This offseason has been a bit of a tricky one to evaluate for us Washington Nationals fans. While the club has undoubtedly improved on paper from the team they rolled out last season, a lot of the club's success next season will be dependent upon some of their young stars taking the next step in their development.
Because of the way the team is constructed, it feels as if this offseason was slightly underwhelming, given the fact that the club was seemingly not connected to any big-time free agents, and settled for multiple veteran additions on short-term deals. However, if the Nationals were to make a big splash ahead of Spring Training, who would be some of the ideal fits? Let's take a look at 5 ideal free agent fits for the Nationals that are somehow still available.
1. Alex Bregman
The former Houston Astros' third baseman has been connected to multiple teams throughout the offseason, but the rumors that connected him to the Nationals from earlier on have all but died down at this point. It would be a total miracle if the Nats were to sign Alex Bregman, but man would he immediately raise the ceiling of this team tremendously.
We have written at length about his perfect fit on this team, and I legitimately felt the team would make a run to sign him. In theory, this is the perfect time to sign him, given that his market has not worked out the way he would have imagined, and the Nationals could easily make a serious bid for his services.
2. Carlos Estévez
Now the unquestioned top reliever on the market, Carlos Estévez would be an ideal fit for the Nationals in 2025. The team does not have a proven option to lock down the 9th inning on the roster currently, and Estévez is the most reliable option left on the market.
While again, the Nationals have not been connected to Estévez at all, things can always change quickly, like who would have imagined the Nationals signing a player from the Asian market?
3. Kyle Finnegan
Another guy who makes a lot of sense for this current team is Kyle Finnegan. Obviously, there is a ton of familiarity here as Finnegan had been the team's closer for a couple seasons, but was non-tendered by the club earlier this winter.
Between Finnegan and Estévez, a reunion with Finnegan seems much more likely, although there are surely to be other teams involved soon as well with his market 'heating up' over the last few days. One issue I could see with Finnegan or Estévez is that with the current logjam of starting pitchers will likely force 1 or 2 arms into the bullpen, which could limit the team's desire to bring in another reliever.
4. Ha-Seong Kim
(Editor's Note: It was announced after this article went live that Kim is in agreement to a 2-year, $29 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays)
Given that the Nationals stepped into relatively unfamiliar territory and signed one player of Asian descent recently, why not bring in another one? Ha-Seong Kim would be a great fit for the Nationals due to his defensive versatility, and the fact that his market has been pretty slow to develop up to this point.
Kim is one of the better defensive players in the sport, and offers additional value with his above-average baserunning. If his bat can even be league-average, he would be a valuable trade deadline commodity, and can help provide solid play until Brady House or another third base prospect is ready to take over.
5. Max Scherzer
This one is purely for nostalgic reasons, but wouldn't it be awesome to have Max Scherzer back in DC for a final swan song in the major leagues? Imagine having Scherzer's #31 jersey being back in the team store and seeing him start on Opening Day one more time, perhaps even dazzling fans with a few throwback performances throughout the season.
In all seriousness, I really do not know where Scherzer is going to end up at this point, and again, the Nationals do currently have a logjam of starting pitchers. But, Scherzer would certainly provide invaluable leadership and guidance to this young ballclub, and would be a huge influence on many of the young pitchers in the organization. I am not sure how he would fit in with all of the other arms, but it could be worth it to give Nationals fans a final time to thank Scherzer, and send him into retirement on a high note at the end of the season.
Which of these free agents would you like to see in DC? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.