The Nationals are heading into the winter with a clear priority: make the big league roster tougher, deeper and more reliable. The front office, now led by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, has already spent time strengthening the farm with coaching and developmental staff additions. But after Washington outperformed preseason expectations on the field, the focus now shifts to the major league club.
That means finding players who can step in when injuries hit or when someone simply doesn’t perform. Catcher is one of the spots that deserves attention, especially after Riley Adams left the organization this offseason and signed with a new team.
One name that has surfaced is Jorge Alfaro. According to Charlie Wright of MLB Trade Rumors, the Kansas City Royals released Alfaro on Oct. 23 after he spent the entire year in their minor league system. He is now a free agent at age 33.
There’s a Washington connection here, too. The last time Alfaro played in an MLB game was with the Nationals in 2025. He opted out of his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 1, signed a major league deal with Washington the next day and was in the lineup the day after that.
Alfaro appeared in 14 games for the Nationals to finish out the 2025 season. He hit .256/.256/.308, going 10-for-39 with no home runs, two doubles and three RBIs. After the season, he became a free agent, later signed with Kansas City and also played in the World Baseball Classic for Colombia.
If Washington were to circle back, Alfaro would be viewed as depth more than anything else. At this point in his career, he’d likely be a minor league option in case Keibert Ruiz or Harry Ford got hurt. Triple-A catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. is another player in the mix who could affect how the Nationals evaluate the position.
Still, Alfaro brings a few things to the table. He has big league experience, having played in 510 MLB games, and he has hit 15 home runs in each of the last two minor league seasons while posting above-average exit velocities.
He wouldn’t change the Nationals’ outlook on his own, and there are bigger needs on the to-do list. But after Adams is gone, Washington does have a catcher opening that needs to be addressed at some point, and Alfaro is at least a familiar, workable depth option.
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Abrams fits that mold for a club still weighing longer-term options at shortstop, and his strong 2026 season only adds to the intrigue around a player Boston considered before the market got too expensive. The Nationals, meanwhile, know they have a sought-after piece if the Red Sox circle back again, even if any real conversation would likely start with the same obstacle that stopped a deal the first time: the price. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Offseason Pressure Could Come Down To One Bullpen Decision
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Yovanny Cruz and Riley Cornelio are among the names worth monitoring, but both are still more projection than certainty, which is why the external market matters so much here. If the Nationals want a cleaner answer, Adrian Morejon stands out as one of the best relief options available, bringing the sort of performance track record and closer potential that could instantly change the shape of the bullpen conversation. [Read more 🡒]