Going Deep with The Nats

While we are just 75-days to Opening Day, the Washington Nationals, like many teams, are not done with their 2025 roster. Close maybe, but not done. Eight spots are set in the Opening Day lineup, and the final spot is for the Nats’ third baseman. There are also openings for the bullpen, the final spot in the starting rotation, and the bench is almost all up for grabs.

The Washington Nationals exchanged numbers with their six remaining arbitration-eligible players since Mason Thompson came to terms earlier in the offseason. Today, the Nats came to terms with four more players, and leaving just the newly acquired Nathaniel Lowe and Luis Garcia Jr. as the final two players to come to terms with. If the two sides cannot come to terms, they will head to separate arbitration hearings.

The Washington Nationals spoke about bringing in veteran leadership, and general manager Mike Rizzo signed Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell, and Trevor Williams as three veteran leaders. Lowe, a World Series champion, is already talking about being a team leader for these young Nats.

Baseball, a game steeped in tradition and history, has undergone a radical transformation over the past few decades, driven by the rise of data analytics. From rudimentary statistics to the advanced metrics of today, the evolution of baseball analytics has revolutionized how teams make decisions, from player recruitment to in-game strategy. The Washington Nationals beefed up their analytics department in the past few years and have seemed to have joined the teams that have embraced analytics.

Offseason goals are often very lofty by baseball fans, very realistic by the general manager, and kind of in-between for the field manager. Meeting expectations is very subjective as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This is why GMs often sound like politicians when giving their offseason goals.