Washington Nationals Acquired Perfect Veterans To Push Young Core Forward
There are a lot of analysts and fans who feel the Washington Nationals had an underwhelming MLB offseason.
Heading into the winter, there were some whispers that the team would look to spend money to accelerate their rebuild after a very strong core of players emerged as the new foundation of the team in 2024.
The Nationals have a lot of youngsters with immense talent, headlined by left fielder James Wood and right fielder Dylan Crews.
Center fielder Jacob Young is already a Gold Glove-caliber fielder. Shortstop CJ Abrams was an All-Star last year and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. had a career year alongside of him.
On the mound, MacKenzie Gore is an emerging ace. Jake Irvin is a consistent producer behind him as the No. 2. Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz had unexpectedly large roles as rookies and did not miss a beat.
Washington has even more talent knocking on the door of the Major Leagues with a strong Minor League system. In the lower levels, there is a lot of intriguing talent that can be helping at the highest level in the next year or two.
The future is bright, as a light at the tunnel is getting near after missing the playoffs five years and counting since winning the World Series in 2019.
For the Nationals, it is important to keep things in context.
After winning 73 games in back-to-back campaigns, improvement for them can be viewed in a different lens than other teams. If viewed properly, they have done a good job of adding pieces that will help push the rebuild forward.
“Improvement for the Nationals might not necessarily be about making the playoffs, given Washington's divisional context. You could argue reasonably that three of the four best teams in the big leagues inhabit the NL East. But the Nationals have been graduating elite prospects into the big leagues in recent seasons, including James Wood and Dylan Crews. There will be a year soon when this group of players will take a big step forward, and maybe GM Mike Rizzo is hoping that the additions of veterans such as Josh Bell, Nathaniel Lowe and Amed Rosario will help accelerate the process,” wrote Buster Olney of ESPN.
Those veterans are going to be the starting first baseman, designated hitter and potential third baseman, upgrading the three biggest weaknesses in their lineup. If Rosario isn’t the everyday third baseman, he at least brings incredible versatility and veteran leadership to the clubhouse.
On the mound, the team made solid moves as well.
Re-signing Trevor Williams didn’t garner many headlines but he will provide the rotation with a much-needed veteran presence. The same goes for Mike Soroka, who can be a nice value signing should he be able to stay healthy.
Dave Martinez is short on experienced late-game options for his bullpen, but Jorge Lopez was a great addition. Along with Derek Law and Jose A. Ferrer, he has a nice trio to work with. Evan Reifert, who was selected fro the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 Draft, has the potential to be a future closer with his wipe-out slider.
Navigating the National League East, which includes three of the best teams in baseball, will be a challenge. But if Washington can remain around the .500 mark and battle for a wild card spot into September, this year will be a smashing success.
And the spending spree Olney hinted at could very well come next offseason should they come close to winning 80+ games.
