Earlier this morning, the Washington Nationals found themselves back in the news on the free agency front, as they officially announced the signing of veteran infielder Amed Rosario to a 1-year, $2 million deal. The team designated righty Joan Adon for assignment as the corresponding move to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Evidently Adon was on the chopping block, as I accurately predicted yesterday.
While this is yet another signing by the front office, which is great, the overall excitement level in bringing in a guy like Rosario is not that exciting in comparison to what us fans had expected coming into this offseason. We came into the offseason hoping for big names like Alex Bregman or Anthony Santander or Pete Alonso, and instead have mostly had to settle for smaller names who could still be effective, don't get me wrong, but don't get you as excited as we could be.
As of right now, it does not seem like the front office is going to be making a big splash for any of the remaining big free agents, although some of them still could make sense. Obviously, Alex Bregman would still be a great fit for this team, and Anthony Santander would fill a major need for the club with the power that he brings, but it doesn't appear as if the Nationals will even be in contention for either one, despite what anonymous MLB executive burner accounts on X would want you to believe.
We will likely have some more details in the coming days about Rosario's fit on the roster, and the role he will play, but Nationals fans should be hoping that the team is not expecting him to be an everyday starter at third base. He makes a lot of sense as a guy who can be in more of a utility and backup role, but it remains to be seen how the team plans to utilize him.
welcome to DC, Amed! pic.twitter.com/63umjjw59r
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 8, 2025
Rosario, who was once a Top 5 Prospect in all of MLB going into the 2017 season when he was with the New York Mets, has never quite lived up to that billing, although he has been a solid player for a handful of teams over the years. Since being sent to the Cleveland Guardians as part of the Francisco Lindor trade to the Mets in 2021, he has bounced around quite a bit, but has still accounted for 10.2 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference.
Last year alone, he spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cincinnati Reds, appearing in 103 games overall with a .280/.306/.380 slash line with a .686 OPS and 94 OPS+, meaning he was a slightly below average hitter. Hopefully, he is able to improve defensively and fill that niche backup role for the club, as he has typically been a below average defender at multiple positions in his career.
What do you think of the Amed Rosario signing? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.