As the Winter Meetings kicked off with a bang after Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets with a record $765 million deal over 15 years, the Washington Nationals might finally have some traction on the free agent front, or do they?
According to Andrew Golden of the Washington Post, "The Nationals like [Christian] Walker and have made that known, according to a person familiar with their interest." which is obviously a potentially massive development for the club.
Walker, as we have written about numerous times on the site, fills a massive hole for the Nationals, who have not had stability at first base since the retirement of Ryan Zimmerman. Although he is older than some other options out there, his track record of success as a guy who has averaged over 30 homers per season for the last few years and consistent Gold Glove defense will drive up his demand, and it remains to be seen if the Nationals will actually meet his asking price.
What's also noted in Golden's piece is that Walker could end up "out of the Nationals' price range." which is a major cause for concern. If Chrsitian Walker, who is estimated to be worth around $17 million per year according to Spotrac, is out of range, who exactly is in range for the Nationals?
Specifically, when it comes to first base, the Nationals have chosen not to spend major money on the position for years now, and the team has gotten exactly what they've paid for. In 2024, it was Joey Gallo who was the Nats' answer for the position, and he turned in an absolutely dismal season that might not even give him an MLB offer for 2025. In 2023 it was Joey Meneses, a career minor-leaguer that was unable to build upon his success from 2022 and the World Baseball Classic.
The point is, Nats fans have been subject to watching abysmal production from the first base position for the last few years, and there's a chance that our worst fears are realized with the team not seeking to make any substantial additions for the position. I sincerely hope this isn't the case for the sake of actually having a watchable team, but we will have to see.
I will be coming out with another piece later today about a couple of speculated targets that the Nationals could target at first base, but spoiler alert, it won't have any of the big names that we have all been hoping for. How much more can we as a fanbase take before we demand changes?
Do you think Christian Walker will be too expensive for the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.