The state of the organizational depth chart entering the offseason

There’s already been a good amount of roster turnover for the Nationals since season’s end, with multiple veterans becoming free agents and several other notable players dropped from the 40-man roster earlier this week.

As the offseason gets underway, there are now four open slots on that 40-man roster, slots that could go to free agent acquisitions or in-house prospects ready for promotion. And if more slots are needed, there are a handful of current players who could still be dropped to create space.

What do the Nats currently have? What do they still need? Let’s take a look at the organizational depth chart as currently constructed to get a better idea of the state of things, going position by position. Players on the 40-man roster are listed first, with some minor leaguers not yet on the 40-man listed below them with an asterisk next to their names …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Drew Millas
Riley Adams
Brady Lindsly*
Onix Vega*
Caleb Lomavita*
Kevin Bazzell*

Comment: Ruiz was deemed the Nationals’ long-term answer behind the plate two years ago when he signed his $50 million extension, but there will be pressure on him to show real improvement after a disappointing season. Millas and Adams were on the D.C.-to-Rochester-and-back shuttle all year, neither seizing the job. And now that he’s arbitration-eligible, Adams could be a non-tender candidate later this month. For the first time in club history, the Nats used high draft picks on catchers this summer, selecting both Lomavita and Bazzell. Neither is going to be big league ready in 2025, but both are worth keeping an eye on.

FIRST BASE
Juan Yepez
Andrés Chaparro
Roismar Quintana*
Yoyo Morales*

Comment: If there’s one position the Nationals appear certain to address this winter, it’s first base. The only question is whether Mike Rizzo is given the green light to pursue a big-name free agent like Pete Alonso, a second-tier veteran like Christian Walker or Paul Goldschmidt or go back to the well and find a cheap, one-year alternative like Joey Gallo was. Yepez and Chaparro could both figure into the mix if they don’t sign a prominent free agent. Morales will need to start hitting for more power in the minors before he becomes an option.

SECOND BASE
Luis García Jr.
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Nasim Nuñez
Darren Baker
Jake Alu*

Comment: After a long-awaited breakthrough season, García will enter 2025 as the unquestioned starter at second base. If anything happens to him, Davey Martinez has some decent backup options in Tena, Lipscomb and Nuñez. Baker got a chance to make his major league debut in September but probably isn’t beating out the others for a spot on the roster, unless there are injuries.

SHORTSTOP
CJ Abrams
Nasim Nuñez
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Jack Dunn*
Jackson Cluff*
Kevin Made*
Seaver King*
Armando Cruz*

Comment: The spotlight will be bright on Abrams when he reports for spring training following his disciplinary demotion for the season’s final week. It’s up to the 2024 All-Star to show he can put that behind him and play at an elite level for six full months. Nuñez barely played as a Rule 5 draftee but did show real progress over the course of the season on the rare occasions he did make it onto the field, perhaps enough to convince club officials he can be the new utility infielder following the departure of Ildemaro Vargas. Tena also could hold that role if he’s not the Opening Day third baseman. Same for Lipscomb, who will need to show he can hit big league pitching to stick.

THIRD BASE
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Nasim Nuñez
Andrés Chaparro
Brady House*
Cayden Wallace*
Yoyo Morales*

Comment: The Nationals believe House will be their starting big league third baseman sometime in 2025. If he has a great spring, he could make the Opening Day roster. If not, someone else will have to hold down the fort until he’s ready. Tena showed he could hit this season, but his defense at third base was highly suspect. Lipscomb’s defense was excellent, but he provided very little offense. Whether there’s a place long-term for prospects Wallace and Morales remains to be seen.

LEFT FIELD
James Wood
Alex Call
Stone Garrett
Robert Hassell III*
Daylen Lile*
T.J. White*

Comment: Though he played more center and right fields in the minors, Wood took over the left field job in July upon his promotion to the majors, and he’s likely to remain there for now. The Nats need to figure out who’s going to be their fourth outfielder, with Call and Garrett potential in-house options to begin the season. Hassell could finally make his big league debut in 2025, but the team would probably do that only if he was going to play regularly, not as a backup.

CENTER FIELD
Jacob Young
Dylan Crews
Alex Call
Robert Hassell III*
Andrew Pinckney*
Daylen Lile*

Comment: He didn’t win the Gold Glove Award, but Young nevertheless was one of the best defensive players in baseball this year, center fielder or not. He will need to hit a little more, though, to hold off the other top prospects knocking on the door. If anything happens to Young, the Nats are probably comfortable putting Crews in center above the other backup options.

RIGHT FIELD
Dylan Crews
Alex Call
Stone Garrett
Robert Hassell III*
Andrew Pinckney*
Daylen Lile*

Comment: Though there’s clearly room for him to grow, Crews still showed plenty of good things in his first month-plus in the majors, including solid defensive work in right field. All of the fourth outfielder options are capable of playing right field if needed. There’s also a scenario in which the Nationals acquire a veteran right fielder and move Crews to left or center field.

DESIGNATED HITTER
Andrés Chaparro
Juan Yepez
Stone Garrett

Comment: Assuming they sign a first baseman, the Nationals would be left with a combination of right-handed hitters who could serve as DH. They could also pursue a free agent to either take on that role outright, or create a revolving door between the DH, first base and corner outfield positions.

STARTING PITCHERS
MacKenzie Gore
Jake Irvin
DJ Herz
Mitchell Parker
Cade Cavalli
Joan Adon
Jackson Rutledge
Cole Henry
Josiah Gray (injured)
Tyler Stuart*
Andry Lara*
Brad Lord*
Andrew Alvarez*

Comment: The Nationals loved what they saw from Gore in the first half and in September. Now they need him to maintain that form over an entire season and prove he’s their long-term No. 1 or No. 2 starter. Irvin likewise pitched like a No. 2 much of the season but needs to be a bit more consistent. Herz and Parker impressed as in-season call-ups, and both young lefties should be part of the Opening Day rotation, with Herz perhaps one slot ahead of Parker. Will Cavalli finally be ready to pitch in April? And if so, will he pitch like the frontline starter the Nats have long believed he can be? There’s no guarantee. The other rotation options are less intriguing, though Stuart and Lord are names to watch as potential call-ups sometime in 2025. There’s also a real chance the team pursues a prominent free agent starter either to lead the staff or at least eat up innings, now that Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams are gone.

RELIEF PITCHERS
Kyle Finnegan
Derek Law
Robert Garcia
Jose A. Ferrer
Tanner Rainey
Eduardo Salazar
Joe La Sorsa
Zach Brzykcy
Orlando Ribalta
Amos Willingham
Mason Thompson (injured)
Matt Cronin*
Tim Cate*
Jack Sinclair*

Comment: Finnegan was an All-Star closer for the first time this year, but he knows he can’t suffer through another late season slump like he did. After trading Hunter Harvey and Dylan Floro, the Nationals should be in the market for at least one semi-experienced setup man, preferably one who could step in and close should anything happen to Finnegan. Law will return as the workhorse of the group, looking to top his 75 appearances and 90 innings from this season. Ferrer and Garcia look like solid left-handed options, with Ferrer perhaps even possessing future closer material. Rainey has one more year of club control. The others figure to find their way into the bullpen on South Capitol Street at some point during the 2025 season.