Nationals Option an Opening Day Starter to Triple-A, Activate New Trade Addition
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The 2026 season might be underway, but the Washington Nationals continue to be active from a front office standpoint when it comes to putting together their roster.
Late on Saturday night, the Nationals acquired utility man Curtis Mead from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for catcher Boston Smith. This move added depth to an infield unit that came into the year lacking major league experience.
At the time, it wasn't clear exactly how Mead was going to fit into Washington's puzzle. While he has 152 MLB games under his belt, he hasn't been impressive with the bat in his hands and could have been stashed with Triple-A Rochester. However, that's not going to be the case, as the team announced they optioned Opening Day starter Andres Chaparro to Rochester and activated Mead.
Andres Chaparro Surprisingly Gets Optioned After Strong Start
Seeing Chaparro get optioned was surprising. While there was always going to be turnover at first base over the course of the season, the 26-year-old remained the incumbent throughout the winter and into the spring, and he performed well in his role.
By starting 2-for-6 with a double across three games played, he was solid for Washington at the top of the lineup. While he was struck out twice, he also drew a walk and has an on-base percentage of .429.
Beyond adding a more experienced player to the mix with Mead, it's a bit head-scratching to see one of the better performers during the first series of the season get sent down to the minors. What they have him work on while in Rochester will be interesting to see, and hopefully it helps him become more effective when he's called back up to The Show.
Curtis Mead Will Likely Be Right-Handed Bat in First Base Platoon
While the 25-year-old has experience playing first, second and third base, it seems like he is going to get the majority of his reps at first when facing a left-handed pitcher. When a righty is on the mound, Luis Garcia Jr. will likely man the cold corner.
This is an interesting move to make right now, though. It feels like Mead will have to come in and produce almost immediately at the plate so it looks like the Nationals didn't make a mistake by sending Chaparro down. Whether or not he can do that remains to be seen, especially when looking at his past offensive numbers. But Mead also gives Washington even more positional flexibility, as he can also play second and third while Chaparro was really only a first baseman. That's something this new regime values, and it could have been a major factor in this decision.
Still, if Mead performs poorly right out of the gates, that could become a storyline since the player he replaced on the big league roster had gotten off to a good start this year.
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