The Nationals have found their answer at first base in Nathaniel Lowe

So, yesterday I wrote about first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and his potential fit on the Washington Nationals as a trade target due to the market for this position thinning in free agency, and not even 24 hours later, he is officially a National.

First of all, hats off to Mike Rizzo and the front office for pulling off a great deal. While losing lefty reliever Robert Garcia, the Rangers' return in the deal, will hurt the bullpen a little bit in the interim, the reality is that this is a deal that will return a lot greater value for the Nationals than Garcia would. The reality of the way that the team is currently constructed is that when you have solid relievers coming off of good seasons, it's probably best to sell high while their value might never be higher, due to the volatility of solid relief options on a yearly basis.

Flipping Garcia is certainly not an insignificant piece to give up. He is an advanced analytics darling, and despite his mediocre numbers, was a fairly steady member of the Nationals' bullpen this past season. However, in today's MLB, it's a lot easier to find solid relievers than it is to find above-average production at first base for a fairly affordable price, which is exactly what the Nationals got in Nathaniel Lowe.

I'll be fully transparent here, I was a little bit worried over the last couple days with numerous first base options flying off the market and the Nationals not seeming to be in deep talks with anyone of note at the position, but the front office made a great move here to get a proven commodity in Lowe who still has 2 years of control. He brings a steady presence defensively and at the plate as well, as he has won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in his career, and was an instrumental piece to the Rangers' World Series title victory in 2023. His veteran presence will be huge in helping to usher the Nationals towards their next era of winning baseball in the Nation's Capital.

While Lowe might not have the outstanding power that a guy like Christian Walker or Pete Alonso has, with only 1 season of 20+ homers in his career, but he is a guy who gets on base a lot, and has a career 120 OPS+. Just check out this comparison made by Mark Zuckerman above, comparing the potential impact of Lowe to the run that former National Adam LaRoche had before signing with the team. Both were lefty first baseman with great gloves, and hopefully Lowe will be able to have a similar impact to what LaRoche had during his time with the club as well.

The addition of Lowe is a great move, and one that should help at the minimum serve as a bridge for prospects like Yohandy Morales or another corner infielder be ready to take over at first base for the future, while coming at a fraction of the cost that Christian Walker would have. I do think that the Nationals could be well-served to being in one more bat either to play third base or serve as the designated hitter, but they probably can find a solid option on a 1-year deal that will be able to bolster the lineup for the 2025 season before some of the organization's top prospects like Brady House are ready to take over.

It's safe to say that Mike Rizzo and the Nationals' front office are fully awake, and I'll be very curious to see how the club follows up the Nathaniel Lowe trade in an effort to build a contending team for 2025 and beyond.

What do you think of the Nathaniel Lowe trade? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.