERA across 144 1/3 frames for Chunichi Dragons last season. He had a well below-average 13.6% strikeout rate that explains his modest deal. He walked fewer than 4% of batters faced, so he’s a good strike-thrower, but it’s not clear whether his stuff will play against big league competition.

No one from this trio has had an especially impressive camp. Parker’s results have been the best. He has allowed four runs through 7 1/3 innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk. Ogasawara has surrendered 11 runs (seven earned) with five walks and six strikeouts over 9 1/3 frames. Herz has allowed eight runs (six earned) with seven free passes and only three punchouts through 6 2/3 innings. While it’s not worth reading much into a handful of Spring Training appearances, Parker’s greater experience seemed to give him a leg up on the job entering camp. If that were the case, it’s hard to argue that Herz and Ogasawara have shown enough to overtake him to this point.

Erick Mejia is starting a new chapter in his 13-year career, as the longtime infielder is working out as a pitcher in the Nationals’ spring camp. The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden writes that Mejia’s latest step was a 25-pitch live batting practice session against minor league hitters, and none of Mejia’s pitches were put into play.

Mejia’s MLB resume consists of 17 games with the Royals over the 2019-20 seasons.  The rest of his lengthy career has been spent in the farm systems of Mariners, Dodgers, Royals, and Nationals, and Mejia has hit .264/.333/.387 over 3998 career plate appearances in the minors.

Washington signed Mejia to a minor league deal in December 2022, and his two seasons in the Nats’ system didn’t lead to another trip back to the Show.  He did toss an inning of mop-up work in a blowout of Triple-A game last season, which led to a follow-up bullpen session that saw Mejia throw off a mound (while wearing sneakers) and hit 96mph on the radar gun.  This got the attention of Nationals coaches and officials, and Mejia agreed last September to try giving pitching a proper try as a new career path.

Golden notes that Mejia has a ton of vertical break on his four-seam fastball, and that pitch has also hit the 98mph threshold in subsequent throwing sessions.  “The number one thing he has is the ability to throw the ball very good and to throw it over the plate.  The other stuff, we can work on it,” Triple-A Rochester pitching coach Rafael Chaves said, describing how Mejia is understandably still raw at the normal mechanics and routine processes that come with pitching.

It remains to be seen if this transition will remain just an experiment, or if Mejia can get into minor league games and try to prove himself as a pitcher.  Now 30 years old, Mejia put the situation plainly, saying “if I need to try something different to keep going, I will do it.”  There’s no downside for the veteran to see if he can translate his arm strength and natural velocity into a pitching career, and it makes Mejia an interesting subplot of the Nationals’ camp.

The Nationals made a few acquisitions, most notably with a trade for their new first baseman. They eschewed any investments longer than two years. They're probably still a season away from pulling out of the rebuild. If they take a step forward from last season's 71 wins, they should be positioned for a much more aggressive winter going into 2026.

Major League Signings

• RHP Trevor Williams:Two years, $14MM
• RHP Michael Soroka:One year, $9MM
• DH Josh Bell:One year, $6MM
• RHP Kyle Finnegan:One year, $6MM ($4MM deferred)
• LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara:Two years, $3.5MM (plus $700K posting fee)
• RHP Jorge López:One year, $3MM
• RHP Lucas Sims:One year, $3MM
• 3B Amed Rosario:One year, $2MM
• 3B Paul DeJong:One year, $1MM

2025 spending: $38.5MM ($4MM deferred)
Total spending: $47.5MM

Option Decisions

• Declined $8MM mutual option on 1B Joey Gallo in favor of $2.5MM buyout

Trades and Claims

• Selected RHP Evan Reifert from Rays in Rule 5 draft
• Acquired 1B Nathaniel Lowe from Rangers for LHP Robert Garcia

Notable Minor League Signings

• Franchy Cordero,Andrew Knizner,Konnor Pilkington, Colin Poche, Patrick Weigel

Extensions

• None

Notable Losses

• Patrick Corbin,Robert Garcia,Joey Gallo, Tanner Rainey (non-tendered), Joey Meneses (outrighted),Ildemaro Vargas (outrighted),Amos Willingham (via waivers), Michael Rucker (outrighted),Thaddeus Ward (via waivers), Joe La Sorsa (released)

The Nationals finished 71-91 last season, their second straight year landing 20 games under .500. Still, they feel closer to contention than they did 12 months ago. Top outfield prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews made it to the big leagues. The middle infield tandem of CJ Abrams andLuis García Jr. each took steps forward, even if Abrams' season ended with an unceremonious disciplinary demotion. Center fielderJacob Young had a nice season headlined by Gold Glove-caliber defense. A controllable rotation group ofMacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin,Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz pitched reasonably well.

One can start to see the light at the end of the five-year rebuild. Yet the Nationals entered the offseason with a handful of huge holes. GM Mike Rizzo said in September that the front office was looking to add one or two middle-of-the-order bats. The Nats got very little from their corner infield or designated hitter positions, making those obvious target areas. They're still lacking a true top-of-the-rotation starter, nor did they have much in the way of middle relief depth.

They didn't fix all of it. There was never much hope of ownership allowing the front office to jump back in on Juan Soto. They seemingly didn't look at the top of the rotation market, uninterested in making a $200MM+ investment for Corbin Burnes or Max Fried. While they technically did add two middle-of-the-order hitters, they weren't on significant free agent splashes. The Nationals showed some interest in Christian Walker and made sense as an on-paper fit for Pete Alonso, but they ended up taking a volume approach to free agency.

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