Nationals snag former Braves slugger in free agency

The Nationals plucked one of the Braves' former slugging outfielders deep in free agency.

Spring Training is in full swing, and with the start of the 2024 MLB regular season inching ever closely, quality free agents continue to fly off the board. On Wednesday morning, the Washington Nationals picked up a hard-hitting outfielder from division rival Atlanta Braves in Eddie Rosario, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.

This is a solid, low-risk pickup for the Nationals, as they only agreed to terms with Rosario on a one year contract worth up to $4 million in incentives. Rosario, as Alvarez-Montes pointed out, was able to latch onto an MLB team not too long after he switched representations from Roc Nation to Rimas Sports, an agency that's geared more towards helping latino athletes.

Eddie Rosario hasn't been quite as productive since he peaked with the Minnesota Twins in 2018, but he remains a positive contributor on the field, if only for his ability to produce in the power department. During the 2023 season, Rosario featured heavily for the Braves, playing 130 games at left field, but Atlanta was more than willing to let the 32-year old go to roll with Jarred Kelenic as the veteran's replacement.

Last season, Rosario tallied 1.4 WAR, per Fangraphs, and most of his value came from his production at the plate. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 74 runs, although it came with a less-than-stellar .255/.305/.450 slash line. Rosario has never been one to get on base too often or hit for a high average, so his upside in terms of overall production is limited, especially as he ages.

For the Nationals, however, Eddie Rosario presents an upgrade, albeit a marginal one, at left field, as they had Jesse Winker as their number one option at the position before this signing in free agency. Winker was a negative producer last season, according to Fangraphs' WAR metric, so Rosario's arrival should come as a boon for the team that finished dead last in the NL East in 2023.

At present, it's not quite clear what the incentives Rosario must reach are to earn the maximum in his contract, but the Nationals should be able to give him the plate appearances needed for him to do so.