Washington Nationals Announce Extension For Jacob Young

Days after news broke, the Washington Nationals have officially announced a new deal for center fielder Jacob Young.

Young has finalized a four year deal worth $23 million with a team option for a fifth year. Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Young's deal breaks down into a $6 million signing bonus with $1 million in 2027, $5 million in 2028, $5 million in 2029, $6 million in 2030 with a club option valued at $8 million in 2031. He becomes the second player to ink an extension after Cade Cavalli inked a similar four year deal with a club option for an additional season. It also marked an encouraging sign for a front office looking to secure the foundation of the roster after a successful year one under new leadership.

It also marked a deserving extension for Young after the 27 year old put together a third productive season after eclipsing one wins above replacement. Young also recorded career highs with 50 RBIs and ten home runs, the latter an impressive mark given he owned just five home runs across his prior three seasons. In addition to recording 35 extra base hits since July 1, Young notched a .301 batting average while recording one triple, two home runs, ten stolen bases, 13 doubles, 20 RBIs, 21 walks and 25 runs scored en route to a new deal. He also drastically reduced his groundball rate compared to 2025, in addition to ending the season ranked second in average with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Young also ranked third among center fielders in the National League with ten runs prevented and an 11 outs above average, a consistent feat after also ranking second among all MLB outfielders with 46 outs above average over the last three seasons. While Young was a notable snub among Gold Glove finalists to end the 2026 season, his role has been cemented in an outfield rotation that could feature changes this offseason with news that Dylan Crews is drawing trade interest.

Whether Young proves to be the final extension announced this offseason remains another question mark given the front office is also expected to explore long-term deals with both CJ Abrams and James Wood.

Young arrived in the Nationals organization after becoming the 203rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft before making his MLB debut in 2023 and sticking primarily on the major league roster beginning in 2024.