3 Current Nats Who Won't Be Back in 2025
Since 2019, the Nationals have featured a slew of players who had mostly forgettable tenures during their time with the club, including minor league journeymen, fliers on former top prospects, and aging veterans latching on to their final opportunity. In this article I identify 3 current Nats players who are all but sure to be out of the organization in 2025.
The Nationals have had a lot of players since 2019 who were either flat out terrible or had no business being a part of an MLB roster. These players have included Minor League journeymen with names like Joey Meneses, Travis Blankenhorn, and Yadiel Hernandez. The organization has also included some genuinely terrible names that never worked out including Eric Thames, Maikel Franco, and Humberto Arteaga.
As with any big league club in a rebuild, there are a combination of good players, not-so-great players, prospects trying to establish themselves in the show, and old players hanging on to potentially their final days as a big leaguer. The 2024 Nationals are no different. In this article, I have identified 3 current Nats players who won't be back with the big league club next season.
LHP Patrick Corbin
This one has been a long time coming. Although the 6-year $140M contract that Patrick Corbin signed back in December of 2018 has aged like milk, there is zero doubt that the 2019 Nationals do not win the World Series without him. Coming out of the bullpen in Game 7 with 3 shutout innings was imperative in bridging the gap from Max Scherzer to Daniel Hudson, and the contract will always be worth it because of that.
However, since then, Corbin has struggled mightily. This is the first time I've looked at his numbers dating back to the 2020 season, and boy it is brutal to look at. I'm talking about a 32-70 record with a 5.62 ERA and 1.54 WHIP according to StatMuse. Yikes. His poor pitching combined with the rise of many young Nats' pitching prospects such as DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, and others coming up the pipeline, there is no room to even consider bringing him back in a reduced role. Fortunately for the future of the organization, his contract comes off the books at a crucial juncture, as it will allow the Nats a lot more financial freedom entering free agency this winter. Thanks for the memories, Patrick.
UTIL Iledmaro Vargas
The heart and soul of the Nationals the last few years similar to Gerardo Parra in 2019, Ildemaro Vargas is the all-time vibes guy. Unfortunately for the future of his tenure in the organization, he has become replaceable. With the recent rise of Nasim Nuñez and the versatility of José Tena, there is simply no longer a need to carry the 33-year-old utilityman Vargas on the big league roster beyond this season.
There is no doubt his presence has been very valuable in the clubhouse, with Davey Martinez praising him for his leadership and CJ Abrams being very grateful for his mentorship and ability to serve as a big brother to him, but that will only carry you so far. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see him end up on the coaching staff of the Nats next season should he not be able to catch on with another club this winter. Here's to wishing all the best for Ildy in whatever the rest of his career entails!
OF/1B Joey Gallo
This one has felt like all but a foregone conclusion for awhile now. Honestly, the fact that Joey Gallo has stuck around on the roster this long is genuinely impressive, and I truly believe that his injury that he suffered back in late April likely allowed him to stick around longer than he should have. If Travis Blankenhorn had come up to the big leagues and looked even remotely competent at the plate, Gallo likely would have been on the chopping block. In just 179 at-bats, Gallo has struck out an astounding 84 times, which is the third-most on the team despite him appearing in only 61 games.
His defense has been very solid, with his glove in right field and first base providing some value. At some point though, you have to be able to hit, and his .162/.288/.313 slash line and .601 OPS with just 6 homers will likely have him fighting for his major league career with another organization in Spring Training next season.
Look, when your primary strategy in free agency is hunting for bargain bin guys and banking on them bouncing back in order to trade them at the deadline, you're bound to have a few duds. The duds from this season alone includes Gallo, Matt Barnes and Eddie Rosario, with the latter two being DFA'd months ago. However, you sometimes will find some hidden gems, such as Jeimer Candelario last year, or Jesse Winker and Dylan Floro from this year, who were all flipped for prospect talent.
What do you think about my predictions for the 3 Nats who won't be back in 2025? Is there anyone else you think shouldn't be back? As always, please let me know your thoughts on X, @DCBerk.
All stats in this article were provided by MLB.com, Baseball Reference, and StatMuse.