It's well documented that the Nationals have had a black hole at the hot corner ever since Anthony Rendon left in free agency after the 2019 season. "Tony Two Bags" finished in third place in National League MVP voting that year and was among the driving forces behind the team's run towards a World Series championship.
Ever since his departure, the Nationals have been left with patchwork solutions and minimal success at third base. 2020-21 featured Former top prospect Carter Kieboom failing to deliver anywhere near what was expected from him, and veterans like Asdrubal Cabrera and Starlin Castro performing at an average level and nothing more. Maikel Franco was an abject disaster in 2022, as were Nick Senzel and Trey Lipscomb last year. The only fleeting success story was Jeimer Candelario in 2023, and he got flipped to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline.
Even after all these attempts to find someone who could provide sustained success, Washington turned down the option of signing Alex Bregman, a star at third base since Rendon's breakout and ever since.
That seems puzzling, right? Perhaps it's even concerning. We've even documented ancillary reasons - aside from money - why Bregman may be interested in coming to Washington. Why didn't the Nationals make a serious attempt to sign Bregman?
The honest answer may, in fact, be money. We don't need to rehash the fact that the Nationals haven't spent substantial money in a long time, aside from Stephen's Strasburg's unfortunately disastrous new contract following the World Series. Considering that numerous teams offered Bregman three or more years at around $30 million or higher, it wouldn't be very surprising if that alone took the Nationals out of the running.
Alex Bregman had a variety of offers. The Red Sox's had the big number -- $40M a year before deferrals. The Tigers' had years and dollars: six and $171.5M, also with deferrals. The Cubs' at four for $120M had neither years, dollars nor AAV. Tough to win when you trail all three. https://t.co/eqwOwzWxgH
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 13, 2025
It's also possible that they have faith in their internal options, even in spite of this approach coming back to bite them multiple times - most similarly in 2020. Highly-rated prospect and former first round pick Brady House will almost certainly debut in the majors at some point this season, and the hope is that he'll become a fixture in the lineup for the next 5-10 years. I'd consider that optimistic, as his recent minor league production hasn't necessarily supported the way in which the general public views him, but his raw ability is undeniable.
The Nationals also have Jose Tena, who they acquired as part of the Lane Thomas trade package from the Cleveland Guardians last year. His defensive struggles at the hot corner were rather apparent for the last month or two of last year, and he wasn't a consistent factor at the plate, either. But on the other hand, I would argue that the entirety of his profile is eerily similar to the early days of Luis Garcia Jr, and we all saw what he became in 2024. Barring anything unforeseen in the next six weeks, Tena will open the season as Washington's starting third baseman.
Maybe we're all wrong. Maybe behind closed doors, the Nationals acknowledge that their current options at third base are wishful at best and they truly were in the running to sign Bregman. Even though there's not much evidence of that, it often is wise to not show your hand to the world. Maybe in spite of their words and actions, the Lerners and Mike Rizzo see what we all see.
One thing is for sure. If Tena, House and company don't provide stability at a minimum in 2025 and beyond, there will be a lot of fans that will question Washington's approach to this offseason, and specifically the decision to not empty their pockets in pursuit of Bregman.
What do you think? Are the internal options good enough, or should the Nationals have made a serious run at someone like Bregman? let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.