Washington Nationals Won't Be 'Pushovers' in Stacked NL East This Season

The Washington Nationals might not be ready to contend, but they should be better in 2025

Sep 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (3) draws a walk during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

With Spring Training underway for the Washington Nationals, the franchise is hoping to take a step forward in 2025.

It has been a challenging few years for the Nationals since winning the World Series.

Washington has been mindful when it comes to free agency in recent years. Not locking up players with long-term contracts that could have become detrimental to the team in the future is something Mike Rizzo has been very careful to avoid.

This winter, while the Nationals got better, they didn’t make any massive splashes or sign free agents to lengthy deals. But with their young core still growing, that was likely the right decision.

The Athletic recently handed out grades for the moves they made this offseason. They received a solid grade of a "B," with the writers commenting on improvements made this winter.

“They might not be ready to truly compete in the loaded NL East but aren’t necessarily pushovers.”

Overall, it was a solid winter for Washington.

The additions to their lineup, coupled with the expected growth by some of their young players could make this one of the best lineups top to bottom in the National League if things go right.

Assuming top prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews can have good campaigns in their first full year, the offense will be much better.

Under-the-radar additions like Paul DeJong, Amed Rosario, Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe give the lineup plenty of depth as well, with the ability to have more options when it comes to having favorable matchups.

Still, the pitching staff is likely what will hold this team back in 2025.

Overall, the starting rotation is fairly young with plenty of arms still trying to prove themselves. MacKenzie Gore is the most likely name to potentially make the big jump to stardom, similar to CJ Abrams last year.

Furthermore, as the team gets prepared for the start of next season, they should be in line to win more than the 71 games they have won the last two years despite the National League East being a gauntlet outside of the Miami Marlins.

While Washington more than likely won’t be a contender, they should take a step in the right direction and make things difficult for their division mates in 2025.