Should the Nationals pursue Alex Bregman this offseason?

At this time a year ago, it seemed like the Nationals might be among the frontrunners to sign Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. Instead, he signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox, with the ability to opt out after the 2025 season.

After a 3.5 WAR season with 18 home runs in 114 games, Bregman indeed chose to opt out, placing himself back in the free agent market entering his age 32 season. In spite of his relatively advanced age, he will be one of the better hitters available for the rest of the league to acquire this offseason, particularly due to his high-leverage and leadership experience.

Although Brady House has arrived to the big leagues and Luis Garcia Jr is still anchoring the keystone position, could there still be value in the Nationals signing Bregman?

Bregman is Still a Star

Bregman used to be truly elite and among the best handful of position players in the sport. Although that is no longer true, he was at least a 4 WAR player in each season from 2022-24. If he hadn't missed nearly two months this season, he would have easily been in the same territory in 2025. He posted his best OPS+ since 2022 and fourth-best of his 10-year career.

Bregman has consistently been a fixture between second through fourth in the batting order. That was true in a stacked Astros lineup for most of his career, and it remained the case in Boston last year. He doesn't hit for the highest average or most power, but he's simply very well rounded at the plate, and also very solid defensively at third base (including a Gold Glove in 2024).

Bregman has also been regarding as a clubhouse leader for some time now. In fact, this was a selling point for the Red Sox, who were looking for that type of presence in a relatively young lineup on a team that was looking to take the next step towards serious playoff contention - which they successfully accomplished.

Speaking of the playoffs, Bregman has a wealth of experience in that environment. Between his time in Houston and Boston, Bregman has played 102 games and recorded 447 plate appearances. He's reached the World Series four times and won the championship twice. You couldn't ask for much more experience in that regard, especially on the free agent market.

The Nationals Need Him

The postseason experience alone would be very valuable for the Nationals. If you think about it, how much of that does the team have? Speaking about their lineup alone, there is literally zero playoff experience among their incumbent options. the team's only notable contributors from 2025 with any playoff experience were Josh Bell, Paul DeJong and Nathaniel Lowe, and none of them remain under contract.

In complete transparency, there are also some pretty glaring holes in the lineup. First base is by far the most noticeable, but second and third base have also been underwhelming. Garcia is fine enough as a hitter, but took a clear step back compared to 2024 and was close to unplayable defensively. Rookie Brady House held his own in the field at the hot corner, but he certainly struggled at the plate. A true contender would be willing to replace either of them in the lineup.

For a team that let Anthony Rendon get away a handful of years ago, Bregman is a very similar player to what Rendon was for most of his tenure in Washington. A player like that is someone the Nationals should be looking for. If that means Garcia gets traded away or House goes back to Triple-A, so be it.

The Paul Toboni Factor

Don't forget that Washington's new President of Baseball Operations comes from the team that Bregman was just playing for. So does Devin Pearson, the franchise's new Assistant General Manager. It's easy to assume that their additions to the organization will increase the likelihood of the Nationals at least strongly considering a pursuit of Bregman.

With the organization looking to make improvements in ways that they haven't in many years, perhaps they will address the player roster in a similar way. If that is the case, a star infielder who is still in his prime that the Toboni regime just acquired a year ago seems like an obvious candidate. Bregman will cost some money, but not an arm and a leg like younger superstars.

What do you think? Do you expect the Nationals to make a serious attempt to sign Alex Bregman? Let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.