Things for Nationals fans to watch for at the Winter Meetings

Major League Baseball's annual Winter Meetings are officially underway from Dallas, Texas as of yesterday, and while news of the sport's biggest free agent signing ever will surely dominate the talks and headlines, there are still some other events that need to take place. Let's take a look at what us Nationals fans should be keeping an eye out for over the next couple days.

For starters, free agent signings could be at the forefront. Scott Boras is already a happy man, given that he was able to get his superstar client Juan Soto to sign the biggest deal in MLB history, but could he make some victory laps at the winter meetings? Between Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, Boras also represents some of the other big names on the open market, and perhaps could strike a deal for them as well to cap off his spectacular offseason.

Of course, whether or not the Nationals will actually be involved is fully dependent on ownership actually wanting to spend money, which doesn't seem to be a very hopeful perspective among Nationals fans. Don't believe me? Check out this poll run by our friends over with Navy Yard Nats, who took in votes from over 1,300 Nationals fans on X, with a whopping 80.7% of voters NOT believing that the team's ownership group will allow Mike Rizzo to build a true contending team in 2025. Free agent signings can be had, but whether or not it will be for the Nationals remains to be see.

2025 MLB Draft Lottery

One of the more interesting activities when it comes to the Winter Meetings will be the MLB Draft Lottery that takes place on Tuesday evening. The Nationals have the 4th best chance of securing the #1 overall selection with a 10.20% chance, and maybe the Baseball Gods will shine down on the Nationals for all that they have endured over the last few years.

If you remember, the Nats actually won the lottery last year, but due to having two consecutive years of picking within the Top 5, were not permitted to keep the first overall pick, and fell to the 10th pick where they selected infielder Seaver King from Wake Forest.

Should the Nationals win the lottery, it will be important for us to keep an eye on some 2025 draft prospects like outfielder Jace LaViolette from Texas A&M or prep infielder Ethan Holliday, the younger brother of former #1 prospect Jackson Holliday, and the youngest son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday. We will know where we stand on Tuesday night, and hopefully we will have some good news to report.

Rule 5 Draft

This is important because the Nationals have been involved in the Rule 5 Draft for the last couple of years. Last year, they selected infielder Nasim Nuñez from the Miami Marlins, and the year before they selected righty Thaddeus Ward, who has since exited the organization.

A couple weeks ago, the Nationals protected outfielder Robert Hassell III and righty Andry Lara, both Top 30 prospects, from the Rule 5 Draft, but it will be interesting to see if some of the team's other unprotected prospects will be selected by other teams, or if the Nats will add any new prospects.

The Rule 5 Draft takes place on Wednesday afternoon, and we will certainly be tracking how things progress here as well.

What are you hoping happens with the Nationals at the Winter Meetings? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.