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.
4 comments:
Bell reunion seems like the best bet. Sam Brown is a maybe, but it's more likely he never appears in the big leagues for the Nats.
Christian Franklin can hit. The better fielder between him and Lile plays RF, the other goes to 1B.
Bell is a terrific guy. I'd love to have him as a friend and neighbor. But please don't bring him back. He's a terrible first baseman. In particular, he misses almost every short hop. Given that CJ Abrams isn't very accurate, a first baseman with at least average defensive skills is a must. Can we see if Ryan Z or Adam LaRoche want to make a comeback?
Harper, how do you feel about the "Garcia to 1b, Abrams to 2b, Nunez to SS" idea that's kicking around the InterNats? I have my thoughts, but am interested in yours.
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