Rizzo: Nationals Looking For Middle-Of-The-Order Bats

The Nationals are wrapping up a fifth straight losing season. They jumped the Marlins to get out of last place for the first time since their 2019 World Series, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to pull out of the rebuild.

Longtime general manager and baseball operations president Mike Rizzo chatted with MLB.com’s Bill Ladson this week. In response to a question about pursuing first base help in the offseason, the GM indicated he’d take a wider approach to acquiring offensive impact.

“I wouldn’t keyhole us at first base,” Rizzo told Ladson. “We need some offense. We need a couple of bats that can hit in the middle of the lineup and take the onus off some of these good young core players and assist them in the run creation of our offense. We have the core players to be middle-of-the-lineup hitters. If we add a bat or two into that group, it takes a little bit of pressure off everybody and everybody can relax a little bit more and develop into the players we think they are going to be.”

Rizzo predictably didn’t identify specific targets, but mentioning a middle-of-the-order bat naturally leads to speculation about the market’s top free agent. Last week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored the notion of Washington making a run at bringing back Juan Soto. There’s enough long-term payroll flexibility to make that a possibility, albeit a long shot. Having future payroll space doesn’t necessarily mean ownership wants to dole out a contract that could approach or top $600MM. Soto will also certainly have offers from teams that are clearer contenders in the short term.

Soto is the crown jewel of the class but not the only player who’d qualify as a middle-of-the-order bat. Pete Alonso is one home run away from getting to 35 in all five full seasons of his MLB career. Anthony Santander hits the market with a career-best 41 homers and counting. Teoscar Hernández is probably going to get to 30 longballs amidst a resurgent .267/.334/.487 showing with the Dodgers.

Christian Walker is hitting .258/.342/.484 to go along with Gold Glove defense at first base. Tyler O’Neill has drilled 31 home runs for the Red Sox while obliterating left-handed pitching at a .315/.432/.756 clip. Alex Bregman is more of a well-rounded star than a true masher, but he’s certainly a good enough hitter to land in the middle of a lineup. Jurickson Profar has had a fantastic year in San Diego, while primary DH options J.D. Martinez, Joc Pederson and Justin Turner will be back on the market. There are fewer obvious trade candidates, but players like Jorge Soler, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz could be available.

[Related: Previewing The 2024-25 Free Agent Class, First Base]

While Rizzo suggested they’ll cast a wider net than looking specifically at first base, that’s indeed a position of weakness. Washington first basemen have hit .240/.310/.378 this season, landing in the bottom third of MLB in all three slash stats. Things have been even bleaker at designated hitter, where the Nats are hitting .198/.268/.332. Only the Reds and Rangers have gotten less production out of the bat-only position.

Juan Yepez has hit well in a limited role, but he won’t stand in the way of an impact acquisition. Joey Gallo is headed to free agency and seems unlikely to be retained. Neither Andrés Chaparro nor Joey Meneses is a lock to hold a 40-man roster spot all offseason. The Nats could accommodate both a full-time DH and a first baseman.

They’re in a better spot elsewhere on the diamond. Dylan Crews and James Wood are flanking Gold Glove-caliber center fielder Jacob Young. Washington could certainly add an outfielder like Santander or O’Neill and rotate them through designated hitter while nudging Young into more of a fourth outfield role, but center field is no longer a huge weakness. Washington is unlikely to find an impact bat behind the plate, where they’re committed to Keibert Ruiz for the foreseeable future. The middle infield duo of CJ Abrams and Luis García is questionable defensively, but they’re both good hitters. José Tena seems like an adequate third base stopgap until the arrival of prospect Brady House. Bregman is the only marquee third baseman in the upcoming class.

The Patrick Corbin contract comes off the books this winter, giving the Nationals more financial room than they’ve had in a while. RosterResource calculates their 2025 commitments around $40MM. Their arbitration class — led by Kyle Finnegan, García and first-year salaries for Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Abrams — is manageable. There’ll be a lot of breathing room before reaching this year’s approximate $125MM season-opening payroll. It’s possible ownership is willing to push spending higher than that to exit the rebuild. The Nats will need to add at least one established starting pitcher and look to deepen the bullpen, so there’s a lot for the front office to weigh, but this should be their most interesting offseason in quite some time.