It is no secret that times have been tough for the Washington Nationals since winning the World Series back in 2019. The fanbase has had to watch superstars like Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, and others all leave or be traded away as the team entered an official rebuild back in 2021.
Since entering that rebuild, winning has been tough, that is also no secret. However, due to the Nationals struggled combined with some huge trade risks like trading away Juan Soto for a prospect haul that completely revamped the organization's farm system, it appears as if there is light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in a long time.
Combine the young talent already on the club and coming through the pipeline with the news that the team is finally going to be released from the vice grip of their MASN television deal, and it is easy to see why so many fans, myself included, are looking towards the future and are dreaming about the possibilities.
Well, as ownership made very clear with what many believed to be an underwhelming offseason in terms of player acquisition, the Lerners need to see more from their young and rising core players before investing into top tier free agents again. With that being said, many of the young guys, such as CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. have already broken out, and are making bids to be part of the long-term future in this organization.
However, according to a recent unconfirmed report on X from @TheNatsReport, his sources have told him that the Nationals have begun preliminary talks for long-term extensions with agent Scott Boras on BOTH Dylan Crews and James Wood. Crews, a favorite for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award, is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and Wood of course made his debut last year and showed plenty of flashes very early on.
BREAKING NEWS:
— TheNatsReport 🇺🇸 ⚾ (@TheNatsReport) March 4, 2025
Sources tell the Nats Report that the Nationals have started preliminary talks for long-term extensions with Scott Boras on BOTH Dylan Crews and James Wood.@TalkNats | @JonHeyman @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/FO7PEqJP8m
While this is obviously a very major development, since it is not an officially confirmed report by any major outlets, it is very encouraging that it might at least be a possibility moving forward. Between the two players, I have personally always felt that Wood would be more likely to sign here long-term due to his hometown connection, but the fact that ownership might be wanting to keep them both in DC for the foreseeable is certainly a great thought.
One thing that does give me hesitation is that Scott Boras clients generally do not sign long-term deals before hitting free agency, such as Juan Soto, but it certainly is not impossible, as Boras successfully negotiated multiple contracts and extensions for Stephen Strasburg, who was a National for life.
We certainly will have more to come as this story develops, but fingers crossed that the Nationals are actually serious about locking up 2 of their young stars early on so that they have a couple pieces that they can build around for the long haul. To me, this would be similar to what the Milwaukee Brewers did with Jackson Chourio last year before he even made his MLB debut, signing him to an 8-year, $82 million extension to buy out all of his arbitration years and the early part of his prime.
Given that neither player has played a ton of ball in the big leagues yet, the odds are that the Nationals could get them on a more affordable AAV that would hopefully buy out years beyond their arbitration as well. It would certainly be a gamble that both players will continue to grow and develop beyond where they are now, but potentially a massive payoff if both players are as good as we believe they can be.
What do you think of this news? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.