Is This Free Agent Nationals' Best Option At First Base?

Would this player be a good fit for the Washington Nationals?

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First base needs to be addressed by the Washington Nationals this offseason.

With Josh Bell now a free agent and Nathaniel Lowe no longer with the team because they placed him on waivers in the middle of the year, the cold corner is the clearest hole on this roster. How they ago about bolstering that position is anyone's guess. With some options coming up their pipeline they could look for a stopgap solution or they could open up their checkbook and land a big fish.

The latter option doesn't seem likely. So names like Pete Alonso and Josh Naylor can probably be scratched off the list despite the fact that both players would solve this first base issue for years to come and give them a premier player during this rebuild.

However, when looking at other possible options, there might not be a better fit than Luis Arraez.

Luis Arraez Would Boost Offensive Profile of Nationals

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When thinking about the typical first baseman profile, Arraez doesn't match it. Not only is he the complete opposite of a power hitter with only 36 longballs hit in his seven-year big league career, but his slugging percentage has been under .400 the past two seasons.

That doesn't mean Arraez wouldn't be an upgrade for Washington's lineup, though. What he lacks in power he makes up for in contact and hits, as he has been one of the best pure hitters in baseball for the last several years.

With three batting titles under his belt, he's also led his respective league in hits twice. He also rarely strikes out with his career 6.1% K rate being well below the league average of 22.7%. And when looking at his defense at first base this past season following a transition from second base, he was serviceable with three defensive runs saved even if his outs above average and fielding run value were minus-six and minus-four, respectively.

Luis Arraez breaks the scoreless tie with a solo shot in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/DfBuNlMZ1V

— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2025

The Nationals would have to be OK with not having a true masher at first base they are interested in signing Arraez. While the team didn't hit for a lot of power this year, there could be some natural improvement coming in 2026 based on their young players getting older and more experienced.

When it comes to Arraez, there are some concerning things in his profile that Washington will have to look into. The first is his declining offensive production, as he's gone from owning a wRC+ of 131 in 2023 when he had a batting average of .351 and won his second Silver Slugger Award to putting up wRC+ marks of 109 and 104 the past two years, respectively. And for someone entering his age-29 season, that drop off is a major concern when he already cannot produce power numbers.

Maybe what he needs is a change of scenery, and perhaps getting involved with an organization like the Nationals who seem ready to fully embrace advanced technology and analytics will help Arraez get things back on track.

Washington would have to be sure he can return to his past form, though, because Arraez likely won't be a stopgap solution for any team in free agency considering his age. Spotrac projects him to get a five-year, $70.5 million deal this winter, which would be a substantial commitment from the Nationals.

If he can get back to what he did in 2022 and 2023, then this would be a huge boon for Washington's roster. But with some question marks surrounding the contact hitter going forward, there are other options out there the Nationals should pursue first.