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Nationals Could Have a New Fourth Outfielder Next Season

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Nov 7, 2025 5:45 PM ET

Roster changes have already started happening for the Washington Nationals this offseason.

While the majority has come on the pitching side of things, with two electing to become free agents and another two getting claimed off waivers, there's a chance Paul Toboni and his new front office shake some things up in the position player group.

One area that could see some changes is in the outfield. It seems clear James Wood and Dylan Crews are going to be starting in left field and center. But where Daylen Lile fits in will be telling, with him potentially being used as their designated hitter more often than not based on his poor defense.

The other two in the mix this year were Jacob Young and Robert Hassell III. Both have upside, with Young being a Gold Glove finalist for the second season in a row and Hassell being a former highly-touted prospect. But they also have deficiencies that could prevent them from being a critical part of this Nationals roster.

That's where Christian Franklin comes into play. The former Chicago Cubs prospect who was acquired by Washington ahead of this past season's trade deadline in the Michael Soroka deal has a good chance at playing his way into the fourth outfield role in 2026.

Christian Franklin Could Become Nationals' Permanent Fourth Outfielder

Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At some point, the Nationals have to decided if Young is worth a roster spot. While there's no doubting his elite defense, it's not a given that his offense is going to become playable. So carrying him to only use him as a late-game substitute would be a waste.

As for Hassell, while he hasn't gotten a ton of opportunity in the bigs just yet, his .223/.257/.315 slash line was concerning. That continued the trend of his offensive numbers declining the further he has gotten into his professional career.

Franklin, meanwhile, appears to be ascending. The 26-year-old slashed .272/.390/.427 at the Triple-A level this past season while hitting 12 home runs to go along with 64 RBIs. While he struck out 110 times in 117 games, he also drew an eye-catching 80 walks.

Christian goes yard! pic.twitter.com/itohijzDAw
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) July 2, 2025

Paul Cubbage of Federal Baseball took a look at some of the advanced metrics put up by Franklin this year. It's safe to say that those numbers were impressive, and it could lend itself to Franklin becoming the fourth outfielder for Washington next season.

"His average exit velocity of 91 MPH ranked in the 84th percentile, his 50th percentile exit velocity (which cuts out weak contact, such as dribblers and pop-ups, to help us better understand a player's power potential) of 94.3 MPH was in the 90th percentile, and his max exit velocity of 112.9 MPH ranked in the 92nd percentile. ... His walk rate of 15% ranked in the 84th percentile among Triple-A hitters, and it's due to his strong bat-to-ball skills, ranking in the 61st percentile in whiff rate, and elite eye, ranking in the 92nd percentile in chase rate," Cubbage highlighted.

That should translate when he reaches the majors on some level. While the numbers likely won't be identical, his impressive plate discipline combined with a high hard hit rate should allow him to be an effective player for the Nationals.

Of course, he'll have to prove that during spring training and beat out Young and Hassell. But if he can, there's reason to believe the quartet of Wood, Crews, Lile and Franklin will be the main outfield group in 2026.