Over the holidays, the Nationals announced that they signed 1B Josh Bell and SP Trevor Williams to free agent deals. To some fans, this may come as a delight; the team brought back fan favorite Josh Bell on a one-year, $6M deal to presumably fill the DH role and resigned Trevor Williams to serve in the rotation, but if the team doesn't make a big splash in the coming weeks, then these signings are indicative of complacency and being satisfied with mediocrity.
Since the Nationals traded him to the Padres in 2022, Josh Bell has been a very up-and-down hitter, with each half of the season being the opposite of the other. While Bell brings some much-needed power to the lineup, his inconsistency in recent years combined with the fact that there are much better power bats on the market make this signing questionable at best. Trevor Williams was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball in 2023, but he totally reinvented himself in 2024, adding a sweeper and drastically lowering the amount of home runs he allowed. Williams was out for several months before making a few starts at the end of the season, after which he was rewarded with a 2-year, $14M contract.
So are these signings bad in and of themselves? No, certainly not. Bell, while inconsistent, brings power to a lineup mostly devoid of it and Williams, assuming he can stay healthy, provides some depth for the rotation. The issue lies in what the Nationals are going to do for the rest of free agency. The team has already missed out on Christian Walker, who signed with the Astros, Joc Pederson, who signed with the Rangers, and on the starting pitching side of things, Walker Buehler, who signed with the Red Sox.
There are still enticing options available on the market, most notably 3B Alex Bregman, who would be the perfect signing for the Nationals and indicate to the fans that they are serious about competing in the near future. The ship has already sailed on signing Pete Alonso, who would have been the perfect fit for the lineup, and unless they sign Anthony Santander, it seems as if the team did not do a great job filling their biggest position of need: 1B/DH. Starting pitching was not as big of a need, but there were great options available, nearly all of whom are off the market. Jack Flaherty is the best starting pitcher still available, but considering how the Nationals have operated thus far, it seems very unlikely that they would even have interest in him.
How these signings are looked at depends upon one thing: if the Nationals make a big splash. If they sign Bregman or Santander or by some miracle Jack Flaherty, then Bell and Williams are good signings that can bolster the roster and provide depth. But if Bell and Williams are it, if all that's left in the Nationals plans are a couple of bargain bin 1-year deals, then this offseason has been another abject failure. At some point, Mike Rizzo and Mark Lerner are going to have to answer as to why a team with the financial capability to sign players to big contracts are making all of these 1-year deals. Hopefully the question will be moot with a big signing in the coming weeks, but if not, the fans need to start putting pressure on the front office or the Washington Nationals will become the next Oakland Athletics.