Washington Nationals Will Be Relying on Returning Players and New Talent

The Washington Nationals have not spent a lot of money this offseason, and their payroll has gotten lower because of that.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported that the Nationals have had the fifth-largest decline in payroll at 15%.

One big reason for the decline in their payroll is Patrick Corbin's contract finally ending. Corbin made $25 million in 2024. Now, the Nationals do have to pay him $10 million in deferred money this season, but they still have more money to spend with him gone.

According to Spotrac.com, the Nationals had a total adjusted payroll of $103,945,407 in 2024. As teams head to Spring Training, Washington currently has a current payroll of $83,756,429. They are not expected to make any significant moves in the near future, so that number is not going to get much higher.

This offseason, the Nationals did make some improvement to their roster, but they did it without spending a lot of money. They traded for Nathaniel Lowe, but he is on the books for just $10.7 million. Additionally, the Nationals picked up Mike Soroka for one year and $9 million while re-signing Trevor Williams for the same salary as 2024. Washington brought back veteran first baseman Josh Bell on a cheap salary, as well.

Lowe is the most expensive guy on their payroll at the moment and he is the only player owed at least $10 million at the moment.

The reason the Nationals have such a cheap payroll is because of their young talent. James Wood and Dylan Crews are both great players, but they are still on contracts worth $800,000 per year. In fact, the Nationals have 26 players on their 40-man roster that are still on pre-arbitration contracts, which includes Wood and Crews. That salary will not be as high when some of those players are sent to the minor leagues.

As of right now, Washington has the seventh-lowest tax payroll in the MLB. However, they will certainly have to pay Wood, Crews and some of their other young stars if they want to retain them for the long-term. With the way baseball contracts are going, that will definitely cost them a pretty penny.

Even though the Nationals are a young team, they are still talented. Washington might not have the best season with their young talent this year, but the future is bright. What makes it even better for them is they will have plenty of money to spend in the next offseason if they choose to go after some big names.

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