For two months, we knew the Nationals’ biggest offseason need was a first baseman. And for two months, we waited and waited and waited to see who Mike Rizzo would acquire for that all-important position.
In the end, he didn’t sign one of the big-name (aka high-priced) free agents. Pete Alonso remains unsigned, with a return to the Mets perhaps the likeliest outcome. Christian Walker is now an Astro, getting three years and $60 million.
Nor did Rizzo sign one of the second-tier, fallback options in free agency. Paul Goldschmidt went to the Yankees for one year and $12.5 million. Carlos Santana went to the Guardians for one year and $12 million, shortly after Cleveland traded Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks.
In the end, Rizzo went the trade route himself, snagging Nathaniel Lowe from the Rangers for Robert Garcia on Sunday evening in a deal that finally addressed his team’s biggest need while at the same time creating additional need at another critical position: reliever.
Who is Lowe? He’s a 29-year-old, lefty-hitting, righty-throwing native of Norfolk, Va., who went to high school in suburban Atlanta and played in college at Mississippi State before the Rays used their 13th-round pick on him in the 2016 draft. After getting a taste of the big leagues in 2019-20, the Rays traded him to the Rangers, who gave him the opportunity to play every day.