In case you have not been paying much attention to the Washington Nationals over the past week or so, James Wood has been on an absolute tear. The youngster is quickly becoming a superstar before our very eyes, and he has been doing some incredible things on the baseball field.
On Friday night, in the Nationals' 7-4 victory over the Miami Marlins, Wood did something that nobody really does at LoanDepot Park in Miami. As a lefty hitter, he hit an opposite field homer to left-center field that made fans everywhere around the league marvel at Wood's raw talent.
The Marlins broadcast was absolutely bewildered, and for us Nationals fans, it was the cherry on top to what has been an unreal week to be able to watch his breakout happen in real time. Earlier this week, Wood had a 3 homer series against the defending champion Dodgers, and even had his 2nd career multi-homer game as well.
Given that the Nationals fanbase has unfortunately seen so many of their favorite players leave either via free agency like Anthony Rendon or Bryce Harper, or by trade like Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, and Trea Turner, it's understandable that most fans like myself are already dying to get Wood inked to a long-term deal. With the recent wave of extensions that have gone around the league, whether it be Kristian Campbell, Jackson Merrill, or most notably Vladimir Guerrero Jr., young players are extending with their current clubs.
James Wood’s Opposite Field Power Is Some Of The Best In Baseball…
— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) April 12, 2025
110.5 MPH
21 Degree LA
400 FT
80.4 MPH Bat Speed
.960 xBA
HR in 26/30 Ballparks
Hitting a HR the opposite way in Miami is insanely impressive.
A Special Talent In Washington!pic.twitter.com/1DdV7PVqjL
However, the one thing that differentiates Wood from those 3 players is his representation. Nationals fans will certainly cringe when they hear that he is unfortunately repped by Scott Boras and the Boras Corporation. But what does this mean?
It means that, unfortunately for us Nationals fans, the odds of being able to sign James Wood to a long-term extension before he hits free agency is between slim and none, and with Wood's recent hot streak, it appears as if slim just left town.
But, for the sake of this article, what would a long-term deal for Wood even look like at this stage? Let's use the recent extension of another young superstar on the same timeline as Wood, with Padres' outfielder Jackson Merrill. He recently inked an extension in San Diego on a 9-year deal that will guarantee him $135 million, but features a maximum value of $204 million with incentives. The Padres also hold a club option for Merrill in 2035, so it could be a 10-year deal when it's all said and done.
His new deal will buy out all of his arbitration years, and will also keep him in San Diego through his age 31 season at a minimum, and with the club option it could be through his age 32 season. He will earn an average of $15 million, which seems like a bargain for how good he is. If Wood was to get a deal, I would expect it would have to be worth more than that in order to keep him from hitting free agency, due to Boras' reputation of making sure his guys hit free agency.
Ultimately, however, Boras works for the player, and if Wood decides he wants to stay close to home as a DMV local and be a National for the long run, Boras will have to make it happen. I would estimate that a deal for 8-10 years with an AAV of $20 million would probably be a baseline for a conversation to even be had. If the Nationals have any suspicion that Wood would be interested in taking the deal, they should scramble to get the contract drawn up as soon as possible. The issue at this time is that, given how good James Wood already appears to be, with the potential to become even better, there is probably a pretty good chance he will hit free agency, with the chance to become baseball's next superstar to become a very wealthy man.
James Wood will not be able to reach free agency until after the 2030 season, but still, the Nationals would be very smart to try to get a deal done now, and plan on building the franchise around him for a long time. There were whispers that the Nationals have already expressed interest in extending him, and out of every potential Nationals player who could be extended, he is far and away the most important one to keep here for the long run, as his roots to DC likely give the Nationals a leg up in being able to retain him.
What do you think a James Wood extension could look like? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.