Will flipping of calendar ignite Nats' Hot Stove?

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the calendar has flipped to December and every other commercial on TV right now is Christmas-themed. We’ve entered a new phase of the year, and that should include the official firing up of the Hot Stove at last.

Though there’s always some baseball news in November, it’s usually the quietest month of the offseason, certainly from an acquisition standpoint. Only a handful of prominent free agents has signed at this point, but that should change in short order as teams finally get serious about making moves of consequence.

The annual Winter Meetings open one week from today in Dallas, and that’s always good for injecting some life into the offseason. And if we look back at recent history, the flipping of the calendar to the 12th month also has spurred the Nationals to get involved.

One year ago, general manager Mike Rizzo signed three eventual major leaguers from Dec. 6-12. He inked Juan Yepez to a minor league deal on Dec. 6, with Yepez becoming a mainstay in the lineup over the final three months of the season. He signed Nick Senzel on Dec. 7, a transaction that did not work out so well in the long run. And he signed Dylan Floro on Dec. 12, a solid addition to the bullpen that was later flipped at the trade deadline for Andres Chaparro.

Go back one year prior, and Rizzo got to work a few days earlier, signing Jeimer Candelario and Stone Garrett on Nov. 29, then Trevor Williams on Dec. 9, then Erasmo Ramirez on Dec. 15.

Were any of those earth-shattering moves? No. But for a franchise that made very little news each of the last two winters, those were most of their moves of significance.

So, if history holds form, we should see some action from the Nats in the next week or two. The real question is how significant any of that action is.

If they are serious about diving into the pitching market, they’re starting to get an idea what it will cost to acquire quality arms. The Mets made news late Sunday night, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $34 million deal with veteran Frankie Montas. The 31-year-old right-hander owns a career 44-46 record, 4.09 ERA and 1.309 WHIP. He split this season between the Reds and Brewers, going 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA over 150 2/3 innings.

Montas is, at best, a league average starting pitcher who had a below-average 2024 season. And he’s getting a two-year deal with an annual salary of $17 million.

That’s what it costs to sign a pitcher of that caliber. If the Nationals are serious about signing a more accomplished starter who could help lead their otherwise young rotation, it’s going to cost more than that.