Nationals Plan with Nathaniel Lowe at First Base Quickly Fizzled
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Not much went right for the Washington Nationals this season. They struggled to find any reliable pitching both behind MacKenzie Gore and in the bullpen. Their catching tandem was towards the bottom of the league and to top it all off, they hired a new president of baseball operations and will need a new manager.
In the offseason, the Nationals thought they had found the veteran bat they needed and filled a big hole when they traded for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. As it turned out, that was far from the case and they had to try to fix that position in the middle of the season.
Turnover in the middle of the season is never good, especially when there isn't an answer within the organization. That effected the Nationals season and how they went about first base.
Washington Nationals 2025 First Base in Review
Offense: Nathaniel Lowe (.216/.292/.373, 119 G, 16 HR, 68 RBI, .665 OPS, 88 OPS+, -0.3 bWAR), Josh Bell (.239/.326/.421, 140 G, 22 HR, 63 RBI, .747 OPS, 111 OPS+, 0.5 bWAR), Andres Chaparro (.182, 247/.258, 34 G, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .504 OPS, 44 OPS+, -0.4 bWAR).
Defense (Baseball Savant): Lowe (-5 Outs Above Average), Bell (-4 OAA), Chaparro (0 OAA).
Season Notes
Nathaniel Lowe was acquired to be the veteran leader in a young lineup. Coming off of a 2024 with a 123 OPS+, the 30-year-old was not able to get it going in Washington. He was tied for the fourth most homers on the team with 16 and second most RBIs with 68, despite not being in Washington the whole year. Ultimately a failed experiment, he was DFA'd in August.
Josh Bell was signed in January to be the full time DH, but was forced to play first after Lowe's release. In his second stint in Washington, Bell was rock solid once again. Second on the team in homers and fourth in RBIs, the switch hitter gave the Nationals a reliable power hitter at a time when the lineup was in flux.
Andres Chaparro spent most of the season moving between MLB and Triple-A, never being able to settle in with Washington. He only played 34 games, spelling Bell at first during September. The bat was never able to get going, but he had a .961 OPS at Triple-A.
An Early 2026 First Base Room
Washington will have its work cut out for it this offseason where first base is concerned. With Lowe gone, Bell is also set to be a free agent, meaning the only first baseman they have under team control is Chaparro.
Bell signed a one year, $6 million deal in the offseason, so it's plausible that the Nationals could just re-sign him and move forward. They could also give Chaparro a shot, but he has a career .627 OPS in 67 games.
The big name free agent first baseman this season is once again Pete Alonso. Set to opt out of his contract with the New York Mets, he and the Nationals could be linked just as they were last offseason. It would take a massive contract to get it done.
Some other free agents available will be Josh Naylor, Paul Goldschmidt and possibly Rhys Hoskins, depending on his mutual option. If Paul Toboni and company want a bridge player, they will be in on both Naylor and Goldschmidt.
Washington's best first base prospect, Ethan Petry, was just drafted this year, so he's quite a ways away. However, they do have 23-year-old Yohandy Morales in Triple-A. Morales posted a .769 OPS with 15 homers this season and could be an option.
All in all, it was a step back for Nationals first basemen this year when the expectations were fairly high. They'll have to start from scratch this offseason.
