The Washington Nationals kick off their season on March 27th against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies, and fans have more to be excited about than they have in years. Washington finished 71-91 in 2024, the same record as 2023, but now all of the young players that fans have waited for will start on Opening Day. The rebuild that began at the 2021 trade deadline seems to be finally coming to a close.
The trade that changed the landscape of the franchise was the deal that sent superstar slugger Juan Soto and 1B Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres in 2022. Soto had just rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension offer from the Nationals that summer, and had some of the highest trade value in baseball history. GM Mike Rizzo dealt him at that trade deadline for a prospect haul that included many of the team’s current faces. Washington most notably acquired Opening Day starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, 2024 all-star shortstop CJ Abrams, and outfielder James Wood, who was called up in July and was ranked the top prospect in all of baseball entering last season. In the waiting process, the Nationals finished up the 2022 season with a 55-107 record, worst in the MLB. They were rewarded with the second overall draft pick in the 2023 draft, and selected outfielder Dylan Crews, who had just won the Golden Spikes Award and helped LSU to a National Championship. Crews, Wood, and Abrams are the players that Rizzo is building his lineup around.
Despite ownership still being criticized for lack of money spent, Rizzo did make moves to improve the lineup. The Nationals acquired 1B Nate Lowe from the Texas Rangers in December, an upgrade at first base. Lowe slashed .265/.361/.401 last season, with 16 homers and 69 RBI over 140 games. Josh Bell, who had spent time in San Diego, Cleveland, Miami, and Arizona since being traded from DC, returned to the Nationals on a one-year deal. Bell’s 2024 was split between the Marlins and Diamondbacks, and he will try to return to the form we saw from him when he was last in Washington. In 2021, Bell’s only full season for the Nats, he hit 27 homers and drove in 88 runs, while posting an impressive .261/.347/.476 slash line. Luis Garcia Jr, a former Nationals top prospect who many gave up on after a disappointing stints with the team from 2021-2023, had a major step forward in 2024, slashing .282/.318/.444, with a career-high 18 home runs, and a career-high 70 RBIs. If these three can take pressure off of Crews and Wood, both in their first full season. A ton of pressure will rightfully be on Abrams, the all-star shortstop who proceeded to the Nationals lineup can take a major step forward from 2024, where they posted their second-lowest team batting average and lowest team OPS since 2005.
The pitching rotation will be led by Gore and right-hander Jake Irvin, both in their third season with the Nationals. Gore had a very inconsistent 2024, with a great first half, tough months in July and August, and an impressive 1.26 ERA in September. Gore has emphasized being steady and consistent, both mechanically and emotionally, when interviewed this spring. Jake Irvin had a surprise first half in 2024, but ended the season with a 10-14 record and a 4.41 ERA. Mitchell Parker, a 2024 rookie, posted a respectable 4.29 ERA last year with a 7-10 record, numbers that looked even better before a late-season regression. Trevor Williams, re-signed this offseason to a two-year deal, had a 2.03 ERA through 14 starts last year before spending the majority of his time on the IL after May. The final rotation spot will go to Mike Soroka, who posted a 2.68 in his rookie season in 2019 but has been riddled with injuries since. Washington signed him this winter with hopes that he can stay healthy and return to that form.
The Nationals bullpen is also looking to improve this year, once again behind closer Kyle Finnegan, who re-signed on a one-year deal after being non-tendered early in the offseason. He will be backed up by Jose A. Ferrer, a young lefty who didn’t allow a run in spring training, Jorge Lopez (2.89 ERA in 2024), Eduardo Salazar (2.38 ERA in spring), and Orlando Ribalta (1.88 ERA in spring). The Nats’ bullpen is young but could show promise for now and the future.
There are reasons on every side of the game for Nats fans to be optimistic. The NL East is a very tough division (Phillies, Mets, Braves all made the 2024 playoffs), but fans hope that the Nationals can at least make a competitive run at a Wild Card spot this season. Nats fans have put up with five seasons of losing baseball, and there should be hope that this year could be different.
