Now that it’s January 15th, the Washington Nationals have officially signed their IFA class. We covered this in an article a few weeks ago, but the acquisitions are now fully recorded. The Nationals have a strong IFA class led by outfielders Samil Serrano and Isaias Suarez. Both signed today for approximately $1.9 million each.
These are the two biggest names in the class. Both are consensus top 50 players in this class and have enormous potential. At 17 years old, both players are still many years away from contributing at the MLB level, but they are worth keeping an eye on. Last year the Nats had their best IFA class in a while, with the likes of Marconi German and Brayan Cortesia.
My favorite player in the class is the top name, Samil Serrano. Scouts rave about Serrano’s beautiful left-handed swing. He is one of the better pure hitters in the IFA class. I also think there could be more power projection here as well. Serrano weighs 6’3 and 175 pounds, so he has plenty of room to put muscle on that frame.
If everything clicks, Serrano has a chance to be a corner outfielder with power and passing ability. That’s a very exciting mix and that’s why the Nats gave him almost $2 million. Suarez seems more of a project, especially offensively, but he is very athletic and has a great defensive advantage.
The Nats spent most of their bonus money on four players. Of course Serrano and Suarez are the big players, but Angel Ramirez and Juan Duran also get seven figures. Both players are outfielders with big upside. Ramirez is a switch hitter and that is exciting. It’s a lot of fun to see switch hitters with real power.
These four players cost nearly $6 million of the Nats’ $6.67 million budget. That means the rest of the class is filled with guys who aren’t as highly regarded. The Nats are pretty much counting on at least a few of these four outfielders being able to hit.
Of course, these guys are still very young, so a lot can change quickly. Last year, Marconi German was virtually unknown and only received a $400,000 bonus. Now, just 12 months later, German is the most highly rated player in the Nats 2025 IFA class. Maybe a player like Euris Acosta can be the German version this year.
In total, the Nats signed 15 players. Most of these guys won’t make it, but if a few of these players really break out, that’s a win. The IFA market is a low percentage game, but if you hit it can change your franchise. Nats fans know that all too well. A little over a decade ago, Nat’s history changed forever when they signed a guy named Juan Soto.
It would be unrealistic to expect any of these guys to ever be Hall of Famers, but we can dream. These are all signatures that were blocked by the previous regime. I’m curious to see what Paul Toboni does on the international market. There is little talk about it, but following the IFA process helps teams enormously. Every year it seems like a new star rises from Latin America. Hopefully the Nats have found a star in this cycle.
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