The Washington Nationals are off to a surprising start to their season after taking the opening series from the Chicago Cubs and dominating the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of their second series as well. While the Nationals lost last night, they are positioned to earn a series victory today if they can give Cade Cavalli some run support.
But off the field, there is a trend going on around the majors that the Nationals might want to consider. That would be the concept of locking up young star players early on to secure their prime years and pay them actual big-league money, hoping that their faith is rewarded later on.
This is not necessarily a new trend, as we saw it previously with guys like Jackson Chourio, Kristian Campbell, and even less notable players like Evan White or Colt Keith, but is a newer one to the Nationals. In fact, the only player on their roster who has been signed to an early extension was Keibert Ruiz, a contract that has backfired for the most part thus far.
But with a new front office, led by Paul Toboni, who not only played a part in the operations for the Boston Red Sox when they inked Campbell but also signed Roman Anthony to a deal after not having that many games under his belt, could he consider extending any Nationals' youngsters?
It certainly is possible, and tomorrow I will be putting out a follow-up article centered around a few players that the Nationals might actually consider giving deals to, but it is fair to wonder if the new regime in place would even want to think about it in the first place. Considering the Nationals were burned on their last early investment, it is completely feasible that ownership would want the new front office to be conservative with their investing.
Also consider the fact that Toboni is actively figuring out which players he wants to keep around for the long haul before having the roster filled out entirely with guys that either he signed, drafted, or traded for, and it does make the question of whether or not he would want to sign anyone early a more complicated question.
As we have already seen with Dylan Crews, who was demoted before the season began, draft status and previous statuses mean little to the new guys in charge, and every player is on a level playing field with regard to how they are looked at by the organization. While some guys like James Wood and CJ Abrams are already seen as bona fide stars or starters, many other players are trying to prove they belong in that same echelon.
Would you want the Nationals to lock up any of these youngsters before they drive their price up? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.