Not many people expected the Nationals to release Nathaniel Lowe when they activated Dylan Crews from the injured list. It seemed much more likely that either Jacob Young, Daylen Lile or Robert Hassell III would be optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
While releasing Lowe was more than justifiable, and the wiser move in hindsight, it also makes Washington's shortcomings at first base more apparent. Although Josh Bell has been the better hitter this year, he struggles defensively, and the depth behind him is thin.
Lowe Had to Go
To make the case for releasing Lowe as obvious as possible, he ranks last (26th) among qualified first basemen this season in Fangraphs WAR (-0.7). Essentially all of his statistical metrics as a hitter and fielder are the worst they've been in his entire career. And most importantly, he's already making north of $10 million this season and was almost certain to be non-tendered this offseason, entering his final pre-free agency season.
The Nationals took a cheaper route towards addressing first base than they needed to last offseason, but it's still resulted less favorably than anyone could've expected. Even in a non-descript season offensively, it became apparent that Josh Bell was the better option at first base. With that being the case, Lowe was no longer needed in 2025.
What's Left?
Even if we accept that Bell was playing better than Lowe, Bell isn't an ideal solution either. Even during his first stint in Washington, his defense was subpar, and that was three years ago. After all, he was signed with the intent for him to be a designated hitter.
Bell also is nowhere near the Silver Slugger candiate that he once was. He's become a more apparent platoon hitter as well, so there is some value in carrying a complimentary option to pair with him.
On paper, Andres Chaparro is probably the most qualified player to serve as that option. With that in mind, Chaparro was recently recalled from Triple-A, replacing Jose Tena. Chaparro and Tena have both reached a status where there's nothing left for either to prove in Triple-A, so carrying the guy who's best suited to fill a roster hole makes plenty of sense.
Aside from that, there isn't much in the pipeline. We'll hopefully see former second-round pick Yohandy Morales before the end of the season, but the jury is still out on whether he can be a long-term solution. But that's really the end of the list.
What They Should Do
To me, if Bell can't be an everyday first baseman, my preference would be for the Nationals to experiment with Luis Garcia Jr. He's a solid hitter, but his defense has been poor at second base. There's certainly an option for Garcia to DH some, but that would force a young outfielder to sit on the bench.
Before Washington’s games against the Mets, Luis García Jr grabbed a 1B glove and practiced fielding short hops.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) August 21, 2025
There are no immediate plans for García to play first base. But the team is getting him acclimated and giving real thought to the idea:https://t.co/CVeEf2m2TG
That would open up some time for someone else to play second base. Ideally, that player would be either Jose Tena or Nasim Nunez. Tena was never a fit at third base, but he's a more natural middle infielder, and a part-time role for a speed and defense player like Nunez is always nice to see.
Is Garcia likely to play much at first base, if it all? Perhaps not, but it could be a way to increase his value and make him a better roster asset, while also opening up a spot for other young outfielders.
What do you think? Should Chaparro stick as the backup first baseman, or should the Nationals think out of the box and give Garcia a try? Let me know your thoughts at stephen_newman1 on X.