Veteran Addition Seems Like Front-Runner To Win Washington Nationals Third Base Job

It seems like there is a front-runner in the battle to win the starting third baseman job for the Washington Nationals.

Sep 14, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Royals infielder Paul DeJong (15) warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

One of the loudest conversations surrounding the Washington Nationals this offseason was about who would play third base for the team in 2025.

They have plenty of options.

Jose Tena is in place on the roster and star prospect Brady House is in their pipeline. Trey Lipscomb is also an option. They also signed utility man Amed Rosario who could see some action there as needed.

But it wasn't until they brought in veteran Paul DeJong did the picture become more clear.

While Tena could be a solid player at some point, slashing .274/.305/.363 in the 41 Major League games after he was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the trade deadline last season, he's also just 23 years old and has room to grow.

His age isn't necessarily a deterrent based on how this roster is set up, but the Nationals could opt to be more patient with him instead of pushing him immediately into a starting role.

The same goes for House and Lipscomb.

They could both become factors at some point, especially House who has been dubbed their third baseman of the future, but if neither are ready coming out of camp, some more time on the farm to begin the year won't hurt.

With that in mind, DeJong seemed to be the player Washington was leaning towards coming into the spring, and after solid defensive showings in their exhibition games, he appears to be the front-runner for that job at this point in time.

"His hands really work. His feet really work in the infield. He looks like he's been there forever, he really does," manager Dave Martinez said per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

That was one of the questions coming in.

DeJong has only gotten into 41 games at the hot corner during his Major League career compared to 784 at shortstop.

While both positions are on the left side of the infield, there are different things that go into playing each spot which could have presented him challenges.

But it's been so far, so good for DeJong during spring training, holding a perfect fielding percentage during his four games and 19 innings at the time of writing.

Batting won't be a question for the veteran.

He adds real pop to this lineup after hitting 24 home runs last year, something that is expected to continue with the Nationals this season since three of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball reside in the NL East.