Offseason Position Discussion : 1B

A lot of things went wrong in 2025 but none were so clearly made to work NOW and so clearly a failure then the Nats' answer at 1B.  The Nats brought in Nathaniel Lowe with a trade* to man the position in 2025-2026 likely with an eye for having him possibly be there beyond. He had been a sneaky good 1B, one that ranked 5-10 overall with consistent solid hitting since arriving in the majors and glove that he worked into average to good. There was one thing they didn't consider though...

Nathaniel Lowe is a dog. 

In the only possible explanation, after struggling early Lowe stopped trying on a team heading nowhere showing terribly in the field and the plate. The Nats had no recourse but the jettison him for what ever they could get.  He immediately started trying again for the Red Sox putting up decent numbers and solidifying himself as a jackass. But knowing that doesn't help the Nats much. They are now unexpectedly without a 1B for 2026 with his positional replacement Josh Bell, who was signed for a 1 year stop DH gap, also gone.  

Presumed Plan : 

A FA stop gap with a back-up from within or a stretch trial for someone here with a FA stop gap DH as the quick back-up replacement. 

Reasoning behind Presumed Plan : 

There's nothing in the minors. The Nats tried Andres Chaparro at the position but he didn't look good at the plate and isn't a natural fielder. He might turn the bat around to not be a total embarrassment but you don't want to go into a season relying on that. Yohandy Morales looked like he might be on the fast track for a trial but he struggled in AAA.  Completely reasonable for a 23 year old, but it does mean he doesn't factor into 2026 plans. 

There's nothing obvious here. You could move James Wood here now, but that seems premature given his age and you don't want to rock the boat with your best young player. You could move Daylen Lile here now, but you don't want to rock the boat with a young player just coming into his own. You could move Luis Garcia there now, but you have to imagine it's easier to find a 1B than a 2B. 

 So what's left is a FA. A FA 1B would make the most sense letting the Nats try to find a bat at DH and if the 1B fails maybe that DH takes over, but a free agent DH that could take over 1B is also a possibility.

My Take :  

Two positions in and there is nothing good or easy to speak of. The Nats need to fill this position and can't internally so to the FA pool they go.  They likely aren't serious about winning in 2026 so a Ryan O'Hearn (the best non Alonso option with Naylor off the table) isn't going to be a target. Is there any reason not to just bring back Josh Bell, a guy you like and has shown he'll play here and actually try? Guys like Carlos Santana, Paul Goldschmidt, and Justin Turner, are very slightly better than Bell and offer some veteran presence but could also just crash out. Rhys Hoskins and Luis Arraez make interesting gambles, especially Arraez whose batting approach resembles Lile's an approach that most players can't make work in the long term but he has, but both may be looking for multi-year deals, even if cheap ones, the Nats aren't likely to give. So after that no, there's not really a reason not to just bring back Bell. 

The specific DH field is weak. Schwarber who will get paid, Ozuna who I don't want, then nothing. So I don't like the FA DH route. 

I think looking at this I like Arraez for 2+ years if that what it takes but I'm not going to blame the Nats if they don't go this route. I also kind of think there might be a 2B around late in FA that would be worth grabbing.  We should keep an eye on that. However, I think most likely is they just sit and watch FA and in early March they grab the best hitter they can for a 1 year "prove it" deal and they figure out what that means for 1B.  I don't like it but I also am not going to fool myself to think that there's anything out there the Nats should go for or that they would go for it if they could. 

 

 *for Robert Garcia who immediately showed he was a very good lefty reliever - the type that would have likely brought back more in trade than Lowe.  

Offseason Position Discussion : C

 Huh. That was a longer break than I thought.  Thanks for the kind words in the comments. Yes, I'm not as motivated to post as I have been in the past, but rest assured I won't end the blog with a ghosting. First I'll try a couple new things if I really can't keep up what I've done in the past. Then I'll let you know if that ain't working for me. 

Speaking of what I've done in the past - Off-season position reviews. 

 

The Nats catcher situation was bad. Having your catchers hit .227 / .270 / .323 with at best mediocre defense is pretty terrible.  Hopes that Keibert was a victim of past injuries and his solid start was the "real" Ruiz were dashed on the rocks of the rest of the season. A Ruiz concussion mid-season forced more time for Riley Adams, who actually played more games at the position than anyone, but he lost his pop making him a worse hitter than Ruiz.  After the All-Star break, Drew Millas starting playing about every 3rd game and did pretty well but broke a finger at the end of August and was done for the season 

Presumed Plan : 

I'm not sure it's clear. If I were to guess I would say they are eyeing playing Drew Millas a lot more, even possibly letting him have a limited starting role (think 120 games) and jettisoning of one of Ruiz/Adams, likely Adams. It's possible that the one that stays behind doesn't even start the season in the majors and instead the Nats bring up a seasoned C to back-up/mentor Millas.

Reasoning behind Presumed Plan : 

The plan for catcher that seemed so sure in 2021 has gone off the rails. Ruiz, who was solid all-around around that time, has regressed in all facets of the game. He simply cannot be assumed to have a starting position anymore. Adams, who was seen as a reasonable back-up, adding the punch that Ruiz never had, has lost that punch. While he's held his skills behind the plate, those were never good in the first place. At 30 mid-season next year you can't be thinking there's a renaissance happening. 

So Millas wins the position by default. He did well in a brief audition. He's at a make it or break it age on if he'll ever be worth something to this team.  The Nats have plenty of other issues to deal with that if they have an internal option they are likely to go with it. He's a solid defender with a good eye and looking at baseball in general they could do a lot worse that having a guy like that behind the plate as long as he can hit in the mid .200s.  

As for the back-up idea. I think Ruiz/Adams serving as back-up does nothing for them or the team.  You want Ruiz to figure out his issues, if that's possible, so that means playing time. He should be in the minors.  However, his contract might keep him up with the team.  If not, a guy like Luke Maile - very solid defender for many years, could fit in well giving Millas the best chance to succeed. 

My Take :  

Ruiz looks like toast and the Nats can't spend anymore serious major league time hoping he gets it.  And him as a back-up - bad hitter, bad defender - makes zero sense. So a test of the new regime will be where Ruiz ends up.  If his contract keeps him in DC that's a strike against them. I definitely prefer a veteran here - the type of vet Ruiz didn't really have himself with Adams serving as primary back-up for the past 3 years. 

Adams should be gone. It's that simple. Without the power I'm not sure what he offers other than a warm body.  He had a good long trial here.  It didn't work out. 

While I think Ruiz will have a chance to earn a spot - I also think Millas is simply better and unless he shows he's not recovered from his injury he should have the role. That is unless the team spends money or trades for something here but I doubt that.