Washington Nationals Insider Projects Connor Joe as Bounce-Back Target
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The Washington Nationals head into free agency on the heels of another 71-win season in what has been a tough five-year stretch for the franchise since winning their first World Series title in 2019.
In search of making improvements to a roster that has finished dead last in the division in four of the last five years, everyone wants the Nationals to try to make a big splash in free agency.
But year in and year out, bargains are found by teams who are patient and willing to buy low on players who have shown promise in the past but are coming off down seasons.
Players that fit that description can often be found in the batch of non–tendered players, and one of them could be now former Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Connor Joe.
In a recent article naming 'bounce-back' candidates that could be good fits for the Nationals, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com listed Joe as a possibility.
"Joe could address two needs of the Nationals: a first baseman and a veteran leader with perseverance," Camerato wrote."
Joe had a solid 2023, as he battd .247 with a .760 OPS, with 31 doubles and 11 home runs. That isn't great power for an everday first baseman. But it would do in the Nationals' situation.
Last year, he was on track to have a similar season, with a .242 average before the All-Star break. But he batted .190 in the second half.
Joe's cratering production in the second half of the season is likely a significant reason why the Pirates didn't tender him a deal. But as Camerato wrote, it's not as if Joe has never produced.
His 2023 season was more than solid. But it's the 63 games he played in the 2021 season with the Colorado Rockies after he signed a minor league deal with the team and was called up that really inspire hope of what he can be at his best.
That season, Joe hit for a .285 batting average with an OPS of .848 along with 8 home runs and 35 RBIs in just 211 plate appearances.
Obviously, expecting or even hoping for that kind of production is not realistic considering how much of an outlier it is from what Joe has been the rest of his career, but if he can tap into even just half of that, he would be capable of helping Washington in 2025.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.