The Nationals’ offseason checklist starts on the mound, but first base may not be far behind.
Washington has plenty to sort through with its pitching staff. Cade Cavalli is coming off a breakout year and now has a newly minted extension, while Connelly Early and Andrew Alvarez look likely to fill two open rotation spots behind him. The bullpen is another problem area after the Nationals set the MLB record for most blown saves in a season and again finished near the bottom of the league in ERA.
Still, the lineup has its own questions, and Abimelec Ortiz’s finish to the 2026 season may have pushed first base onto the front burner. After entering the year with a reputation as a power bat, Ortiz struggled badly in September, slashing .122/.159/.171 over 17 games. He didn’t hit a home run, managed only two doubles and four RBIs, and struck out 14 times against just two walks.
Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic pointed to first base as a spot the Nationals could address this winter.
"... Ortiz's struggles at the end of last season could make first base a real negative. In this scenario, it would be smart for the Nats to find a fringy left-handed-hitting free agent or trade candidate," the insider wrote.
Ortiz’s late slump dragged his overall big league line to .188/.228/.344 with five homers, five doubles and 14 RBIs across 44 games. He also struck out 36 times and drew seven walks, with his bat looking overmatched more often than not.
Even so, Washington is far from abandoning the 24-year-old. He started his major league career scorching, and he remains a key part of the return from the MacKenzie Gore deal. But with two option years still available, the Nationals could look for a short-term answer at first base and pair Ortiz with Andres Chaparro in some kind of platoon arrangement.
That would fit the broader direction of the front office. Paul Toboni and company are still focused on the long view, but they also want this rebuild to move faster. For that to happen, the Nationals need more wins, and more reliable production at first base would help the lineup do exactly that.
In Other News...
Nationals Took A Risk On Luke Williams For One Big Reason
Paul Tobonis first draft running the Washington Nationals was never going to be a simple best-player-available exercise. The organization clearly needed pitching, yet he spent three of his picks on position players, including third-rounder Luke Williams, a Pennsylvania high school shortstop whose athleticism stood out enough to override some of the obvious caution flags. The idea is straightforward enough: if a player has this kind of tool set, you can dream on the upside, even if the path to getting there is less than tidy.
Williams is expected to move to center field, where his speed and overall athletic profile could play, and he has already flashed some power in exhibition settings. The part that makes him such a swing-for-the-fences pick is also what makes him tricky to project, since he has faced limited high-level pitching and still has questions to answer about his approach at the plate. For a Nationals team trying to rebuild with both urgency and discipline, he represents the sort of bet that could look smart in a few years, or feel a lot riskier if the bat never catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Face A Real Jake Irvin Decision This Offseason
Jake Irvin has become one of the more familiar arms in the Nationals rotation since his 2023 call-up, and durability has never really been the question. The larger issue is what the club is getting for that workload. Over the past two seasons, Irvin has carried an ERA above 5, even as there have been signs of progress, including more strikeouts and a curveball that played well in 2024.
Now Washington has to decide whether that profile is worth keeping around at a projected cost of about $3.4 million. The possibility of tendering him a contract this offseason is tied not just to whether the Nationals still believe in his starters ceiling, but also to whether a move to the bullpen might make more sense if they want to keep his arm in the organization without committing to the same role. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Alvarez Just Made The Nationals Rotation Battle A Lot More Real
Andrew Alvarez spent the 2026 season bouncing between Triple-A and the majors, but he came out of it with something more valuable than just another bullpen call-up: a real argument for a place in the Nationals 2027 starting rotation. The left-hander posted a 3.43 ERA in 25 appearances and looked better as the year went on, a progression that only strengthened the sense inside the organization that his development is moving in the right direction.
Nationals officials have been encouraged by the way Alvarez has handled the jump in competition, and theyre watching closely to see whether more growth, especially in fastball velocity, can turn him from a depth option into a legitimate rotation candidate. Alvarez has made it clear he plans to keep working and competing for whatever opening comes his way, which leaves the next phase of his rise tied to how far his stuff can keep climbing over the offseason. [Read more 🡒]