Chris Hacopian Signs Important Under-Slot Deal With Nationals
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Chris Hacopian is officially part of the Washington Nationals organization.
Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the 2026 first-round pick finalized his contract with the Nationals when he inked an under-slot deal of $5.7 million compared to the $6,133,500 contract he could have signed as the No. 11 overall pick.
Washington was able to save roughly $430,000 with Hacopian agreeing to this deal. That might not sound like a ton of money, but it could be paramount when it comes to the Nationals locking up the rest of their draft class based on who they took in the later rounds. And that's why signing Hacopian to an under-slot deal was important for this front office regime.
Nationals Have Addition Funds to Sign Their Other Picks
After drafting Hacopian in the first round and TCU outfielder Chase Brunson in the second round, Washington went back to the prep ranks with their final Day 1 picks when they selected shortstop Luke Williams from Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania and right-handed pitcher Cooper Harris from Flower Mound High School in Texas.
Both are talented prospects, as Williams was given an eye-popping run tool grade of 70 on the standard 20-80 scale with some raw power also in his profile, while Harris is already sitting mid-90s with his fastball and projects to be a starting rotation-caliber arm. The Nationals want to get those guys into their pipeline immediately. But to do that, they have to convince them to turn professional instead of enrolling at Vanderbilt and Texas, which is where Williams and Harris are currently committed to play, respectively.
That's where the extra money comes into play, as offering Williams and Harris over-slot deals will be the best way to convince them to forego their college eligibility and become professional baseball players right now. And that's why inking Hacopian to an under-slot contract was so important, as Washington now has some more financial ammunition to secure all four of their Day 1 picks.
Nationals Will Attempt to Sign Every Player of Their 2026 Draft Class
Beyond that, the Nationals are going to try and sign their entire 2026 draft class, just like they did in 2025 when they were able to lock down all 20 of their selections and get them into their pipeline.
The good news is that only five out of their 20 picks this year are high schoolers. And outside of Williams and Harris, the pick values for catcher Francisco Rivero (15th-round pick), outfielder Anthony Murphy (16th-round pick) and shortstop Isaiah Galason (17th-round pick) are all $0. So giving that trio a signing bonus could help the Nationals convince them to turn pro instead of going to college, with Rivero committed to Arizona, Murphy to LSU and Galason to Georgia Tech.
Whether or not Washington is able to do that will be seen, but with Hacopian agreeing to an under-slot deal, they at least have more funds to bring to the table.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai