Spring storylines: Who's the third baseman?

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.

Jorge López and Evan Reifert were added to bolster the bullpen.

But there is one position on the Nats’ offseason checklist that remains unchecked: Third base.

With only a few days remaining before pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach, the Nats have yet to introduce a new third base candidate from an outside source. So that leaves us to take a look at the in-house options they have entering spring training.

Trey Lipscomb, José Tena and Brady House are the most likely candidates to compete for the job in camp. With all three being 24 or younger by Opening Day, they bring varying degrees of experience and skills to the hot corner.

Lipscomb has the most major league experience of the three youngsters. After almost making last year’s Opening Day roster as the second baseman, the third-round draft pick out of Tennessee and Frederick, Md., native was thrust into the everyday third baseman’s role when Nick Senzel landed on the injured list before the season even started.

His strong spring training showed the Nationals he was big league-ready. And although his glove was good enough in the field, his struggles at the plate showed he still had some more developing to do.

However, that development was stunted a bit by the back-and-forth traveling he did between the major and minor leagues. Lipscomb was optioned down four times in six months and recalled five times, with the final time being a brief stint at the end of the season to replace CJ Abrams during his surprise disciplinary demotion.

In 61 big league games, Lipscomb hit .200 with a .500 OPS. But he posted a 95 percent fielding percentage and four defensive runs saved in 55 appearances at third base.

Tena, who turns 24 next month, got his shot at third base last year during one of Lipscomb's late-season stays at Triple-A Rochester. After a couple of weeks with the Red Wings following his acquisition from the Guardians in the Lane Thomas deal, the Nats brought him up to the majors, where he would start 34 of the team’s final 44 games at the hot corner.

His hot start in August (.339/.369/.468) was followed by a cool September (.222/.252/.283), but he showed enough offensive prowess to earn himself a chance this spring. He especially excelled with his exit velocities, an area where Lipscomb struggled.

But he could not outshine Lipscomb in the field. After coming up primarily as a shortstop and second baseman, Tena was learning to play third base on the fly. And he looked like it. He was charged with nine errors in only 87 defensive chances, plus a handful of other defensive mishaps that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

So between the two in-house guys with major league experience, the Nats have complete opposites: One who excels in the field and one who excels at the plate.

House may be a nice combination of the two, but he lacks experience at the upper levels. Although the 21-year-old improved upon the strides he made at third base last year (.953 fielding percentage, plus almost 20 more putouts, almost 40 more assists and only one more error at the hot corner than in 2023), he still has only made 51 appearances at third in Triple-A games.

And although his offensive production hasn’t stood out just yet, his raw tools project the former first-round pick to be better at the plate than both Lipscomb and Tena. He just needs more experience.

Yohandy Morales and Cayden Wallace were also invited to big league camp to factor into the third base competition, but both 23-year-olds still figure to have more developing to do in the minor leagues.

Other infield options include Rosario, Nasim Nuñez and Darren Baker. But Rosario is likely to fill the utility role in both the infield and outfield, while Nuñez and Baker are better suited up the middle of the field.

The Nationals typically like to bring in veterans on minor league deals to compete for spots. Lower-cost options include Jace Peterson and Luis Urías. Other free agent infielders with experience at third include Jose Iglesias, Paul DeJong, Whit Merrifield and Brandon Drury.

For now, it looks like the Nats will forgo a veteran presence at the hot corner in hopes one of the young guys takes a hold of third base for the foreseeable future.