MLB Notebook: Washington Nationals Preview

It’s been a dismal stretch for the Washington Nationals since the high of winning the World Series in 2019. The Nats dipped under .500 in the shortened season of 2020 and have lost at least 90 games in each year since. Dave Martinez is still in the dugout and the Nats are hoping to at least rise to respectability in 2025.

Here’s our spring overview of the Washington Nationals:

POWER

The Nats made some moves on the corner infield. They picked up first baseman Nate Lowe from Texas, who is a consistent 20-HR man. Washington also added Paul DeJong, who will be moving from shortstop to third base. DeJong hit 24 homers last year splitting time between the South Side of Chicago and Kansas City.

Josh Bell is another new addition. The designated hitter has played for five teams in the past three years. With a three-year average of 19 homers, he’s in that “just-good-enough-to-trade” category. If Washington doesn’t improve, Bell could add two more teams (including the Nats) to that total this year.

Beyond this, Washington is dependent on shortstop C.J. Abrams or catcher Keibert Ruiz developing some more power.

GETTING ON BASE

Leftfielder James Wood played 79 games in his first year last season and posted an on-base percentage of .354. For that matter, he also hit nine homers, so he could contribute in both ways to the offense if that’s for real. Wood’s emergence would be a game-changer, because otherwise, outside of some modest ability by Lowe and DeJong to get on base, Washington doesn’t have people he can set the table.

What the Nats do have is some people who can run. Second baseman Luis Garcia, centerfielder Jacob Young, and Abrams are all capable base-stealers. If the OBP and batting average numbers don’t go up, Martinez can try and manufacture some runs with the stolen base.

STARTING PITCHING

Trevor Williams posted a 2.03 ERA in 13 starts last season and now faces the challenge of doing that over 25-30 starts. Mike Soroka’s days as a reliable starter in Atlanta seem like they were in another era, but Soroka could still help if he’s healthy enough to take his turn. MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker are all respectable, and each is at a point in their career where improvement isn’t a vain hope. This rotation isn’t terrible and if everything breaks right, it could be good.

BULLPEN

The most intriguing arm here is setup man Derek Law, who threw 90 innings last year and finished with a 2.60 ERA. Washington’s pen is good enough to give Martinez some options, but closer Kyle Finnegan is symbolic of everything—not bad, but no one in the opposing dugout is going to fly into a panic at the thought of facing him when they’re behind. Law’s performance gives him a chance to be what every pen needs, a lights-out guy—even if it’s in setup.

OUTLOOK

With an Over/Under number of 70.5 wins, betting markets aren’t seeing any improvement in a team that went 71-91 a year ago. While I don’t know where I’ll ultimately end up picking Washington, this quick glance suggests to me that they’ve got potential. A 75-win season and respectability is certainly reasonable, and a winning season not implausible. Admittedly, making the playoffs would take a lot to go right, but the Nats are at least worth keeping an eye on.