WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Nathaniel Lowe looked around the Nationals clubhouse Sunday morning and tried to get used to a few ideas previously foreign to him.

He’s not only the new guy in camp, having spent the last four seasons with the Rangers. He’s also now a veteran among a sea of promising young players, even though he’s only 29 himself and still two seasons away from free agency.

Oh, he’s also the highest-paid player on the team after ranking ninth last year in Texas as part of a roster that included the likes of Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

“I hope the guys aren’t scared to say something (to me),” Lowe said, perhaps half-joking and half-serious. “Because I know in that situation, I was freaking out when you see guys with some time. It’s still weird to be considered one of the older guys. But we’ll make the most of it.”

The Nationals acquired Lowe in December for reliever Robert Garcia because he filled a glaring need on their roster: a first baseman who can both hit for power and play smooth defense. And unlike free agents Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, he came relatively cheap (he’ll make $10.3 million this season, with a raise in store for 2026, his final year of arbitration eligibility).

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Position players don’t officially report to Nationals camp until Monday, with the first official full-squad workout Tuesday, but so many of them were already on hand early that the team decided to get started now with a time-honored, spring training workout: live batting practice.

Nine pitchers took turns facing groups of three live hitters on three different practice fields during this morning’s session. The largest crowd (including managing principal owner Mark Lerner) watched from behind the plate on Field 3 as MacKenzie Gore, Jose A. Ferrer and Jarlin Susana pitched to Stone Garrett, Alex Call and José Tena.

Gore had success against Garrett (one of his closest friends on the team), but it was Call who connected for a home run to left-center field off the left-hander and potential Opening Day starter.

Susana, the flamethrowing 20-year-old in major league camp for the first time, also had plenty of onlookers watching intently as he faced that same group of hitters, plus Keibert Ruiz. Drew Millas had the task of catching Susana’s 100-plus mph fastball, and the young backstop was eagerly awaiting that opportunity as everyone warmed up prior to the drill.

Field 6 saw Trevor Williams, Tyler Stuart and Clay Helvey take the mound against another group of hitters. Field 4 was manager Davey Martinez’s venue of choice, in part for the pitchers who worked there (Eduardo Salazar, Evan Reifert, Joan Adon) but maybe even more for the hitters who faced them (James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams).

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals’ search for more power has landed on a former All-Star shortstop who will now be asked to play third base in D.C.

The Nats signed Paul DeJong to a one-year, $1 million contract this morning, adding the veteran infielder to a roster lacking in experience and proven home run power. The 31-year-old passed his physical and settled into a new clubhouse, where he now resides in between veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and young shortstop CJ Abrams.

"This was the best offer I had, and I'm happy for this offer," he said. "This worked out great for me. Honestly, I think this is a great team for me to be on right now. A lot of great, young talent. I know a few guys in camp already, so it's not too unfamiliar to me. And being a local guy, living in (nearby) Jupiter, it makes it nice. I can just transition right into this first day."

Needing to clear space for DeJong on the 40-man roster, the Nationals placed right-hander Josiah Gray on the 60-day injured list. Gray isn't expected to return from last summer's Tommy John surgery until late this season.

A Rookie of the Year finalist in 2017 and an All-Star in 2019 with the Cardinals, DeJong has spent the last two seasons bouncing between five different organizations. He spent last year with the White Sox and Royals, hitting 24 homers with a .703 OPS but struggling to make contact, as evidenced by his .227 batting average, .276 on-base percentage, 156 strikeouts and 23 walks in 482 plate appearances.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – In a sport full of perfectionists, MacKenzie Gore rises above the fray. The Nationals left-hander expects the absolute best from himself, beats himself up when he doesn’t live up to that standard and always seeks improvement no matter how well his last start went.

This isn’t a recently learned trait for Gore. He didn’t just become this way as he rose up the baseball ladder. It predates everything.

“I think I’ve kind of always had that since I was 12, 14 years old,” he said. “That’s just the way I was raised. It’s just the way it should be. I think everyone should have super-high expectations. That’s just trying to get the most out of what you’re capable of.”

This mindset has worked both to and against Gore’s benefit since he joined the Nationals as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade in August 2022. It helps that he demands excellence from himself, and he’s got a half-dozen or so starts over the last two years that stack up with any in recent club history. It also hurts when he’s not going well, something that was all too evident last summer when he slogged his way through a lengthy pitching slump that threatened to ruin a strong season.

That slump took place over a stretch of eight starts from July 6 through Aug. 17. During that span, Gore went 1-4 with a 7.71 ERA, allowing a whopping 50 hits and 25 walks in only 35 innings. His season ERA skyrocketed from 3.47 to 4.66.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The early days of spring training are defined by two time-honored morning drills: Bullpen sessions and pitchers’ fielding practice. The former draws most of the attention, because it’s an opportunity to see pitchers work on their primary craft. But the latter, while mundane, matters quite a bit.

And that’s especially true for the Nationals this spring. After seeing several of their pitchers struggle in the field last season, there is a renewed emphasis on PFPs in this camp.

“Get off the mound, get to the ball and get an out,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We don’t want to see a spectacular play. We just want to see you make the routine play and just get an out.”

Nationals pitchers combined for minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved last season. Only two members of the staff rated higher than 1 DRS: Jake Irvin (6) and Trevor Williams (2). MacKenzie Gore (minus-3), Hunter Harvey (minus-3) and Mitchell Parker (minus-4) all rated near the bottom of the league.

Every team runs through the standard PFP drills every spring. Fielding bunts. Covering first base. Pickoff plays. So the Nats aren’t doing anything revolutionary in that regard.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals learned today they won their arbitration case against first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, a source familiar with the decision confirmed.

Lowe will make $10.3 million this season, the highest salary on the team’s current 2025 roster. He was seeking $11.1 million.

Acquired from the Rangers for reliever Robert Garcia in December, Lowe had two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. When he and the club were unable to agree to terms on their own before the leaguewide Jan. 9 deadline, they were required to submit competing arbitration figures. They wound up $800,000 apart.

A hearing was scheduled for Feb. 14, the last of nine arbitration hearings across Major League Baseball this winter, but the two sides were free to continue negotiating and could have settled on a number somewhere between the two competing offers and avoided the hearing altogether.

The Nationals actually had some recent history of settling, avoiding hearings with former outfielder Victor Robles in both 2022 and 2023 after initially filing for arbitration. In this case, they weren’t able to settle with Lowe and went to the hearing.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Ask Keibert Ruiz what he thought of his 2024 season, and the Nationals catcher doesn’t mince words.

“I was really disappointed with my season last year,” he said. “It wasn’t good, you know? I wasn’t happy.”

Ruiz then immediately flips the switch and turns his attention toward the upcoming season, one he can’t wait to get started.

“This is a new year. This is 2025, and I’m not going to think about the past. Just put my focus on this year.”

Before he could flip that switch, though, Ruiz had to take a hard look at last season. He had to be willing to accept his faults, not try to sugarcoat anything that went wrong and figure out how to improve in every possible way.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 30 pitchers in big league camp for the Nationals bounce around from practice field to practice field, working on various fundamental drills, all of them participating, all of them encouraging each other.

But when it comes time to throw off the bullpen mounds, two of those 30 pitchers are forced to stand off to the side and watch.

Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson are the only two pitchers in camp not yet cleared to throw off the mound. Each is recovering from Tommy John surgery, the latter much closer to returning than the former.

Gray, who had his elbow ligament replaced in July, only began playing catch four weeks ago. He’s restricted to simple throws on flat ground every other day for now. He won’t be allowed to throw off a mound for some time. But the 27-year-old right-hander, an All-Star in 2023 and the Nats’ Opening Day starter in 2024, is upbeat and excited to be able to participate in any way after six months of no baseball activities at all.

“The thing about it, he gets it,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And what I love about JoJo is that he’s not just here for him. He’s here for everybody else. So he’s engaged (with) his teammates. He’s watching bullpens. And I love that about him. He wants to see his teammates do well. He knows what’s ahead of him. And he wants to get ready to help us down the road. And that’s what he’s shooting for.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – He arrived from Japan late Thursday night, exhausted from the long flight and time change, but determined nonetheless to be in the Nationals clubhouse by 8 a.m., then on the practice fields a couple hours later for his first bullpen session as a major leaguer.

And with a bank of cameras, reporters, fans and even one Japanese pitching legend (Daisuke Matsuzaka) watching his every move from a few feet away, Shinnosuke Ogasawara took the mound and threw 40 pitches (at least 10 more than anyone else on hand today) before exiting to cool down and ultimately speak with those reporters and cameras.

What was Ogasawara’s first day at Nationals camp like?

“Nervous,” the left-hander said, according to interpreter Jumpei Ohashi.

Maybe there were nerves – and who could blame the 27-year-old for that – but there was still a positive takeaway from everyone who watched and interacted with the perpetually smiling Ogasawara.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – By any reasonable measure, DJ Herz’s 2024 season was a success. The young left-hander pitched well enough in 10 starts at Triple-A Rochester to earn a promotion. And then he pitched well enough in 19 starts with the Nationals (4.16 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, 106 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings) to feel like he had established his big league credentials.

That should guarantee Herz a spot in the Nats’ Opening Day rotation this season, right? Not at all.

When the team signed two major league veteran free agents (Michael Soroka, Trevor Williams) as well as an established Japanese pitcher (Shinnosuke Ogasawara), the 2025 rotation suddenly looked overcrowded. At least two, maybe all three, of those guys are going to make the rotation. And MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin are locks, given their performances the last two seasons and high ceilings for success.

That could leave both Herz and fellow young lefty Mitchell Parker on the outside looking in. Not that they’re bothered by it.

“I feel like we only got stronger,” Herz said of the Nationals’ offseason additions. “For me, I love the competition. I don’t like feeling comfortable or complacent. I like the feeling of: I’ve got to compete and go win a spot. I think it makes me a better player. I’m excited to be with them.”

JUPITER, Fla. – Despite what looked like a modest offseason, in terms of spending on free agents, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo believes the moves he did make will help boost a talented young roster into a more successful record this year.

“The (salaries) of the players on the field is about the same, if not a little less, than it was last year,” Rizzo said. “But I think that we have a better team than we had last year.”

Speaking at Major League Baseball’s Spring Training Media Day for the five clubs that train on Florida’s East Coast, Rizzo acknowledged the Nationals did not increase payroll from 2024 but stressed the importance of the additions he did make to address some obvious roster needs.

The Nats acquired seven major league players this offseason, six via free agency (Michael Soroka, Trevor Williams, Josh Bell, Jorge López, Amed Rosario, Shinnosuke Ogasawara) and one via trade (Nathaniel Lowe). Those seven players are set to make slightly less than $40 million this season, with Lowe, Williams and Ogasawara all under club control for another season and likely to make a combined $24 million or so in 2026.

Those additions, plus the salary increases of returning players, put the Nationals’ projected Opening Day payroll at $94 million, according to Spotrac. (More than $25 million of that is going to Stephen Strasburg, who has retired, and Joey Gallo, who received a $2.5 million buyout.) Last year’s total payroll, per Spotrac, was nearly $104 million.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The first official workout of the spring saw 10 members of the Nationals pitching staff take the mound for their first bullpen sessions in front of the full coaching staff and assembled media and fans.

There were familiar faces (MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduardo Salazar). There were semi-forgotten faces (Cade Cavalli, Joan Adon). And there were several new faces (Jarlin Susana, Evan Reifert, Tyler Stuart, Clay Helvey) were drew plenty of attention from observers getting their first look at that group.

Was there a common theme among all the throwers?

“What I liked today was that everyone looked like they were under control, throwing strikes,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Today, my message was very simple. Stay engaged. Keep where your feet are. And focus on throwing strikes. We’ve been very effective when we get ahead, and we’re going to continue to preach that.”

Perhaps the best sign of the progress the Nationals believe they’ve made in that regard: The famed “I don’t care how hard you throw ball four” signs that caused a minor stir last spring are nowhere to be found this time around.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If you can’t be optimistic on the first day of spring training, what’s even the point?

So obviously the Nationals were optimistic Wednesday as pitchers and catchers officially reported, with a plethora of position players also already on hand at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches several days before they are required to be here.

But they also have legitimate reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season. Three years into the franchise’s rebuild, they look around the clubhouse and see a room full of promising players who could come together to produce the team’s next contender.

“Absolutely. We’ve got incredible, young, talented players here now,” right-hander Jake Irvin said. “There’s no reason we can’t win right away.”

The Nationals haven’t had a winning record since they won the World Series in 2019. They bottomed out in 2022 at an abysmal 55-107, then rebounded to go 71-91 the following season. An identical record in 2024 wasn’t what anyone had in mind, but it can be reasonably argued it still represented progress because of the arrival of several top prospects, headlined by James Wood and Dylan Crews.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If the season began today, and the Nationals held a slim lead entering the ninth inning, who would emerge from the bullpen to close the game?

“Right now, I don’t try to think about it,” manager Davey Martinez said with a smile. “I think it’ll all shape up.”

The season doesn’t begin today, of course, and that’s probably a good thing because the Nats don’t have a complete handle on the eventual makeup of their Opening Day bullpen yet.

After non-tendering All-Star Kyle Finnegan following the season, the team has signed a couple of experienced free agents to modest contracts in right-hander Jorge López ($3 million) and left-hander Colin Poche (minor league deal). Those two join returning setup man Derek Law, promising young lefty Jose A. Ferrer, returning-from-injury Mason Thompson and inexperienced righties Eduardo Salazar, Zach Brzykcy, Orlando Ribalta and Evan Reifert in a relief corps that looks quite diminished on paper.

López is the only one in the group with anything resembling big-league closing experience, with 23 of his 31 career saves coming in 2022 with the Orioles and Twins. He is best suited in a setup role, perhaps sharing that job with always-available workhorse Law.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The face looks a little more weathered, the kind of thing that comes naturally with age. The body looks a little more bulked up, the product of an offseason spent adding 10 pounds of muscle. The smile, though, that hasn’t changed at all.

And CJ Abrams flashed that smile all morning as he walked through the Nationals’ clubhouse, chatting up teammates, coaches and reporters, then when he took the field for an informal workout. The 24-year-old shortstop was back in his element after a roller coaster of a 2024 season, determined to enjoy the 2025 campaign in every possible way.

“I’m back with the boys,” he said. “I get to play baseball with them, get better with them and just enjoy ourselves out here.”

Abrams reported to camp early, arriving Monday, more than a full week before position players are required to show up. He’s hardly the only one; more than a dozen position players are already here. But his arrival carries more significance than most.

The last time Abrams was in the Nationals’ major league clubhouse, he was informed by manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo he was being optioned to the minors for the season’s final week after getting caught in the wee hours of the morning at a Chicago casino in advance of an afternoon game at Wrigley Field.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – When 30 pitchers and six catchers officially report for spring training this morning, and when 22 more position players officially report next week, the Nationals will begin preparing for a 2025 season that will differ from the previous three in one especially important manner.

For the first time since they tore down the last remnants of their championship roster and embarked on a franchise rebuild, they will be facing increased pressure to win.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a winning record is mandatory this year, though it would certainly be preferable after five straight losing seasons. But legitimate progress is required in 2025, from top young players realizing their full potential, to the front office making the right additions to supplement that core, to the coaching staff getting more out of these players, to ownership doing its part to provide the resources necessary to make it all happen.

The Nats won 71 games last season, same as the previous season. There’s a strong case to be made the most recent 71-win season still represented progress, given the bevy of young building blocks who joined the roster in 2024 for the first time. But everyone agreed back in late September that won’t be enough in 2025. It’s time to win more games.

“I think we should have better results next year, yes,” manager Davey Martinez said during his team’s final series. “One hundred percent.”

During the early parts of this offseason, the Nationals were in search of starting pitchers. It didn’t need to be filled right then and there, but the front office brass left December’s Winter Meetings in Dallas without any additions to the major league roster except for Rule 5 Draft pick Evan Reifert.

Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams became free agents at the end of last season. Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz, while impressive in their respective rookie seasons, weren’t sure things to stay in the big league rotation in 2025.

Josiah Gray is expected to miss most of this year while recovering from his Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure. Cade Cavalli still needs to prove he can pitch every five days in the majors while working his way back from his own Tommy John surgery.

MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin were the only sure things in the Nats rotation heading into the new season.

But then a week after returning home from Dallas, the Nats signed right-hander Michael Soroka to a modest one-year, $9 million contract. On New Year’s Eve, they brought back Williams on a new two-year, $14 million deal. And in January, they signed left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara to a two-year, $3.5 million contract, the first ever given by the club to a player directly from Asia.

When the Nationals decided to non-tender All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey on Nov. 22, they were letting go the only two relief pitchers on their roster who had real major league experience in high-leverage end-of-game situations.

After a spectacular start to the season with a 1.98 ERA and 23 saves on July 4, Finnegan struggled after his first All-Star selection. Over his final 28 appearances, he pitched to a 5.93 ERA with only 15 saves in 17 chances. Although he finished third in the major leagues with 38 saves, his overall 3.68 ERA was the third-highest among relievers with 26 or more saves.

Nonetheless, the Nats’ decision to part ways with Finnegan, who at 33 was projected to make $8.6 million in his last year of arbitration eligibility by MLB Trade Rumors, was unexpected.

The choice to non-tender Rainey, however, was less surprising. The 32-year-old right-hander was still trying to rediscover his form after August 2022 Tommy John surgery. Although he pitched to a 2.14 ERA and 1.000 WHIP over the season’s final two months, his overall numbers of 4.76 and 1.490 weren’t encouraging enough for the Nats to hold onto the last remaining player from their 2019 championship roster for one more year.

So the Nats entered the thick of the Hot Stove Season in need of a closer. And here we are two days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach where the question still stands: Who’s the closer?

The Nationals have filled almost every need on their roster this offseason. “Almost” being the key word.

Nathaniel Lowe was acquired to play first base.

Josh Bell was brought back to be the designated hitter and first base backup.

Amed Rosario was signed to add depth as a utility player.

Michael Soroka, Trevor Williams and Shinnosuke Ogasawara were brought in to fill out the rotation.

We’ve finally hit the final stretch of the offseason! Nationals pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach on Wednesday, kicking off the 2025 season.

So we’re going to use the remaining days leading up to spring training to preview the top storylines that will play out during camp. And to keep with this team’s overall youth theme, we’ll start with a look at the young players still to come.

At this time last year, all the attention was on the arrivals of James Wood and Dylan Crews, and whether or not they could make the Opening Day roster. They didn’t, but they both found themselves as everyday big leaguers by the end of the regular season.

Who are this year’s top prospects to watch in spring training?

Robert Hassell III and Trey Lipscomb will be back as members of the 40-man roster, with the Nationals also inviting Brady House, Yohandy Morales, Cayden Wallace, Daylen Lile, Andrew Pinckney and Caleb Lomavita to big league camp.