One of These Washington Nationals Sluggers Likely Won't Have Roster Spot

Following the moves made by the Washington Nationals this offseason, there is a good chance one of their current sluggers won't be on the team.

Sep 14, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Juan Yepez (18) rounds second base during the first inning against the Miami Marlins, at Nationals Park | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals haven't made a huge move this offseason, but they have done a good job of improving their roster ahead of the upcoming campaign.

With them still being in a rebuild and allowing their young players to develop at the Major League level, general manager Mike Rizzo and his front office have opted to add some veteran talent on short-term deals, giving this team a chance to win in 2025 while also not blocking playing time or a pathway for their youngsters.

The signing of Josh Bell and acquisition of Nathaniel Lowe accomplished the need to improve their lineup, while also bringing in a real multi-year option at first base.

However, that also has created some questions about what role Juan Yepez and Andres Chaparro will have going forward.

Signed to a minor league deal ahead of the 2024 campaign, Yepez was called up on July 5 and never looked back, spending the rest of the season with Washington and appearing like he could be the answer at that position.

He slashed .283/.335/.429 with six homers, 26 RBI and an OPS+ of 116 that was the third-best mark on the team.

The sample size was small considering those numbers were produced in 62 games, but he seemed to be a real option for the Nationals going forward.

Chaparro's data set was even smaller with just 33 MLB games to his name, but his four homers, 15 RBI and .413 slugging percentage across 121 at-bats makes him an intriguing power hitter if he can do that consistently.

But, Rizzo and the organization seemed to have other ideas in mind, choosing to hand things over to Lowe, who isn't schedule to hit free agency until after 2026.

That now creates questions for what role these two players will have, if any.

"There's probably room on the bench for either Yepez or Chaparro, but not both. Both still have options, so either could be sent to Rochester to begin the season and wait for a possible call-up," Mark Zuckerman of MASN writes.

This could be one of the most interesting battles to following during Spring Training.

With neither Lowe or Bell necessarily needing a platoon partner because both have pretty even numbers against right-handed and left-handed pitching, there isn't a ton of reasoning to carry both Yepez or Chaparro, even in the minors.

Perhaps that could cause Washington to trade one of them before Opening Day, getting back something in return for either player who won't do much as is with Lowe and Bell on the roster.