What the Nationals already have in place

It’s easy to look at the Nationals right now, silent for more than a month, and stress over what they still need to acquire this winter.

The Nats still need a left fielder. They still need a designated hitter. They may need another starting pitcher. And though several other positions are filled, there are still major question marks about several of those, with few sure things to put your mind at ease.

There’s a lot the Nationals don’t have yet, and it’s certainly fair to worry about that. It’s also fair to look at what they do have in place and take some comfort there.

The cupboard isn’t entirely bare. It’s most definitely better stocked now than it was a year or two ago when the rebuild was still in its early stages.

This is especially true at some of the most important positions on the field, starting with shortstop. CJ Abrams was a big question mark entering 2023, and halfway through the season there remained some real questions about him. But his performance over the second half of the year, at the plate, in the field and on the bases, erased a lot of those questions. Abrams looks like a keeper, and there are few positions around the diamond you’d rather say that about than the one he plays.

The Nationals are also in pretty good shape behind the plate. No, Keibert Ruiz hasn’t fully established himself yet, and he needs to show real defensive improvement this year to put to rest concerns about his ability to play the position long term. But who wouldn’t want a durable, 25-year-old catcher who hit 18 homers, slashed .300/.342/.467 during the second half of the season and hit .365 with a .985 OPS with runners in scoring position over the entire season? And who wouldn’t want a No. 2 catcher, Riley Adams, who slugged .476 with an .807 OPS?

There’s a pretty good player in right field, as well. Here’s the entire list of major leaguers who scored 100 runs, compiled 36 doubles and 28 home runs and stole 20 bases last season: Freddie Freeman, Julio Rodríguez and Lane Thomas. That’s it. OK, so nobody would try to put Thomas in the same class as those two superstars. But can we finally dispense with the notion he’d be a fourth outfielder on a good team? Maybe the Nats will see three of their outfield prospects develop into better players some day and squeeze Thomas out. But none of those guys has already done what Thomas has done in the big leagues, and until they do he’s ahead of them on the depth chart.

Speaking of outfield prospects, the Nationals have two of the very best in the sport in Dylan Crews and James Wood. And both are expected to debut sometime this year. They also have Robert Hassell III, Jeremy De La Rosa, Andrew Pinckney, Daylen Lile, Elijah Green and Cristhian Vaquero in their farm system. There’s no way they’re all going to pan out. But if Crews and Wood perform as expected, they really only need one other from that entire group to make it. How many other organizations would kill to be in that position?

There’s less to be excited about on the pitching front, but the Nationals aren’t completely devoid of quality arms, either. MacKenzie Gore showed glimpses of the left-handed ace he could be last season. Josiah Gray made real progress and earned an All-Star selection. Jake Irvin was a pleasant surprise who looks like a keeper. And Cade Cavalli is scheduled to return from Tommy John surgery in June. Not a lot of sure things in the rotation, but a bunch of legitimately promising young arms that eventually will make everyone forget Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams.

And the bullpen looks as strong on paper as it has in a while, with Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey and Tanner Rainey returning, set to be joined by well-established setup man Dylan Floro. That’s more stability at the back of the 'pen than this organization could claim in years.

So it’s not all that bleak out there. Sure, the Nationals still have a long way to go. They desperately need power bats. They desperately need an ace, whether he emerges from within or is signed from the outside. They need a host of young players to live up to their potential.

But this isn’t a 107-loss team offering little reason for hope. There are important pieces to the puzzle already in place. And sometimes during a long, slow, frustrating winter, it’s worth remembering that.