The Washington Nationals are mired in a rebuild, but that doesn't mean they can't add some help on the free agent market this offseason. The Nationals aren't going to be looking to dish out hundreds of millions of dollars for guys like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but instead, they will look to find high value deals towards the bottom of the market.
With that in mind, it shouldn't be particularly surprising that Washington was pursuing former Cincinnati Reds utility man Nick Senzel. Having played five different spots in the field during his time in the majors so far, Senzel's positional versatility and upside at the plate made him an interesting low-price free agent this offseason, and he ended up agreeing to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Nationals.
Via Jon Heyman:
“Nick Senzel to Nationals $2M plus $1M PBs”
Nick Senzel a low-risk, high-reward addition for the Nationals
Senzel hasn't ever really been a true everyday starter throughout his career, but he is coming off back-to-back seasons where he appeared in over 100 games for the Reds, and he should be able to find consistent playing time on a pretty desolate Nationals team. Senzel had a decent 2023 campaign at the plate (.236 BA, 13 HR, 42 RBI, .696 OPS), although he would obviously like to get his batting average up to around the .250 mark.
If he is used as an everyday player, Senzel has the potential to hit for a .250 average and 20 home runs on the year, but Washington may be more inclined to use him as a Swiss-Army knife who can fill in at several different spots in the blink of an eye. And even if Senzel doesn't pan out, the price tag makes it an easy deal to get out of, so all-in-all, there's not too much to dislike about this deal from the Nationals perspective.
Follow Us
Subscribe