The Nationals signed Amed Rosario to a one-year, $2 million contract this morning, adding an experienced middle infielder who could take over the utilityman role on the 2025 roster.

Rosario, 29, owns a .273 batting average and .706 OPS in 942 career big league games with five clubs, most of those coming with the Mets and Guardians. An everyday shortstop in New York and Cleveland during the first portion of his career, he has shifted into more of a utility role in recent seasons.

Rosario played for three different teams (Rays, Dodgers, Reds) in 2024, finishing with a .280 batting average, .686 OPS, 18 doubles, three homers, 32 RBIs and 13 stolen bases across 346 plate appearances. He played all around the field, with 27 games at second base, 26 in right field, 15 at third base and 14 at shortstop.

To clear space for Rosario on their full 40-man roster, the Nationals designated right-hander Joan Adon for assignment. Adon, who burst onto the scene with a nine-strikeout debut against the Red Sox on the final day of the 2021 season, never rediscovered that magic during the ensuing three years. In 35 total big league games with the Nats (26 of them starts), he went 3-16 with a 6.66 ERA.

Rosario appears poised to take over the utility role previously held by Ildemaro Vargas, who was cut loose in November after 2 1/2 seasons in D.C. Rosario is four years younger than Vargas, with better offensive numbers but less defensive prowess.

The notion of scribbling out potential lineups for the 2025 Nationals has seemed pointless most of the offseason, because there were too many vacancies still to fill, vacancies in prime spots in the batting order.

It may still be too early to attempt this exercise, because more moves are possible between now and the first day of spring training, especially as it pertains to third base. But the recent additions of Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell did fill the two most significant holes in the lineup, so it’s not impossible to start thinking about Davey Martinez’s plan for his regular one through nine.

There’s no perfect order to arrange the current group, whether due to a lack of track record for some, a lack of recent power for others and an excess of left-handed hitters who are going to have to be stacked together by default. But here’s one possible look Martinez could consider for Opening Day against the Phillies …

1. SS CJ Abrams (L)
2. RF Dylan Crews (R)
3. LF James Wood (L)
4. 1B Nathaniel Lowe (L)
5. DH Josh Bell (S)
6. 2B Luis Garcia Jr. (L)
7. C Keibert Ruiz (S)
8. 3B Jose Tena (L)
9. CF Jacob Young (R)

The biggest question Martinez faces is at the top of his lineup. The Abrams-Crews-Wood trio is likely to occupy the top three slots, but the order isn’t necessarily a sure thing.

Josh Bell first came to the Nationals, not by choice, on Christmas Eve 2020. Traded to Washington by the Pirates franchise that drafted him nine years earlier, he quickly embraced the team and the town and openly spoke of his desire to stay here for the long haul.

That, of course, didn’t happen. And it again wasn’t by his choice. The Nats included Bell in the blockbuster Juan Soto trade, sending both stars to the Padres in exchange for a horde of prospects. And in the 2 1/2 years since, Bell bounced all around the sport.

He finally got to pick his destination as a free agent following the 2022 season and chose the Guardians, who offered him a two-year, $33 million deal. But within months he was traded again, this time to the Marlins. Who one year later shipped him to the Diamondbacks.

Now, at long last after a nomadic baseball existence, Bell finally got another chance to return to D.C. The Nationals were interested in bringing him back. He was interested in returning. And nearly four years to the day of that initial trade from Pittsburgh, he agreed to a new $6 million contract with the Nats, fulfilling a longstanding wish.

“When I initially got traded, I always told myself I was going to come back,” he said Monday in a Zoom conference call with reporters. “I understood the business part of the game, but different opportunities presented themselves. I kind of bounced around a little bit here and there. I was a little bit of a journeyman the last couple years. But I’m thankful for those opportunities. And when I reached free agency again this year, I talked to (agent Scott Boras) and he told me the Nats liked me. I said: ‘If you can make something happen, let’s do it.’”

You can be forgiven if you missed this news item while paying attention to football, snow prep or both on Sunday, but the Nationals officially announced the Josh Bell signing. That one-year, $6 million deal was agreed to one week earlier but wasn’t done-done until Bell passed his physical, which has now happened.

There’s an important side note to mention with this transaction. Bell’s addition now leaves the Nats’ 40-man roster entirely full for the first time in months. They had maneuvered their way to create four openings heading into the Winter Meetings in December, then proceeded to fill those spots with the signings of free agents Bell, Trevor Williams and Michael Soroka, the selection of Evan Reifert in the Rule 5 Draft and the one-for-one trade of Robert Garcia to the Rangers for Nathaniel Lowe.

What that means: If they want to acquire any more major league players this winter, the Nationals will first need to clear more 40-man spots to make that possible. Considering they are still woefully thin on experienced relievers, while also potentially still looking for a more established third baseman, it’s safe to say moves are forthcoming.

You never want to have to drop someone from the 40-man, but a scan of the Nats’ current roster reveals more than a few names who will probably be under consideration when the time comes.

Here’s a look at the full 40-man roster as it now stands, broken down by position …

It’s been a slow offseason, not only for the Nationals but across the sport. Though teams began to get more active before the holidays, hundreds of free agents remain unsigned as the calendar shifts to 2025.

This isn’t anything new; the market seems to get slower and slower each winter, with more and more players forced to wait until February (or even March) to find out where they’re going to play that season. And we could be headed down a similar path over the next two months.

We’ve talked about the players the Nats have added so far this offseason. We haven’t talked a lot about the players they lost. Most of them remained unsigned at this date, with Trevor Williams (who returned to the club on a new two-year deal last week) a notable exception.

Here’s a look at the seven other members of the 2024 Nationals who became free agents at season’s end, either because their contracts expired or the team decided to part ways with them …

JACOB BARNES
The veteran reliever became a free agent after going 8-3 with a 4.36 ERA in 63 games, serving in a variety of bullpen roles. Barnes, who turns 35 in April, hasn’t signed anywhere yet, with the market for relievers having yet to take off. The Nationals could show interest in bringing him back, though he may have to be willing to accept another minor league deal.

The Nationals entered the offseason knowing they needed to acquire a new first baseman. Then they went and essentially acquired two of them over the holidays.

Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell aren’t the same kind of player. Lowe is more well rounded, draws more walks and plays better defense. Bell is more of a prototypical, all-or-nothing slugger who can carry a lineup for weeks at a time but is typically a liability in the field.

So, the plan – as best as we can tell at this point – is for Lowe to be the everyday first baseman, with Bell assuming designated hitter duties. Given the strengths and weaknesses of these two, that seems to make the most sense.

What, though, becomes of the other first basemen/DH types already on the Nats roster?

The team had a bunch of them last season, with Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses and Juan Yepez each getting roughly equal playing time at first base (54 games, 50 games, 45 games, respectively) and Andrés Chaparro (12 games) also getting a look down the stretch.

As he walked out of Nationals Park following his team’s Sept. 29 season finale, Trevor Williams made sure to soak it all in and say some goodbyes. Just in case this was his final day as a member of the team.

“I was hopeful that I would come back. I was really hopeful,” he said. “I really loved it there. My family loved it in D.C. and Virginia, and I was hopeful we’d come back. But it was also sad, because you never know what could happen in free agency. I’m thankful that I was able to sign back and be here for at least another two years.”

Williams indeed is back for at least two more years, having now officially signed a new $14 million contract with the Nats that runs through the 2026 season. Speaking with reporters via a Zoom conference Thursday, the veteran right-hander expressed gratitude the team wanted him back, especially in his preferred role.

Having already signed Michael Soroka to a $9 million deal two weeks ago, the Nationals might not have had a guaranteed rotation spot for Williams anymore. There’s long been thoughts of using him as a swingman, knowing he’s had success as a long reliever and spot starter in the past. But when asked Thursday what he’s been told about his role heading into 2025, Williams made it clear he’s been assured of a spot in the rotation.

“I’ll be a starter,” he said. “And then we’re keeping the door open for second base/shortstop, too. But definitely starting pitcher.”

The Nationals entered the offseason knowing they needed to bolster their lineup, especially in the power department. They have made two prominent additions so far, trading for Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and bringing back old friend Josh Bell to serve as designated hitter in his second go-around with the club.

Will those two make a substantial difference to a lineup desperate for more production? If they duplicate their 2024 performances, yes, they should make a difference. Though improvement is still needed elsewhere in the lineup.

It’s worth noting how much (or how little) production the Nationals got from their first basemen and designated hitters last season. Their first basemen combined for a .686 OPS, which ranked 22nd among major league teams. Their collective 0.3 bWAR ranked 21st out of 30 teams. Meanwhile, their assortment of DHs combined for a woeful .615 OPS (28th in the majors) and 0.1 bWAR (25th).

Yeah, that’s bottom-of-the-barrel production out of two of the most important offensive positions in baseball.

Lowe and Bell may not be superstars, but they’re clearly better than what the Nats had in 2024.

It’s officially 2025 now, and that means a fresh start and raised expectations for a Nationals club that made strides in 2024 but still hasn’t climbed all the way out of the franchise rebuild they first embarked on in July 2021.

This is the year, everyone hopes, when the Nats end their streak of five consecutive losing seasons. This is the year, everyone hopes, when they return to contention for the first time since 2019. This is the year, everyone hopes, when their new core of young players realizes its full potential and leads the club to heights not experienced since the last star-studded core did it over an eight-season run of success.

And this is the year, everyone hopes, when the Nationals start adding established big leaguers via free agency and/or trade to bolster that promising young core.

Alas, that didn’t happen during the final two months of 2024. The Nats made very little news through all of November and the majority of December, but the final two weeks finally saw a flurry of activity with the acquisitions of four major league players.

It began with the signing of Michael Soroka to a one-year, $9 million contract, giving the pitching staff a former All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up whose career in Atlanta was sidetracked by freak injuries but may have been rejuvenated late last season in the White Sox bullpen.

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We conclude the series today with the long-awaited arrival of James Wood and Dylan Crews to the big leagues …

For three years, the Nationals’ best pitch to fans and the baseball world in general was to ask for patience. The franchise had torn down its championship roster, and it would take some time for the next generation of potential stars to rise through the ranks and take over in D.C.

It’s not easy to be patient, especially when it pertains to a ballclub that enjoyed eight straight winning seasons (five of those resulting in playoff berths) before falling into five consecutive losing seasons (one of which featured a club-record 107 losses). But the Nats insisted there was a light at the end of the tunnel. And the best evidence of that came this summer with the long-awaited promotions of two of the best prospects in baseball.

When James Wood debuted on July 1 and Dylan Crews followed on Aug. 26, the Nationals entered a new phase of the rebuild. They weren’t a winning team yet, far from it. But the addition of two elite young players to a roster already filled with other potential building blocks felt extra significant. For the first time since the teardown began in July 2021, the field was awash not in veterans set to be flipped at the trade deadline, not in stopgap solutions who had no real future here. No, everyone on the field had a chance to be part of the next winning team in D.C.

“They’re going to grow together,” manager Davey Martinez said at the conclusion of Crews’ first full series. “We’re going to do some really good things, and a lot faster than people think.”

Turns out the Nationals didn’t replace Trevor Williams with Michael Soroka as it briefly appeared, because they decided to re-sign the veteran right-hander after all.

Williams and the Nats have agreed to a new two-year, $14 million deal, a source familiar with the terms confirmed this morning, the two sides reuniting after a successful 2024 season, albeit one sidetracked by a lengthy stint on the injured list.

The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt was first to report the signing.

After going 6-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 1.035 WHIP in 13 starts, Williams departed at season’s end looking to cash in as a free agent, hoping to get assurances of a full-time starter’s job. The Nationals didn’t appear likely to be able to offer that guarantee, and their subsequent signing of Soroka for $9 million before the holiday break suggested they had found their replacement for Williams.

But the possibility of a return always lingered, if someone was willing to accept a role that could shift to the bullpen at some point. Williams, who had success as a swingman with the Mets in 2022, could now find himself back in that role. Soroka, who was more effective as a reliever than starter for the White Sox this year, could also wind up in the bullpen (though in his introductory Zoom call with reporters, he said the team promised him a starter’s job).

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We continue the series today with CJ Abrams’ wild, up-and-down season …

Had you been asked on Opening Day to pick the Nationals player most likely destined for a breakout season, you very well might have said CJ Abrams.

The young shortstop had made some significant strides during the second half of the 2023 season, whether at the plate, on the bases or in the field, and there was real optimism about his chances of putting it all together in 2024.

And for a prolonged stretch, that’s exactly what he did, living up to the lofty expectations and establishing himself as the best player on this up-and-coming team. Until he slumped badly in the second half, then shockingly saw his season end not in Washington but in West Palm Beach following a disciplinary demotion.

Let’s start with the good stuff. Abrams stormed out of the gates with a blistering opening month. At the end of April, he was batting .295 with a .373 on-base percentage, .619 slugging percentage, 16 extra-base hits (seven of them homers) and seven stolen bases. It was a breakthrough in the best possible way.

The Nationals’ offseason got a little warmer on Sunday night when they agreed to bring back Josh Bell on a one-year, $6 million deal, a source confirmed.

The deal, which is pending a physical, was first reported by The New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

Bell, 32, spent 1 ½ seasons with Washington after coming over in a trade with the Pirates on Christmas Eve 2020 that saw minor leaguers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean go to Pittsburgh.

In his first season with the Nats, the switch-hitting Bell slashed .261/.347/.476 with an .823 OPS, 24 doubles, 27 home runs and 88 RBIs in 144 games.

Bell then slashed .301/.384/.493 with an .877 OPS, 24 doubles, 14 RBIs and 47 RBIs in 103 games in 2022 before being included in a blockbuster trade with the Padres. The Nats had already agreed upon a historic package of prospects (MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood and Robert Hassell III) for Juan Soto. But general manager Mike Rizzo reportedly also wanted right-handed flamethrower Jarlin Susana.

And so we have reached the final installment of a series 20 years in the making. It’s time to reveal the five greatest players in Nationals history. Thanks again to everyone who has read and commented on the previous editions. It’s always great to hear the diverse set of opinions on such a fun topic. For those who haven’t read them yet, here are links to the articles on Nos. 16-20, Nos. 11-15 and Nos. 6-10.

These final five share a lot of things in common. Every one of them excelled while in Washington, all of them performing not only at an All-Star level but at times a Hall of Fame level. All played here for at least parts of five seasons, two of them for more than a decade. Four were homegrown, one acquired in a massive free agent deal. Most importantly, all five played in and were significant contributors to the first World Series title in franchise history.

There will be plenty of discussion about the final order selected below. There’s a reasonable case for everyone from this group to rank anywhere in the top five. In the end, it came down to a combination of excellence, longevity and legacy …

NO. 5 – JUAN SOTO
Outfielder, 2018-22
Stats: 565 G, 2439 PA, 1954 AB, 399 R, 569 H, 108 2B, 9 3B, 119 HR, 358 RBI, 38 SB, 14 CS, 464 BB, 414 SO, .291 AVG, .427 OBP, .538 SLG, .966 OPS, 159 OPS+, 21.3 bWAR, 21.0 fWAR

Soto didn’t come out of nowhere; the Nationals gave him a $1.5 million bonus when they signed him at 16 out of the Dominican Republic. And they always knew he had elite hitting skills and a patient eye to go along with it. But his rise to the majors was shockingly quick. In the span of three weeks in April-May 2018, he was promoted from low Single-A Hagerstown to high Single-A Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg to the big leagues. And then immediately thrived and never looked back.

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We continue the series today by looking at the moves the Nats did and did not make at the trade deadline …

For much of a decade, the Nationals used the trade deadline to add to their major league roster in order to compete for a World Series championship. Of course, they reached that goal in 2019. But at the cost of their farm system.

In the years since, general manager Mike Rizzo has used the deadline to rebuild the farm system by trading major league talent for minor league prospects.

It started with Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and a host of others in 2021. Juan Soto and Josh Bell netted a historic return in 2022. And then Jeimer Candelario was used to acquire two more young players, one of whom played a big role in the starting rotation this year, in 2023.

But what about 2024?

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We continue the series today with the emergence of the young starters in the rotation …

Under Mike Rizzo, the Nationals have always built their roster around starting pitching.

“You can never have enough starting pitching,” the long-time general manager routinely says when discussing his roster.

Just look at the additions he’s made over the years: Drafting Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, trading for Gio González, and signing Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez.

But since starting this rebuild in 2021 by trading Scherzer, the Nats have turned their focus into acquiring and developing young starting pitchers to build a new dominant rotation.

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2024. We begin the series today looking back at the departures of the final pieces from the 2019 World Series championship team …

The revolving door had been turning since that glorious night in Houston on Oct. 30, 2019. The roster that helped the Nationals clinch their first World Series championship in franchise history would never be assembled again. But that didn’t mean pieces couldn’t linger.

Players – both of the utmost importance and those who were along for the ride – stayed around in the years since. That was until this year when, finally, the last pieces of that championship squad departed D.C.

The first to leave in 2024 was the World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg. After a convoluted and confusing path to get there, the 36-year-old officially retired on April 6, months after plans were already in place to announce the end of his career due to complications from thoracic outlet syndrome.

The hold-up? The money still owed Strasburg, who only pitched 31 ⅓ innings in three years after the World Series, from the seven-year, $245 million extension he signed in December 2019. He was still owed $100 million over the next three years.

Merry Christmas to all! To those who celebrate, I hope you’re enjoying the holiday with friends and family. And to those who don’t, I wish you a day filled with peace and love.

One of my favorite holiday songs, “The Christmas Waltz” originally by Frank Sinatra, has a line that says, “It's that time of year when the world falls in love.” And that could not be more true this year for me.

My wife and I welcomed our first child into the world last week. An early Christmas present and the best we’ve ever received.

Robert Callum Blanco was born a healthy baby boy in D.C. Callum and mom are doing great. He’s an absolute bundle of joy with five tools: snuggly, squishy, smiley, squeaky and simply lovable. And his mother is a superhero by my standards.

Usually the one asking in interviews, I’ve fielded a lot of questions about what fatherhood is like for me. The best answer I’ve come up with in these early days is understanding.

Nathaniel Lowe wasn’t exactly shocked when he got the news Sunday.

The Rangers first baseman had already seen his team acquire corner infielder Jake Burger from the Marlins this month, and there were rumblings they were in the market for Joc Pederson as well. He seemed to be getting squeezed out of his everyday job, maybe squeezed out of Texas altogether.

So when his phone rang Sunday and the caller ID showed “Chris Young,” Lowe correctly guessed he had just been traded. The only question was where he was going.

“When you see the GM’s phone pop up in the middle of winter, that’s kind of usually how that goes. It’s my second time getting traded in the winter,” Lowe said during a Zoom call with reporters Monday. “I’m excited for a new opportunity. And when he said I was going to Washington, I was like: ‘Let’s go for it!’”

Acquired by the Nationals for reliever Robert Garcia, Lowe has had 24 hours to process the news and look forward to a new challenge. The 29-year-old is embracing this one, in large part because it stirs up echoes of his joining the Rangers in 2021 after getting limited playing time the previous two seasons with the Rays.

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.