While the Nationals haven’t been extremely active on the free agent market in recent seasons, there was once a time when they spent as much money as anyone, signing stars like Max Scherzer to lucrative deals. Today I’m taking a look at the best free agents the Nationals have had at each offensive position.
Catcher: Kurt Suzuki (2019-2020)
While the Nationals don’t exactly have a long and storied history at the catcher position, they have had some solid ballplayers over the years, and Kurt Suzuki was the definition of solid during his time in DC. Suzuki signed a two-year, 10 million contract for the 2019 season and split catching duties with Yan Gomes (who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland that same offseason), playing a total of 85 regular season games that year and posting a 105 wRC+ and 0.5 fWAR.
Perhaps more important than the surface stats for Suzuki were his moments, such as his legendary 3-run shot off Edwin Diaz to cap a 7-run comeback in the 9th inning or his go-ahead homer in Game 2 of the World Series, and his veteran leadership, which undoubtedly also helped him land a Major League management gig with the Angels this offseason. While Suzuki never won any major accolades during his time in DC and was never really the Nats’ primary catcher, his contributions to the franchise were a steal for his contract and will never be forgotten.
Like catcher, the Nationals haven’t exactly had a tradition of excellence at first base in their history, but it has been filled with plenty of solid ballplayers like Adam LaRoche, Michael Morse and Nick Johnson. The problem, however, is that all of these guys were acquired via trade rather than free agency, which leaves us with the Big Ass, Adam Dunn, as the best free agent first baseman in Nats history. After five straight seasons of 40+ home runs, Dunn made the surprising decision to sign with the Nationals, who were coming off a 103-loss season, which was the worst in all of baseball.
While there wasn’t a lot of great baseball played by the Nats during those years, Dunn was one of the few bright spots. He hit 76 home runs and posted 4 fWARs in his two years with the club. While the bat remained consistent in his two years in DC, the defense improved dramatically when he was moved to first base full-time in 2010 after one of the worst defensive seasons ever in left field in 2009. Overall, Dunn didn’t win any awards or present a championship trophy like some of the other names on this list, but he was a fun baseball player to watch during the Washington Nationals’ infancy.
Second base: Daniel Murphy
Unlike catcher and first base, this is a pretty easy decision, as Daniel Murphy is the best second base free agent signed in Nationals history, and one of the best bargains they’ve ever had. After a generational playoff run with the Mets in 2015, Murphy decided to join the division rival Nationals on a three-year contract worth $37.5 million, a decision that cost him much of his love from the fans in Queens.
While Murphy was seen as a solid high-floor second baseman who became hot for one postseason in 2016, that all changed after his first season in DC, where he posted a 154 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR while finishing second in the NL MVP voting. He helped change the culture in DC after the 2015 Nationals collapsed despite a stacked roster, and was a fan favorite for his goofy personality, summed up in his “fwah” catchphrase after home runs.
While he couldn’t maintain his MVP-level performances in his final year and a half with the Nats, he was still an extremely productive baseball player, posting a 135 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR in 2017. Daniel Murphy is high on my list of former Nationals I wish had been around for the 2019 title run, as he was instrumental in making them one of the strongest offenses in the National League during his time with the Nats.
Third base: Jeimer Candelario
The Nats have largely stayed in-house at the third-base position throughout their history, going from two high drafts in Ryan Zimmerman to Anthony Rendon from 2005 to 2019, with Yunel Escobar as a stopgap in 2015, and have since bounced between youngsters, like Carter Kieboom and Brady House, and mediocre free agent signings, like Starlin Castro and Maikel Franco. However, one name that stands out despite their short tenure in DC is Jeimer Candelario, who was acquired for 1 year and 5 million in the winter before the 2023 season after going undrafted by the Tigers.
After a disappointing 2022 season in which he posted an 80 wRC+, Candelario was primarily a rebound project for the rebuilding Nats, and he did just that, posting a 118 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR in 99 games before being traded to the Cubs at the deadline for left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, one of the Nats’ brightest young guns right now. Candelario would sign a three-year, $45 million contract with the Reds before the 2024 season, but would be released after posting -1 fWAR in 132 games for them in 2024 and 2025, making his resurgence for the Nationals in 2023 all the more remarkable. Still, Candelario was exactly what the Nationals needed him to be during his short stint with them: a productive baseball player who returned a future big league asset in a trade.
Short stop: Cristian Guzman
Shortstops are also tough to make a choice on, as the best shortstops in Nats history are either homegrown, like Ian Desmond, or acquired via trade, like Trea Turner and CJ Abrams. While not a standout pick, Cristian Guzman played 550 games in a Nationals uniform over six seasons, posting 4.1 fWAR during that span. After spending the first six seasons of his career with the Twins, Guzman signed a four-year, $16.8 million contract with the Nationals before their first season in the nation’s capital.
After a shockingly bad 2005, in which Guzman posted a 48 wRC+ and -1.2 fWAR and missed the 2006 season due to injury, it looked like Guzman’s tenure in DC was headed for disaster. That was until Guzman, after returning from injury in late 2007, looked like a brand new baseball player, posting a 123 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 46 games. He would continue it in 2008, posting a 106 wRC+ and 2.8 fWAR in 138 games, earning a 2-year, 16 million extension with the club.
Although Guzman’s numbers dipped in 2009 and 2010, he did have one major contribution to the ballclub, and that was trading for Tanner Roark at the Rangers’ 2010 trade deadline. Not every free agent signing is going to be a Daniel Murphy, and sometimes that’s okay.
One of the easier calls on this list, Jayson Werth signing a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals before the 2011 season, was jeered by baseball fans at the time. Seven years, 808 games, two top 20 MVP votes and one legendary playoff walk-off home run later, it is now seen as a contract that changed the culture of Nationals baseball for the better.
Not only was Werth a great baseball player (at least during the first half of his time in DC), he was also a great leader, responsible for teaching the blossoming Nats how to win and how to be accountable to each other. His best time in DC was from 2012 to 2014, where he posted 11.1 fWAR and posted at least an .840 OPS in all three years. Werth’s numbers and durability increased in the final three years of his contract, but he had already paid off his contract with his clutch moments and leadership in the clubhouse.
Midfield: Rick Ankiel
As far as I know, midfield was a particularly difficult choice for the Nats. The club has almost never had a starting midfielder acquired via free agency, with the position being filled almost entirely internally or with players acquired through other means, such as Denard Span via trade and Alex Call via waivers. Of the players who qualify here, Ben Revere and Willie Harris weren’t very good during their time with the Nats, almost making Rick Ankiel the winner by default.
Ankiel signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Nats before the 2011 season, and while his bat lagged and only posted an 82 wRC+, he played great defense, resulting in a 1.2 fWAR in 122 games that season. While he lost his starting spot to the young, fiery Bryce Harper in 2012, Ankiel was a solid bench player for the club that season, with an 81 wRC+ and five home runs in 68 games. Over a total of 190 games with the Nats, Ankiel posted 1 fWAR, certainly nothing to write home about, but enough to qualify as the best Nationals center field free agent signed in their history.
Right field: Gerardo Parra
With another position so thin on the roster of free agents, it’s only right to go for one of the hearts of the 2019 Nationals roster, even if the numbers weren’t quite there. The Nationals signed Parra in May 2019 to help fill a hole on their injury-plagued roster, and he immediately made his presence known with a go-ahead grand slam against the Dodgers in one of his first games with the club. His playing time shrank as the club became healthier, but Parra was still one of the most essential players on the roster because of how beloved he was in the clubhouse, as evidenced by how his celebration of the baby shark resonated with the entire team. In 89 games for the 2019 Nats, Parra posted an 89 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR, which was exactly what they needed at the time both off the bench and in the clubhouse. Parra would return to the Nats in 2021 and post an fWAR of -0.3 through 53 games, but these rankings are purely because of his contributions during that magical 2019 season.
Designated hitter: Jesse Winker
This was one of the closest conversations between Jesse Winker and Josh Bell (his 2025 season only, as he was acquired via trade during his first stint), but I’m giving the edge to Winker due to slightly better production and lower expectations entering his season. Winker joined the Nats in 2024 after a disastrous 2023 season with the Brewers, in which he posted a 67 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR, and like Candelario the year before him, was viewed as a rebound candidate rather than a true threat in the lineup. Fortunately for the Nats, Winker did indeed find his old form during his half-season in DC, posting a 125 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 101 games before being traded to the Mets at the deadline for right-handed pitcher Tyler Stuart, who is currently at Triple A for the Nationals. Winker was everything the Nats hoped for and more when they brought him in. He provided a great offense and a strong presence in the clubhouse before being turned for future big league help at the trade deadline.
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