Could the Washington Nationals end up making a move in free agency to address one weakness ahead of Opening Day?
The Washington Nationals have been active on the waiver wire over the last week with now already seven waiver claims through the month of January, giving the revamped front office a chance to continue tweaking the roster ahead of spring training set to begin in less than one month.
But still, the Nationals have plenty of question marks across its likely Opening Day roster. Following the trade that sent starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five prospects, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni made clear the Nationals were still looking to add to the roster while hinting at both starting pitching and first base when asked on 106.7.
“I think there’s a chance we could sign a player here in the next week or two, but we’ll see kind of how the market evolves for these players and we’ll go from there,” Toboni said of possible tweaks to the starting rotation.
Now over one week later, those moves haven't materialized beyond the waiver claims that has now turned into DFA's this week, including utility player Mickey Gasper and infielder Tsung-Che Chung just days after being claimed by the organization. While one of the prospects acquired in the Gore trade could become an option to step in at first base with Abimelec Ortiz stepping in as a candidate this spring, the Nationals were once again projected to go outside of the organization to address the position.
"The Nationals will almost certainly plug the hole at first base with one of the veterans still left in free agency," Joel Reuter said of Washington, projecting the Nationals to sign first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who materialized into a popular name among the fanbase online to open 2026.
It's an understandable move for the Nationals given the natural fit at the position, though the market for Hoskins has remained quiet after the Milwaukee Brewers declined mutual contract options following the 2025 season. His 38 home runs over the past two seasons marked the fourth-most by a Brewer during that span, though he missed the bulk of the second half of the season due to a thumb injury before being left off the postseason roster.
Reuter also projected the Nationals full Opening Day lineup with Hoskins the lone notable addition.
Projected 2026 Nationals lineup:
SS CJ Abrams
LF Daylen Lile
DH James Wood
1B Rhys Hoskins
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Brady House
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Dylan Crews
CF Jacob Young