Nationals linked to veteran infield slugger in free agency as Spring Training nears

A new wrinkle in the Nationals' first base plans has presented itself with less than a month left until pitchers and catchers report.

Twitter account DC Source posted Saturday that the team is finalizing a one-year contract with veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins for the 2026 season, and that any deal should be announced by the end of the day Tuesday.

It's worth taking with a grain of salt; this is an account without a proven track record (its only posts were in February of 2025 regarding the one-year Kyle Finnegan deal), but it's an intriguing thought, and isn't the worst fit in the world. The Nationals have a plethora of first base options already, but none of them stand out as frontrunners for the Opening Day lineup. Adding a proven 1B/DH type into the mix narrows down the options while giving the Nationals, who have been upfront about not expecting to compete for a playoff spot in 2026, a ritual piece to move at the trade deadline if he performs.

The righty-hitting Hoskins, 33 this season, spent the first seven years of his big league career with the Phillies. He joined the team's lineup full-time shortly after the 2017 trade deadline, and raked as the team climbed from NL East afterthought to World Series powerhouse, hitting 30 home runs in both 2018 and 2022. After tearing his ACL in 2023 Spring Training which cost him his entire age-30 season, Hoskins jumped to the Brewers on a two-year deal where his production slid. The walk rates were still solid and the strikeout numbers didn't get markedly worse, but much of his power had been sapped; after an early July ligament sprain in his left thumb that cost him two months, the Brewers opted to play Andrew Vaughn over him down the stretch. Rhys' final homer of the year came less than halfway into the season on June 22, and his 2025 ISO was a career-worst .179; it had never been under .200 in any season prior.

There's still upside to be had in a hypothetical Hoskins deal; if Rhys isn't totally fried, the possibility of a 25-homer bat is still there, and, again, a trade deadline piece that could continue to bolster the farm system if he has a torrid first half. Even in his worst season in 2024 by wRC+, Hoskins was still a league-average hitter; granted, that's not a high bar to clear for a first baseman, and it made him approximately replacement-level for that campaign. He's a low-risk signing, though, and can generally be expected to range between a 105 and 120 wRC+ any given year.

There's also the conundrum of the Nats' current first base and DH options, of which the team has many. As it stands, it's a little expected that Luis García Jr., assuming he's not traded before Opening Day, will see reps at first base against right-handed pitching (though it's unfair to pretend he's a liability against same-handed arms). García, usually a second baseman with questionable defense, made a few late-season appearances at first and expects to continue doing so in an effort to be more versatile in the field.

Also on the roster are both Andrés Chaparro and José Tena, both of whom have limited defensive value off the first base position. I've historically been a Chaparro believer, and would like to see him get some actual run to try to translate his career .879 OPS at the Triple-A level in 290 games into actual production in the big leagues. Tena came up a shortstop but has since transitioned to second and third bases; second is his stronger position, but both are presumably going to be difficult to find playing time at. Tena boasts just an 83 wRC+ in 112 MLB games, and while he's 3 years younger than Chaparro, he doesn't have quite the same track record in the high minors.

The Nats also signed both Warming Bernabel and Matt Mervis to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training. Bernabel has 75 games under his belt at Triple-A in the extremely hitter-friendly Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, and while his OPS was over .800, that translated to just a 91 wRC+ with limited raw power from the bat of the 23-year-old. Mervis has better power but a limited hit tool, which hamstrung his path to major league playing time with the Cubs and led to him hitting just .175 with a 72 wRC+ and a K rate north of 37% in 42 games with the Marlins last year. Both players will, at the very least, be competing for a roster spot in Spring Training.

It's worth noting that the Nationals, with less than three weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, have not yet signed a veteran bat to a major league deal in free agency. Several are available, but signing any would be at the cost of playing time for less proven young players as the new regime tries to sort out who's going to be a valuable part of the organization going forward. POBO Paul Toboni has been forthcoming about not being done yet this offseason, still listening to trade offers and monitoring the free agent market as it progresses.

What do you think about the Rhys Hoskins rumors? Do you believe them? Do you want the Nationals to sign him? Chime in with your thoughts; I'll be listening on Twitter and Bluesky--just click the links.