The Washington Nationals have been fairly quiet on the free agent front when it comes to making major acquisitions, but if history is any indicator, perhaps January will once again prove to be fruitful as it has in the past. Having made just one major league signing so far, it remains to be seen what else the club will look to do to improve their club before Spring Training.
One move they just made, however, is actually quite intriguing given the fact that the organization has struggled to make major non-trade acquisitions thus far. On Monday morning, with their first player acquisition of 2026, the Nationals claimed Joey Weimer off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, according to Robert Murray.
If this name sounds somewhat familiar, it might be from the fact that he is a former top prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers as recently as a couple years ago, and he does have some loud tools to show off. However, despite those loud tools, he does have some major flaws in his game as well, which is why to this point he has only appeared in 180 games at the highest level.
During his rookie year with the Brewers, he made a splash by clubbing 13 homers and stealing 11 bases, but also walked just 36 times compared to 116 strikeouts in 410 plate appearances. That severe strikeout rate has been the main reason why he has been unable to stick yet in the big leagues, and perhaps working with a new but unproven coaching staff in Washington can help unlock his athletic potential.
Of course, he must make the Opening Day roster first in order for that to happen, which appears unlikely for him at this time. Given the fact that the Nationals are extremely deep in the outfield with guys like James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, Robert Hassell III, and even guys like Jacob Young and Christian Franklin looking to make an impact as well, the margin for error for Weimer is razor thin.
He does have the former prospect pedigree, solid numbers against lefties, and athleticism that has propelled him to perform well defensively across multiple spots in the outfield, but he will certainly face an uphill battle to be a regular on this club for 2026. Nonetheless, it is an intriguing waiver claim, and he now has the honor of being the first player acquisition for the Nationals in the new year.
What do you think of the Joey Weimer waiver claim? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.