3B Nick Senzel:
On December 7th, the Nationals finally got in on the free agency action by signing former #2 overall pick Nick Senzel to a 1-year, $2M contract. Senzel had been a utility man with the Cincinnati Reds and would get the chance to play every day at 3rd base with the Nationals. He would begin the season on the 10-day injured list and make his Nationals debut on April 16th. In 64 games with the Nationals, Senzel would hit .209 with 7 homers and 18 RBI, before getting DFA’d on July 6th. Rizzo had hoped to get a Jeimer Candelario-type outcome with Senzel and be able to flip him at the deadline. As we know now, that was not the case. Senzel would sign with the White Sox but would eventually be released, finishing the season as a free agent.
RHP Dylan Floro:
5 days later, Mike Rizzo would add veteran RHP Dylan Floro on a 1-year deal. Floro would join former Marlins’ teammate Matt Barnes as the 2 veteran right handers in the bullpen. Matt Barnes did not pan out, but Floro would be a huge signing for the team. In 51 appearances, Floro would pitch to a career best 2.06 ERA, only giving up 14 runs in 52.1 innings. Floro would also strike out 40 batters, compared to walking just 13, and would be dealt at the deadline to the Arizona Diamondbacks for INF Andres Chaparro. Fast forward to the end of the year, and Floro was DFA’d by the DBacks, while Chaparro would end up being a decent platoon player with 1B Juan Yepez.
1B Joey Gallo:
The biggest name that Rizzo signed came on January 23rd with Joey Gallo on a 1-year deal. Gallo, a former All-Star, had bounced around the league a bit after being traded to the Yankees in 2021. He had a rough season with the Nats, as Gallo would spend a total of 3 ½ months on the injured list. When Gallo did play, he hit .161 over 76 games, only hitting 10 homers and driving in 27 runs.
OF Eddie Rosario:
The final MLB contract that Rizzo handed out was a 1-year split contract to 2021 World Series Champion and former NLDS MVP Eddie Rosario. Rosario would make the opening day roster after playing in only 5 Spring Training games, and actually hit the first homer for the 2024 Nationals. In 67 games, Rosario hit just .183 with 7 homers and 26 RBIs. He also won NL player of the week for the first week of May, hitting .455 with 4 homers and 7 RBIs. Ultimately, Rosario would be DFA’d on July 1st for top-prospect James Wood.
The Nationals also made plenty of minor-league acquisitions who would eventually have their contracts selected. Outfielder Jesse Winker was the most notable, who made the opening-day roster just 1 season after hitting .199 with the Brewers. Winker would very quickly become a fan favorite, hitting .257 with 11 homers and 47 RBI over 101 games in DC. Ultimately, he would end up getting traded at the deadline to the New York Mets for RHP Tyler Stuart.
1B Juan Yepez was also a huge signing for Rizzo, as Yepez would replace Joey Meneses on July 5th. Yepez now holds the longest hitting streak to begin a Nationals career, hitting safely in his first 13 career games. Additionally, as stated earlier, righty reliever Matt Barnes was also a minor-league signing who flamed out quickly in DC, as he was unspectacular after making the Opening Day bullpen.