Washington Nationals

Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024. The New York Yankees traded catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson, the teams announced Friday.

After what has been a quiet offseason so far for the Washington Nationals, they finally made a bit of a splash in free agency. It hasn't been a very active offseason for the Nationals so far, despite having numerous needs. Washington has reportedly signed Soroka to a one-year, $9 million deal, which by market standards is on the cheaper side of things. After coming up as a starter for the Atlanta Braves, the 27-year-old spent a lot of his appearances coming out of the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox last year.

The Washington Nationals were a surprisingly pesky team in 2024. Much of that core is now on the Major League roster, with only Robert Hassell left to make the jump to MLB. James Wood and Dylan Crews both made their debuts in 2024, to varying levels of success. CJ Abrams has been a Major League player for a few years now and saw his biggest offensive improvement in 2024.

The New York Mets are still hoping for a big holiday reunion, but it hasn't yet come to fruition. After six fantastic years in Queens, first baseman Pete Alonso is a free agent, and the Mets still seem dead set on bringing him back. Sure, they had to first focus on signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto, but even after handing out Soto's record-setting contract, the Mets have emphasized that there's still room in the budget for Alonso. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently projected a six-year, $182 million contract for Alonso, which won't be easy for most teams to afford.

The Washington Nationals finalized its managers and coaching staffs for its minor-league affiliates, and while most of the managers haven't changed one has shifted among the organization's full-season affiliates. The final list was reported by multiple outlets, including MASN Sports. Matt LeCroy will be the manager for Triple-A Rochester, while Delino DeShields will be the manager for Double-A Harrisburg. This will be LeCroy's fifth season managing Rochester, while DeShields is entering his third season with Harrisburg.

The Washington Nationals won the MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday in Dallas and will have the first overall pick in the July 2025 draft. The Reds will pick ninth.

The Washington Nationals will have the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft for the first time since selecting a 17-year-old Bryce Harper in 2010. Washington got the top overall pick in next summer's draft after winning a lottery in a drawing of ping-pong balls at the winter meetings on Tuesday, setting up the Nationals to make the first pick for the third time in franchise history. In 2009, they drafted pitcher Stephen Strasburg No. 1.

The Nats had a 10.2% chance of securing the top spot in next summer's draft.

For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question.

Officials hope the changes to the 26-year-old Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium will make playing and watching games there a better experience.

Friday marks a milestone in Washington, D.C.'s sports history as the city celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Washington Nationals.

The Mets have reportedly signed 1B/OF Joey Meneses and RHP Hobie Harris, both formally of the Washington Nationals, to minor league deals.