Wednesday was Pitchers and Catchers Report Day in Major League Baseball, as the Washington Nationals are still currently in a rebuild.
The Nationals are coming off a 2023 season where they finished 71-91, their fourth consecutive fifth-place finish in the National League East.
Manager Davey Martinez enters his seventh season with the team and has been through it all, especially after the 2019 World Series title year.
Of course, Washington had to make a series of roster moves over the offseason. Here are some of the most notable transactions.
Last season, reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was the only pending free agent for the Nationals, as he ended 2023 on the 60-day injured list. Edwards recently signed with his old team, the Chicago Cubs.
Washington avoided arbitration with reliever Tanner Rainey and outfielder Victor Robles by signing to them both to one-year deals back in November.
Rainey, 31, and Robles, 26, were both members of the 2019 World Series championship team.
Relievers Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey, infielder Luis Garcia, and outfielder Lane Thomas were also tendered contracts, while first baseman Dominic Smith was not.
Thomas, 28, has become one of Washington’s best players, as he led the Nats with 28 home runs during the 2023 season, while hitting .268 with a .783 OPS, 86 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases.
Back in December, Washington announced the signings of reliever Dylan Floro and third baseman Nick Senzel. Floro previously spent 2023 with the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins while Senzel had been with the Cincinnati Reds since 2019.
Floro, 33, signed a deal worth $2.25 million plus incentives, and will fill a vital role in the bullpen.
The pitcher made 62 relief appearances with Minnesota and Miami last season, where he went 5-6 with a 4.76 ERA, He has spent eight seasons with six teams, including the Twins, Marlins, Dodgers, Reds, Cubs, and Rays.
Senzel, 28, was signed for $2 million, as the Nationals have needed a starting third baseman after trading Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs last season.
The third baseman was non-tendered by the Reds after playing 104 games for them in 2023, as he hit .236 with a .696 OPS, 13 home runs, six steals, and 42 RBIs.
Additionally, the Nationals signed infielder/outfielder Joey Gallo to a one-year contract on January 27th. The deal is for $5 million with another $1 million in performance bonuses.
Washington had a gap at the starting first base role since designating Dominic Smith for assignment last year. Gallo, 30, is a power hitter who will likely fill innings at both first base and designated hitter, as well as the outfield this season.
Gallo has been in the league since 2015 and spent his first six years with the Texas Rangers, where he really hit his stride from 2017-2021, hitting 151 home runs across 573 games.
In his 2023 tenure in Minnesota, the two-time Gold Glove Award winner made 36 starts at first base, 34 in left field, six in center field, and six in right field.
Finally, on February 13th, Washington signed outfielder Jesse Winker to a minor league contract, which includes an invitation to spring training.
Winker, 30, played his first five major league seasons in Cincinnati from 2017-2021, and was named an All-Star in 2021. He then spent 2022 and 2023 with the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively.
Notable offseason losses include swingman pitchers Cory Abbott and Roddery Munoz, relievers Joe La Sorsa and Andres Machado, infielder Jeter Downs, and outfielder Israel Pineda.
Munoz was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Machado was released to pursue an overseas playing opportunity, and Downs was claimed by the New York Yankees; very fitting for a player named Jeter.
The question is, will these offseason moves help the Nationals become contenders again for the first time in five years? Who knows, as spring training is right around the corner, and we will have to see what type of progress this brings to the team in the nation’s capital.
