This offseason, the Washington Nationals made several impactful veteran additions. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe was the coup of the winter, while fellow veteran additions Michael Soroka, Josh Bell, and Jorge Lopez are also expected to play prominent roles.
There was smoke around the Nats potentially making a splash in free agency, but the team opted for solid, perhaps underwhelming, transactions instead. While the veteran additions will undoubtedly raise the team’s floor for 2025, it is the young core that will determine the team’s ceiling.
Having lost the most games in baseball since 2020, the Nats will finally see the fruits of their rebuild playing at the major league level this year, making it the organization’s most important season since 2019. As the Opening Day roster comes into focus, it is filled with players ready to prove they belong in the next championship-contending iteration of Nationals baseball.
The top of the lineup is projected to include CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, and James Wood. Squint hard enough and you may see shades of Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, and Juan Soto. The hope is that you don’t have to squint much longer.
Abrams, entering his third full season as a major leaguer, has quite a bit to prove. The shortstop has flashed his potential, resulting in his first career All-Star nomination last summer, but has struggled with consistency. He followed an outstanding first half a year ago with a disappointing second half, capped off by a late-season demotion following a violation of team policy.
Debuting at a young age and already serving as a team leader, it is easy to forget that Abrams played last season at just 23 years old. How his season ended was embarrassing for him and the organization, but he has given the team every reason to believe he’s learned from his mistake and is ready to move forward. Look for Abrams to have grown from his eventful 2024 season and bounce back in a big way.
Crews and Wood, each previously ranking as consensus top five prospects in the sport, had an opportunity to get their feet wet last year. This opportunity prepared them to thrive in their first full season as major leaguers.
Wood, especially, is expected to anchor the lineup. FanGraphs’ ZiPS projects that Wood will slug 20 homers, while producing a 125 wRC+, making his bat 25 percent better than league average. The Nats would certainly take this production in his first full season, yet there’s an argument to be made for these projections being fairly conservative. Wood excelled at reaching base as a rookie last season, and he has tons of power potential to tap into still.
Crews’ bat does not appear to be quite as major league ready as Wood’s, but Crews is a much better defender at this point in their careers. Crews struggled with breaking balls during his cup of coffee last year, a weakness that the league exploited. His pedigree would lead you to believe that he will make the necessary adjustments, and he should be given grace as he adjusts to major league pitching. Of course, it has not even been two years since Crews led LSU to a College World Series title.
While Crews makes adjustments at the plate, his defense is already elite. Drafted as a center fielder, he has made a seamless transition to right field with the Nats. He impressed in the outfield last season and made several highlight reel catches this spring in a small sample size. Crews is capable of impacting the game in a plethora of ways, even as he adjusts at the plate.
On the pitching side, the Nats will be led by youngsters MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker. Gore, a former top prospect himself, is making his first Opening Day start. Similar to Abrams, Gore has flashed elite potential but has struggled to produce consistently. Now in his third full season, he is ready to take the next step towards becoming an ace. Irvin and Parker enjoyed breakout seasons a year ago and will also be seeking more consistency.
Finally, Jose A. Ferrer has the potential to finish the season as the Nats’ closer. Kyle Finnegan was re-signed late in the offseason, and will presumably begin the year as the Nats’ primary closer, but Ferrer is expected to receive some save opportunities as well. Possessing a 100 MPH fastball and wipeout slider as a left-handed reliever has Ferrer set to make an impact in the back-end of the bullpen regardless of his role. This spring, he was not scored upon in 8.1 innings and he racked up 12 strikeouts. Spring stats don’t mean much, but it was encouraging that Ferrer was able to pick up where he left off a year ago.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on the Nats’ young core throughout this season. The veteran additions will play an important role, raising the team’s floor significantly, while also helping the inexperienced players navigate the early stages of their careers. But it is the young players that will determine this team’s ceiling.
The Nats are understandably not a popular pick to qualify for the postseason. However, if the young core develops as the Nats hope, perhaps the club could play meaningful baseball down the stretch for the first time in several seasons and encourage ownership to approach next offseason aggressively. It remains to be seen how 2025 will play out for the Nats, but it is sure to be interesting.