Washington Nationals: Three free agents to target this offseason
The Washington Nationals are in a position to be one of the more active teams this offseason.
Despite the 2020 MLB season not going the way the Washington Nationals had imagined, the 2019 World Series champions enter this offseason with hopes of quickly turning things around and putting together a highly competitive unit in 2021.
Next year’s roster will look a lot different from the squad that just won the organization’s first World Series title last year, but key pieces are still in place, Juan Soto and Trea Turner aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the starting rotation will still consist of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, and what every Nationals fan hopes is a healthy Stephen Strasburg.
But the Washington Nationals now face a winter where they will need to be active if they want to climb their way back to the top of the National League East standings.
The Atlanta Braves will continue to be the team to beat in the East, the Marlins surprised everyone in 2020 and are now focused on improving their playoff roster this offseason, and a new sense of urgency and optimism has been injected into the New York Mets franchise and their fanbase with new owner Steve Cohen and all of his money now in place.
As for the Phillies…TBD.
The Nationals have many holes they need to fill if they want to remain competitive in 2021. The backend of the starting rotation needs to be addressed, along with the bullpen, catching position, first base, and they need to find a corner outfielder to team up with Soto and Victor Robles.
Here are three free agents the Washington Nationals should target this offseason to improve the roster and fill some of the voids in their lineup.
The Washington Nationals can make a big splash by signing DJ LeMahieu.
After listing out all of their needs, let’s go in a different direction to upgrade the infield by having the Washington Nationals bring in second baseman DJ LeMahieu.
With Soto and Turner set to earn big contracts, the Nationals will have to be careful in how they hand out money to free agents this offseason, but one big-ticket signing certainly isn’t out of the question.
Marcell Ozuna would give the Nationals their corner outfielder and middle-of-the-order power-hitter, but he could end up sticking with the Braves after a fantastic season at the plate in Atlanta last season. Washington will likely be major players in the Ozuna sweepstakes, but the market could end up pointing to LeMahieu being the better option.
The 32-year-old is coming off back-to-back superb seasons with the Yankees, slashing .364/.421/.590 with 10 home runs and a 177 wRC+ in 50 games this season. He also walked almost as many times (18) as he struck out (21), providing a consistent force in the lineup for New York.
By signing LeMahieu, the Nationals can slide Starlin Castro over to third base and he gives the team a bit of flexibility. LeMahieu can play third base if you need him and has logged nearly 300 innings at first base over the last two seasons with the Yankees. A little versatility never hurt anyone.
This would also mean a Nationals lineup of LeMahieu, Soto, and Turner at the top, a nightmare for any pitcher in baseball. It still leaves the lineup without a home run threat behind this trio, but that may come via trade or first base free agent with some thump.
Some rotation help wouldn’t hurt the Washington Nationals.
If Stephen Strasburg is healthy, the Washington Nationals have one of the more formidable trios in the league at the top of their rotation, but there’s a big drop off after that.
As of early November, the top candidates to round out the rotation would be Austin Voth, Erick Fedde, and Joe Ross. Ross opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and while Voth and Fedde have shown promise, working deep into games and keeping runs of the board have been an issue for both.
With Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman accepting qualifying offers, two of the top pitching targets on the market are now gone, meaning more competition for the small handful of quality arms still available.
One option for the Washington Nationals could be former White Sox and Cubs starter, Jose Quintana. Quintana has been one of the more reliable starting pitchers over the last six seasons, putting together 3.0 or higher fWAR seasons in all but one season from 2013-2019.
Multiple injuries, including thumb surgery, limited Quintana to just 10 innings this season, but he did strike out 12 hitters.
As long as Quintana is healthy, he just might be able to be had for less than $10 million per season, and throw 170+ innings for you in 2021. He may not repeat his 2014 or 2016 season with the White Sox when he was worth 4.9 fWAR in each season, but as a backend starter for the Nationals, Quintana will be a notable upgrade over their current options and at a reasonable price.
If the Nationals really want to spend, Jake Odorizzi would also be a solid option here.
The Washington Nationals need bullpen help, immediately.
By upgrading the infield and rotation, the Washington Nationals still have holes at first base, catcher, corner outfield, and bullpen. Let’s fill one of those holes with a quality late-inning reliever.
The Nationals currently have one left-handed reliever in their bullpen, Ben Braymer. They also need a reliable closer. There’s one name that instantly comes to mind here, former Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand.
Hand led the league with 16 saves in 2020, recording a 2.05 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a .163 average against across 22 innings for Cleveland. He struck out just under 34% of hitters he faced and slashed his walk rate nearly in half, down to 4.7%.
Best of all, he did not give up a single home run and handles right-handed hitters very well, holding them to a .174/.227/.275 slash line last season.
After passing through waivers with a $10 million salary attached to his name and getting the boot from Cleveland, all signs point to a buyer’s market when it comes to relief pitching this winter, including quality arms like Brand Hand.
The Nationals can afford to be aggressive in free agency and if they believe Hand can improve their bullpen, coming up with the money to land him shouldn’t be an issue.
Next. Quality free agent gambles. dark
With multiple needs, financial wiggle room, and an urge to get back into the playoffs after winning it all in 2019 and being left out of the playoff picture in 2020, watch for the Washington Nationals to have an active offseason.