The Nationals’ latest extension says plenty about where they stand in center field, and it also puts Dylan Crews under a brighter spotlight.
Washington locked up Jacob Young on Nov. 6 with a four-year deal worth $23 million, a contract that buys out all of his arbitration years and his first season of free agency. The agreement also includes an $8 million club option for the 2031 season.
It’s a clear vote of confidence in a player who has built much of his value on defense, even if he did show some growth at the plate in 2026 with career highs in home runs (10) and RBIs (50). His OPS+ still sat below average at 94.
For the Nationals, it’s an easy deal to understand. Young is one of the game’s best defenders, and keeping him around on a team-friendly contract makes sense. But the move also complicates the picture for Crews, who is coming off another difficult season and now finds himself in a more uncertain spot than ever.
At the moment, the club’s plan does not appear to have shifted. Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reported that Washington is likely to take the same approach next year that it used in 2026, when Young, Crews, Daylen Lile and James Wood each topped 400 plate appearances. That setup gave the Nationals plenty of outfield looks, but Young’s extension suggests the organization is leaning harder into a more defined alignment.
Right now, that alignment seems to point toward Young in center, 2026 Gold Glove finalist Lile in left and 2026 Silver Slugger finalist Wood in right. If that’s how things settle, Crews would be pushed into a fourth outfielder role. For a former No. 2 overall pick who was once among baseball’s elite prospects, that would be a tough landing spot.
The best-case scenario for Washington is simple: Crews finally breaks through in 2027. If that happens, the Nationals would have four quality outfielders and a good problem on their hands. But the math still only works for three everyday spots, and that reality could eventually force the front office to rethink the long-term fit.
That’s where things get more uncomfortable. With Young now secured for the foreseeable future, there is at least a path where president of baseball operations Paul Toboni explores the trade market for Crews. That probably won’t happen this offseason or even during the 2027 season, but it’s a possibility if Crews still hasn’t taken the step the Nationals have been waiting for.
Moving him would not be ideal. It would almost certainly mean selling low on a player whose prospect pedigree once carried real weight. Still, if Washington decides Crews no longer has a real future in the nation’s capital, flipping him for long-term value could become the kind of aggressive move this front office is willing to make.
That’s not the preferred outcome, and the Nationals would rather avoid it. Crews remains under club control through 2031, and there is still time for the story to change. For now, though, Young’s extension makes one thing clear: Washington intends to keep its defensive anchor in place, and Crews will have to force his way into the picture.
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Nationals Have Three Intriguing Arms Fighting For 2027 Roles
The Nationals spent 2026 getting a better look at three arms who could matter a lot more a year from now, and each one arrived there in a different way. Will Dion handled a multi-inning relief role and showed the kind of performance metrics that make a club take notice, Josiah Gray made his late-season return from injury out of the bullpen, and Ribalta put together a breakout year even while dealing with injury setbacks.
What makes the group interesting is how much of the conversation now turns to fit as much as talent. Washington is heading into the offseason with health as a priority and with role adjustments very much on the table, which leaves the 2027 picture unsettled for all three pitchers. Dion, Gray and Ribalta have each put something on tape, but the Nationals still have to decide how best to turn those flashes into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
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Abrams also sits at the center of a separate layer to the conversation, with a report citing Jon Morosi saying he would want assurance he stays at shortstop before agreeing to an extension, though neither he nor his agent has confirmed that. The Nationals have other possibilities in-house, including Nasim Nunez and prospect Seaver King, and they are also weighing the development paths of younger players such as Eli Willits. For now, the organization is left sorting out both the future of the position and the future of one of its most important players. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Young Deal Just Put Dylan Crews In A Tough Spot
Jacob Youngs new four-year deal, with an option for a fifth season, gives the Nationals a clearer picture of one corner of their outfield future. It also adds another layer to a group that already includes Dylan Crews, James Wood and Daylen Lile, turning what once looked like a promising depth chart into something that may soon require a tougher decision.
Crews still has traits the Nationals like, but his uneven performance has left his standing less secure than it once seemed. With Young now locked in and the outfield getting crowded, Washington may eventually have to sort out whether all of these pieces can stay in place, or whether the surplus pushes the front office toward trade discussions down the road. [Read more 🡒]