The Nationals have finally found something they can build around at first base, and that alone makes the next few days feel a little tricky.
Luis García Jr. has turned himself into a real middle-of-the-order piece for Washington, and the numbers back it up. His slugging percentage is up 136 points from last year, he owns an .860 OPS, and he has a career-high 22 home runs. After starting the offseason as a real non-tender concern, García settled for $6,875,000 this year after making $4.5 million last season, a move that lined up with MLB Trade Rumors’ $7 million estimate and now looks like a bargain for the Nationals.
That kind of production has changed García’s status fast. He is no longer just a useful regular; he is a legitimate trade chip, the sort of player the previous front office once had in Lane Thomas and Jeimer Candelario. The difference is that García has already passed their numbers and value, and he remains under team control through the 2027 season.
He is not a finished product. García still chases too many pitches out of the zone, but his contact this year has been impossible to ignore.
He is doing damage more often, and doing it in bigger spots. On top of that, his defense has come a long way.
When he was at second base, he was a liability. Now he is near league average in the field.
That matters because the Nationals do not have an easy answer behind him. García is the third-best hitter on the roster behind James Wood and CJ Abrams, and the club already moved its fourth-best bat, Curtis Mead.
There is nobody in the system ready to step in and replace García if he goes, even though Ethan Petry, Yohandy Morales, and Abimelec Ortiz are part of the first-base pipeline. The organization also thought about moving Gavin Fien to first in Single-A, but he ended up in the outfield instead.
At 26, García is still young, and nobody is talking about extending him. That stands out, especially with so many other names around the organization getting extension buzz. He could have been an All-Star with the way he hit in June, and with the 6 pm trade deadline on Monday, August 3rd, getting close, his future is one of the bigger questions hanging over the roster.
The same is true for Foster Griffin, and Paul Toboni made clear yesterday that Washington has not shut the door on keeping him. In a radio interview, Toboni pushed back on Joel Sherman’s report that extension talks “fizzled quickly.”
The price tag on Griffin is the real issue. Buster Olney’s Seth Lugo comparison was treated with caution, and for good reason, since that deal became a major overpay by the Kansas City Royals. Estimates have bounced around: one view had Griffin at three years and $55 million, with $50 million feeling safer; in May, the number was three years and $36 million; Barry Svrluga of The Athletic tweeted three years and $45 million last week before backing down to “That should be three years for, say, somewhere from $36 million to $42 million, at least.”
Griffin’s 2.76 ERA makes him look like a strong bet right now, but there is risk baked into any long-term deal. Miles Mikolas is the warning sign here.
He was a year younger when he came back from Japan and posted an All-Star season with a 2.83 ERA, then followed it with a 4.16 the next year. Griffin also has one TJ surgery in his past, which only sharpens the concern.
As the piece put it, there are no refunds if it doesn’t work out.
If Washington keeps Abrams, García, and Griffin beyond this season, the picture for 2027 starts to come into focus. The rotation could be in much better shape after the acquisition of Connelly Early and with hope for DJ Herz returning, though both pitchers would likely be working under innings limits if the season is not played in full. A possible 2027 rotation of Griffin, Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin, Early, and Herz would give the Nationals a lot more certainty and would shift their spending toward bullpen help.
If Griffin leaves, though, starting pitching becomes the big hole, and that is where the money would go.
The bigger point is that Washington has put itself in a better spot than it was in before. By playing this well, the Nationals can start to look like a destination for free agents, with fewer obvious holes beyond the bullpen. They could also use a left-handed infielder to improve on Jorbit Vivas, and there is even some offseason thinking about moving Abrams to second and Nasim Nuñez to shortstop.
For now, though, the Nationals are still doing what good front offices do: trying to improve the team this year while keeping one eye on what comes next. As Toboni said, “ … try to upgrade our team this year - with an eye on the future.”
In Other News...
Nationals Have Reached A Deadline Decision Their Season Cant Avoid
At 55-55 through 110 games, the Nationals have managed to stay in the thick of the race while also reminding everyone why this has been such a hard team to pin down. They lead Major League Baseball in runs, home runs and steals, a profile that looks like a contender on paper, but the pitching has been shaky enough to keep the club from separating itself in the standings. The result is a season that keeps hovering around the edge of relevance without ever quite breaking open.
Washington is still only about 2.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot, but the margin for error is getting thin and the club has not exactly built much momentum with long winning streaks. The next stretch should say plenty about whether this group is for real or just hanging around the conversation, especially with the deadline approaching and an eight-game run against the Braves and Phillies looming. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Rumors Should Have Nationals Fans Watching This Very Closely
Boston is already working the market with a deadline approach that should have Nationals fans paying attention, and the connection is not just theoretical. The Red Sox have made one deal with Washington already, landing Curtis Mead for Connelly Early, while also sitting in playoff position and looking for more help as the stretch run takes shape. That kind of buyer status tends to turn every controllable piece on a roster into a talking point, especially when the other club has shown it is willing to deal.
For Washington, the bigger issue is which names might actually be in play and which ones are only being floated as possibilities. CJ Abrams is the kind of player Boston would love to ask about, but moving him would be a major step for the Nationals, and the same rumor mill is circling other options as the Red Sox weigh upgrades around the roster. Boston is also hoping for eventual returns from Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, but neither is close enough to change the urgency of what happens next. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Face A Deadline Decision Fans May Hate
With the trade deadline closing in, the Nationals are sorting through a familiar kind of July uncertainty, weighing whether to move a rental arm and how aggressive to be with the rest of the roster. Foster Griffin looks like the clearest candidate to go, and the club is at least listening as interest builds from teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Shortstop CJ Abrams is also part of the conversation, though his longer control window makes him a much different kind of decision for a rebuilding club trying to balance present value against what comes next.
The timing is made more delicate by the pitching picture, which took another hit when left-hander Mitchell Parker was placed on the 60-day injured list after surgery. For a Nationals team already trying to map out its deadline path, that kind of news only sharpens the question of how much short-term help it can afford to subtract. Griffin may be the easiest call, but the bigger choices are the ones that could shape how the organization looks well beyond this month. [Read more 🡒]