The Nationals made several deals to strengthen their lineup. They brought back former fan favorite Josh Bell in free agency and traded him for Nathaniel Rowe. However, one big hole remains and that is at third base.
The two current potential tenants are Jose Tena and Trey Lipscomb. Considering what he showed last year, Lipscomb is definitely not a starter. Tena showed more brilliance at the plate, but was rough defensively at third base and looked more comfortable in a brief cameo at second base. Ideally, Tena would be a bench hitter and Lipscomb would start the season in Triple-A.
There are still some intriguing options for the Nationals. The dream option would be Alex Bregman, but that seems highly unlikely, so we’ll move on from there. The next best thing is to trade Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. he is one of them Best defensive third baseman Demonstrates power in all aspects of baseball. McMahon has three years left in his term. current contractwhere he earns $44 million. He would cost the Nationals some solid prospects, but they wouldn’t lose any of their top players.
An interesting free agent option is Yoan Moncada. Although he has struggled with injuries and poor performance in recent years, he has a rich pedigree and has shown flashes. He’s only 29 years old. It’s unlikely Moncada will repeat his breakout 2023 season, but something like his will happen. 2021 season This may be possible if you avoid injury. Most likely he will accept a fairly cheap one-year contract.
Paul DeJong is also a free agent and would bring a solid combination of defense and power at a cheap price. DeJong hit 24 home runs last year, including four home runs. above average out between the third baseman and shortstop. DeJong doesn’t bring much outside of defense, but he does have some home runs, which the Nats need. Although DeJong is a flawed player, his skill set has some desirable traits. He’ll also likely get a cheap one-year contract, similar to the $6 million that Josh Bell received.
None of these options are perfect, but they are an upgrade for the public. Most of them raise the floor significantly for the Nationals. They may not be able to advance the Nationals to the playoffs, but they bring the ability the Nationals need while they warm up their seats for the eventual arrival of Brady House. The goal for 2025 will be to increase the number of wins and start making strides toward a return to the playoffs.
