Nationals Sign Intriguing First Baseman After He Flashed at Times During Rookie Year
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Where are the Washington Nationals going to get a first baseman?
That has been a prevailing thought throughout the offseason when it came to how this new front office regime was going to approach that key position. While there was some limited hope that a potential free agent splash could be made, ultimately that didn't come to fruition.
The fanbase also saw Josh Bell sign elsewhere, ending a reunion possibility. Other potential stopgap solutions have been floated, as well. But again, it was unclear just how much financial capital the Nationals wanted to invest into first base this winter.
Well, it seems like there is at least one answer when it comes to how they are going to fill out that position heading into next year, as MLB insider Mike Rodriguez first reported that Warming Bernabel was signed to a minor league contract with an invite to Washington's MLB spring training camp.
According to my sources, the Dominican Warming Bernabel reached a one-year minor league agreement with the Washington Nationals, including an invitation to spring training. #Nationals #MLB pic.twitter.com/p0Uin02gcO
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) December 18, 2025
Nationals fans likely won't have too much familiarity with the 23-year-old since he was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent by the Colorado Rockies and didn't make his big league debut until this past season. But he is someone who flashed at times during his first experience in the majors.
Following a strong showing in Triple-A to start 2025, he was promoted to The Show for the first time and made an instant impression when he was named National League Player of the Week from July 28-Aug. 3 by hitting .500 with three home runs in his first seven major league games.
Bernabel's hot start was impacted by picking up a concussion. And after the year when he finished with a .252/.288/.410 slash line, he decided to elect free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment back to Triple-A.
How Warming Bernabel Could Fit Into Nationals' 2026 Plans
On the surface, there isn't a whole lot to fall in love with when it comes to Bernabel. His underlying metrics leave a lot to be desired, as his barrel rate, hard hit rate and bat speed all sat well below the league average during his limited time in the minors. And when combining that with a chase rate that is well above the league average, too, that is not a recipe for success.
But again, he's 23 years old and just got his first taste of the bigs after coming up the ranks in an organization that isn't exactly known to be on the cutting edge of things when it comes to development. So perhaps there is some untapped upside that could be unlocked by this coaching staff.
Warming Bernabel hits his first Major League home run! 👏 pic.twitter.com/0rcWeEpCif
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2025
Based on his experience in the bigs, there's a good chance Bernabel will break the Opening Day roster alongside Andres Chaparro -- the lone true first baseman on Washington's depth chart at the moment.
From there, the Nationals will likely see what the youngster can do for them in the majors, hoping this low-risk signing turns into a high-upside play for them as they further assess their first base position.
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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