How could this offseason impact young Nationals hitters like Abrams, Garcia and House?

We've seen a lot of discussion about hitters that are available in free agency. There have been articles and social media posts galore about the Nationals being interested in Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander and numerous other players, not the least of whom is Juan Soto.

But what about the young players they already have on the roster, or climbing through the minor leagues? Couldn't signing two or three bats get in the way of guys they already have who deserve to be in the lineup? And could there be a long-term financial impact to a splashier offseason than we've seen from Washington in a while?

It's an interesting discussion point, and one that stems from my podcast appearance on "Locked on Nationals" with Ryan Clary, where we discussed some of these players and the offseason plan as a whole.

So let's start there and discuss CJ Abrams. Let's ignore the elephant in the room for now, although it factors into the boarder analysis of Abrams. From what we can tell, the Nationals aren't actively looking to acquire a shortstop, such as Willy Adames or Ha-Seong Kim. But at the same time, they don't seem to be prioritizing Abrams either. While not a bad approach, any additions made to the lineup would serve as a corresponding de-emphasis on Abrams.

Having more quality bats in the lineup is certainly a good thing. However, there is a trickledown effect, as pouring money into other players decreases the likelihood of Abrams receiving a contract extension. Depending on how you feel about his chances of bouncing back or having a breakout season, that may not be a path towards getting the best bang for your buck.

A similar case could be made regarding Luis Garcia Jr. He may in fact have just gone through his breakout season, earning himself a Silver Slugger finalist bid. Is that worth rewarding right now? He's still under club control through 2027, but is now the time to strike and secure him at an affordable rate for the duration of his physical prime?

And if it isn't that time, might it be worthwhile to consider trading Garcia? After all, signing Bregman would require displacing someone who is viewed as a major piece for the future. With Garcia's value at possibly the highest it will ever be, he could easily be viewed as a "headliner" in a trade to acquire a true superstar.

Speaking of players who would be impacted by Bregman, the more obvious name is Brady House. Sure, there's no rush to promote House to the majors, but it would be a pretty major upset if he didn't deserve a promotion from Triple-A by midseason in 2025. Unless you were to move on from Garcia in some way and slide Bregman to second base, House would essentially be blocked, unless he were to switch positions or serve as a designated hitter.

Even tossing aside the Bregman scenario, House is arguably Washington's best trade chip among their minor league prospects, and certainly the best among position players (which would exclude starting pitchers Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana). Clearly, the Nationals seem more interested in winning in the near future than they have since trading away their best players. If they want to expedite the process, trading a package of players led by House could be a smart way to do that.

There may be no player who's more at risk of getting blocked by an addition to the roster than Jacob Young. In spite of his outstanding play defensively that nearly won him a Gold Glove award, it's clear that his bat leaves more to be desired. With Dylan Crews (a minor league Gold Glover himself) in Washington, there is a more than serviceable option to take over in center field, freeing up an outfield corner to be filled by a more potent slugger.

If the Nationals do decide to upgrade in the outfield, they could simply demote Young to a backup role, perhaps filling in at times with someone getting a mini-day off as the designated hitter. They could also look to trade Young as a method to upgrade at another spot. He's under contract through 2029, and his speed and defense could be viewed as a major asset on a team that has plenty of power in its lineup already.

The same types of conversations can be had about other minor league prospects, especially outfielders. Robert Hassell III took a step forward in 2024, and he's also performing well in the Arizona Fall League. With his path to Washington's starting nine shrinking, this could be used as an audition for other teams. Daylen Lile and Andrew Pinckney could also serve as supplemental pieces in a trade. Elijah Green offers his own unique type of conundrum; whether it's internally as a project worth trying to fix, or externally as a high-upside flier.

As a corner infield bat, Yohandy Morales may or may not be a player of emphasis for the Nationals moving forward. There's a long list of young starting pitchers already on the roster or in Triple-A who are beginning to form a logjam, whereas a frontline starter may be needed and would only compound the aforementioned logjam.

Ultimately, the team's philosophy this offseason will be put to the test. We'll learn a lot based on who they choose to pursue in free agency and on the trade market. Every action (or inaction) will raise the potential of an equal and opposite reaction. Don't be surprised if we see a young fixture either displaced and traded away, or perhaps extended and locked in long term.