Assessing the Nationals backup catching situation
The Nationals have many areas that need to be addressed, but one that is often looked over is the backup catcher. Which direction should the Nationals go this offseason to address the position?
Heading into the offseason, the Nationals have some glaring holes on their roster that need to be addressed. Adding an elite starter to the rotation and at least one power bat into the lineup are musts, but one position the Nationals may want to consider looking at is a backup catcher. As a group, Nationals catchers were bottom 5 in MLB in nearly every offensive and defensive statistic. Keibert Ruiz, who is coming off the worst season of his career, is a liability as the starting catcher, but Mike Rizzo won't be moving on from him anytime soon because of the 8-year contract extension he received prior to the 2023 season, so replacing him is likely out of the question. The backup catchers, Riley Adams and Drew Millas, weren't much better. Both Adams and Millas are on the Nationals roster heading into 2025, but that shouldn't stop Mike Rizzo from at least examining outside options to fill the role of backup catcher for next season.
1. Internal Options
If the Nationals were to go with one of the catchers currently in the organization, it would be either Riley Adams or Drew Millas. Adams, who was acquired from the Blue Jays in 2021, has a career -0.8 fWAR, 89 wRC+, and -18 catcher framing runs. He is below average both offensively and defensively and offers no upside as a backup catcher, despite filling that role for parts of four seasons. Drew Millas, on the other hand, has shown that he can be a positive contributor at the major league level. In 31 games at the big league level across two seasons, Millas has recorded 0.6 fWAR and a 96 wRC+ to go along with average-at-worst fielding and has shown that he is more than capable of being a backup catcher, if not a starting catcher. If the Nationals don't address the catcher position in the offseason, Millas would be the obvious choice to begin the year as the backup to Keibert Ruiz.
2. Free Agency
If the Nationals choose to address the backup catcher position via free agency, there are plenty of options on the market. Some of the names available include Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Higashioka, and Gary Sanchez, among others. Higashioka and d'Arnaud are two options who make a lot of sense for the Nationals. They're both average hitters who are good defensively and would likely accept short-term deals due to their age (both are at least 35 years old). Younger catchers like Gary Sanchez and Danny Jansen would also be good fits, but both are likely seeking multi-year deals, which the Nationals certainly would not be looking to offer.
Of these options, having Drew Millas be the backup catcher is both the likeliest and most ideal option. Millas has shown a lot of potential since being acquired from the no-longer-Oakland Athletics in 2021 and has earned a chance at being the full-time backup catcher to Keibert Ruiz, if not becoming the starting catcher outright. Should the team choose the free agency route, Higashioka seems like the best option available, but sticking with Millas would allow more money to be put towards signing free agents for other needs the team has.
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