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Nationals’ Rizzo On Offseason Spending, Rotation, CJ Abrams

By Steve Adams | September 25, 2024 at 12:53pm CDT

Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said recently that his club will be on the lookout for middle-of-the-order bats this offseason, in an effort to supplement a growing young core. The Nats would reportedly “love” a reunion with Juan Soto — unsurprisingly so; who wouldn’t at least be interested? — and the free agent market will have big-name bats ranging from corner infielders Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Christian Walker, to shortstop Willy Adames, to slugging corner outfielders like Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernandez.

Multi-year free agent deals of any real magnitude haven’t been a focus for the Nationals throughout the past three years of their rebuild, but Rizzo suggested in his weekly appearance on 106.7 The Fan’s “Sports Junkies” show that a return to the deeper waters of free agency could be possible this winter (Audacy link to the entire 14-minute interview). Asked if ownership “will be open to going out and giving bigger money to guys who are established” (as opposed to the recent run of one-year deals and reclamation-project hitters), Rizzo replied:

“I think if the opportunity arises and the right fit arises, I don’t see any reason they wouldn’t. They’ve done it in the past when there’s players out there that are available that fit what we’re looking for.”

The Lerner family, which owns the Nats, has indeed been willing to spend at top-of-the-market levels in offseasons past. Washington has twice doled out more than $200MM on single free-agent deals: Max Scherzer’s seven-year, $210MM contract and Stephen Strasburg’s seven-year, $245MM pact. The latter of those two signings, of course, did not pan out. The former stands as one of the best and most successful major free agent signings in history. The Lerners have also given the green light to another pair of nine-figure signings in Patrick Corbin (six years, $140MM) and, way back in 2010, Jayson Werth (seven years, $126MM — a massive contract at the time).

Certainly, the Nationals haven’t spent at the level that will be required to sign Soto this offseason, but Soto figures to command a historic contract. No team has really gone to that length — arguably not even the Dodgers, given the unique and deferral-laden structure of the 10-year contract they gave to Shohei Ohtani last winter. (MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald and I discussed the possibility of a Nationals pursuit of Soto on this morning’s episode of the MLBTR Podcast, which was recorded prior to Rizzo’s comments.)

With regard to the rest of the free agent class, none of Bregman, Alonso, Santander, Hernandez or any of the other big bats in free agency figure to exceed the limits at which the Nationals have spent in the past. That doesn’t ensure that the Nationals will pony up for a top-of-the-market bat, but there’s precedent for them spending at or even in excess of most of those levels. Add in the fact that the only guaranteed contracts on the Nationals’ books beyond the current season are the remaining two seasons of that Strasburg deal and Keibert Ruiz’s eight-year, $50MM extension (spanning the 2023-30 seasons), and there’s room for the Nats to engage with any free agent they deem a fit — Soto included.

Rizzo noted that expenditures to bolster the lineup needn’t only come on the free-agent side of things. He listed both the trade level and the “development level” of player acquisition as well, noting that between the three he expects an “active, interesting winter” for his club. Rizzo stopped short of declaring the team’s rebuild entirely over and proclaiming the 2025 campaign a clear win-now season, but the general tone of his comments Wednesday painted a team on the rise with increased expectations of contending sooner than later.

Much of that has to do with the strides Washington has seen from its collection of in-house starting pitchers, for whom Rizzo effused praise. Right-hander Jake Irvin and lefties MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker will all finish with 30-plus starts and more than 150 innings. Southpaw DJ Herz, called up later in the season, will close out the year with 19 big league starts, in all likelihood.

All four pitchers currently have an ERA between 4.04 and 4.30. Broadly speaking, their earned run averages have ticked up late in the season as their workloads have reached previously uncharted waters. Each is already at least 27 innings past his previous single-season career-high mark. In Irvin’s case, his 183 1/3 innings are 40 more than his previous highwater mark. Some fatigue and growing pains are to be expected. Still, Rizzo made clear that the simultaneous development of that quartet is among the organization’s biggest successes this season and serves as “a great measuring stick going forward.”

Presumably, the Nats hope that top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli, who missed the 2023 season and much of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, can join that group in 2025. It’s a solid-looking collection of arms, although given the general volatility and attrition rate of pitchers, it’s easy to envision Rizzo and his staff considering at least one veteran addition this winter to supplement the group and safeguard against injuries and/or regression. Rizzo didn’t specifically call out rotation support as an area of need, but virtually any team would be reluctant to head into a season with five starters under the age of 28 and with three or fewer years of big league service atop the depth chart.

Rizzo was also naturally asked about the recent demotion of shortstop CJ Abrams, whom the Nationals optioned over the weekend. At the time of the move, the team only indicated that it was for an off-the-field issue. Subsequent reports have suggested that Abrams’ demotion was a disciplinary measure after he stayed out all night at a casino the night before a day game against the Cubs. Rizzo unsurprisingly declined to delve into specifics but confirmed it was an off-field issue and voiced support for Abrams moving forward:

“It was not performance-based. We felt it was in the best interest of the player and the organization to do so. It’s an internal issue that we’re going to keep internal. … It’s not the end of the world for CJ. It’s not the end of the world for the Nationals. It’s something that happens over the course of time, especially with young players. We love CJ. We care for CJ. We’re in constant communication with he and his agent, and we still have a great relationship.”

“…We have a standard here. We’ve had it for a lot of years. When players don’t reach those standards, we have to do what’s in the best interest of the organization. … And when players fail to reach those standards, we have to do something to get them back into the mode of Nationals, and teammate, big leagues. We felt that it was warranted in this case. Like I said, not the end of the world. Not the end of CJ Abrams. Not the end of the Nats.”

Abrams, who’ll turn 24 in a couple weeks, came to the Nationals alongside Gore, James Wood, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana in the trade sending Soto to the Padres. The former top prospect looked to be in the midst of a full-fledged breakout for the first half of the season, slashing .282/.353/.506 through early July. He’s since fallen into a protracted slump, hitting just .191/.254/.321 over his past 236 turns at the plate. (He’d picked up the pace again of late, going 11-for-28 with a pair of homers and three doubles in his past eight games.)

The demotion to the minors won’t cost Abrams in terms of big league service, arbitration trajectory or free agent timeline. He’d already accrued a full year of service in 2024 at the time he was sent down. He’ll finish the year with 2.130 years of service, making him a very likely Super Two player who’ll be eligible for arbitration four times rather than the standard three. The first of those four — assuming he indeed qualifies as a Super Two player — will come this offseason. He’s under club control through the 2028 season.

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Washington Nationals CJ Abrams DJ Herz Jake Irvin Juan Soto MacKenzie Gore Mitchell Parker

A’s Outright Brandon Bielak
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Astros Notes: Bregman, Alvarez, McCormick
View Comments (33)
Post a Comment

33 Comments

  1. Baseball Babe

    10 months ago

    Does he still have an option left?

    Reply
  2. MLB Top 100 Commenter

    10 months ago

    Nationals probably just as concerned about CJs hitting slump as his casino visits.

    Expect to see him back on Opening Day.

    2
    Reply
    • Non Roster Invitee

      10 months ago

      They probably go hand in hand.

      Reply
      • lesterdnightfly

        10 months ago

        Or “hand by hand” if he was at the poker table….

        3
        Reply
        • Bart Harley Jarvis

          10 months ago

          ISWYDT

          1
          Reply
    • anotherdamncardinalfan

      10 months ago

      I don’t think casinos have opening days

      Reply
    • NYCityRiddler

      10 months ago

      The other 99 commentators are nothing to write home about. Ahahaha!

      Reply
      • MLB Top 100 Commenter

        10 months ago

        Riddler

        Anywhere else I’d be a 10.

        Reply
        • NYCityRiddler

          10 months ago

          I know that’s right. Ahahaha!

          Reply
  3. miggywrld

    10 months ago

    CJ Ohtani

    5
    Reply
  4. BaseballBrian

    10 months ago

    Oh Susana, don’t throw high and tight to me.
    For I come from Alabama, with a banjo on my knee.

    1
    Reply
    • lesterdnightfly

      10 months ago

      Plenty of banjo hitters already in MLB.

      5
      Reply
  5. sad tormented neglected mariners fan

    10 months ago

    What did crews do wrong?

    Reply
  6. sad tormented neglected mariners fan

    10 months ago

    If Soto goes back to DC it would be like Lebron going back to Cleveland

    Soto becomes a legend if he stays in New York, Soto becomes a god if he returns to DC

    3
    Reply
    • YankeesBleacherCreature

      10 months ago

      Not really. Why would he go back to DC to play in the same division as the Phillies, Braves, and Mets? Soto can’t carry an entire team alone unlike LeBron.

      2
      Reply
      • Jbigz12

        10 months ago

        The Nats have a good young core around Soto. Largely due to the Soto trade.

        1
        Reply
        • Jbigz12

          10 months ago

          Gore, Wood, Crews, Garcia, Abrams. + some guys that look like competent long term rotation pieces.

          Add a TOR guy, relief help, and Soto & you’re looking at a playoff contender next year.

          3
          Reply
      • NattyLites

        9 months ago

        He wouldn’t have to. There are these guys called James Woods and Dylan Crews, may have heard of them, both #1 prospects just called up. There are also some nice arms and other complimentary pieces. Also…a thing called free agency and minor league prospects to come up!

        Reply
  7. User 3594734386

    10 months ago

    Don’t see Adames here. Abrams is 5 years younger. Plays better D. Cheap. I thought Adames WAR would dwarf CJ’s, but both at 3.4

    1
    Reply
    • raregokus

      3 months ago

      This was 6 months ago but you should still be ashamed of yourself for saying that CJ Abrams is a better defender than Willy Adames. There’s no way you even watch baseball if you believe that.

      Reply
  8. HalosHeavenJJ

    10 months ago

    That is a really nice crop of young pitching that should/could provide a nice foundation for the team for years.

    They need cost controlled players because they have a lot of deferred money to pay the next several years.

    3
    Reply
    • darkknight920

      10 months ago

      They have deferred money owed to Stras and Scherzer. That’s about it.

      Reply
      • HalosHeavenJJ

        10 months ago

        $25 million between Shcherzer and Corbin next year
        $15 to Max in 26

        Then the double whammy of Max and Stras starts in 27 to the tune of $42 million per year.

        1
        Reply
        • Tigers3232

          10 months ago

          Those deferrals were funded at time of each deferral. Yes those players will cash in, but irrelevant as far as current and future payrolls.

          5
          Reply
        • HalosHeavenJJ

          10 months ago

          So they will not impact the club’s yearly cash flow. Ok.

          Reply
        • Tigers3232

          10 months ago

          Again per the deferred money was already funded. The ricipke needed to accrue to the amount of the money deferred had to be funded per the CBA. The team has already set the money.

          4
          Reply
  9. SewaldSwansonSwoon

    10 months ago

    What a stupid comment

    Reply
  10. Rsox

    10 months ago

    The Nats haven’t signed a position player to a big contract since Werth and i don’t see them spending big on Bregman or Alonso. If not Soto i could see them signing Walker as he won’t break the bank even on a multi-year deal

    Reply
    • Samuel

      10 months ago

      Rsox;

      Walker seems to be a big favorite on these boards. I think I’ve seen fans sending him to a half-dozen teams so far.

      Reply
  11. nanyuanb

    10 months ago

    not soto when they have a logjam of OFs

    Reply
  12. bestone

    10 months ago

    CJ to the Jays for a couple of “can’t miss” prospects…

    Reply
    • bestone

      10 months ago

      How about Bichette to the Nats for Abrams?….

      Reply
  13. yankeemanuno23

    10 months ago

    Soto will not go to Nats! Why return? Ownership situation, and outlook for playoff / WS chances is minimal vs. other large mkt EAST coast teams. He knows best HOF chances are with a New York team. Yankees & the fans have shown him
    The love…veremos que pasa!

    Reply

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