The so-called utility man has always been thought of in somewhat negative terms. If someone plays multiple positions, it’s probably because he’s not good enough to play every day at one position.

While that line of thinking has mostly held true throughout baseball history, there have been some more recent examples of teams treasuring a good player’s versatility. Utility men don’t have to come off the bench. Sometimes they hold regular spots in the lineup, just not at the same position in the field on a day-to-day basis.

And the best of them can be handsomely rewarded for those rare skills. Ben Zobrist made nearly $87 million in career earnings while playing four different positions (shortstop, second base, left field, right field) at least 200 times in the majors, plus occasional work at three other positions (center field, first base, third base).

And now Tommy Edman is the latest utility man to cash in, signing a five-year, $74 million extension with the Dodgers on Friday. Edman, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cardinals, was traded to Los Angeles this summer and became a key contributor to a World Series title, winning National League Championship Series MVP honors while starting games at both shortstop and in center field.

Not every team values versatility as much as the Dodgers, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez has always spoken highly of players who can be used all over the field and when possible has preferred to keep at least one on his roster.

OK, maybe this hasn’t been as great a year as many probably hoped it would be. There’s still plenty to be thankful for today, though, right?

Of course there is. Even as it pertains to baseball, which may not be back to the level we’d all prefer but undoubtedly is trending in the right direction at last, with the ultimate payoff perhaps not as far off as you’d think.

So before you put the turkey in the oven and sit down to watch what on paper looks like three pretty blah football games, let’s run through everything the Nationals are thankful for on this day …

KEIBERT RUIZ
The opportunity to bounce back from a poor season that in some circumstances could have cost him his job, but won’t here because of the contract extension he signed in 2023.

LUIS GARCIA JR.
Just enough of a display of faith from his manager and general manager to get one last shot to realize his potential this year, which he most definitely did.

We don't typically associate Thanksgiving with baseball. That other national pastime tends to get all the attention this time of year. But baseball has been somewhat on the mind in recent days, especially with the Nationals' notable decision Friday night to non-tender Kyle Finnegan, leaving themselves without a closer.

There's still so much offseason to come, and there's no way to know what else is in store between now and the day pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach. The outlook could look completely different then than it does right now.

So, before basting that turkey or mashing those potatoes, let's answer some questions. As always, you can submit your queries in the comments section below, then check back throughout the morning for my responses ...

As the dust settled from Friday night’s decision by the Nationals not to tender contracts to Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey, a few follow-up thoughts came to mind.

One, they barely have any veterans on the roster anymore, with 24-year-old Luis Garcia Jr. (who debuted in August 2020) suddenly the most tenured player on the team.

Two, they have several holes to fill in their bullpen now, most importantly identifying a new closer.

Three, they’ve trimmed their financial commitments for 2025 and beyond down to an absolute minimum at this point.

Not that Finnegan had some kind of exorbitant contract, but the salary he would’ve commanded through the arbitration process this winter (likely between $8 million and $9 million) would’ve made him the highest paid player on the current roster.

Twenty-four hours ago, the Nationals’ most pressing roster needs appeared obvious. They needed a power-hitting first baseman. They needed a veteran starting pitcher. They needed an experienced reliever or two for a setup role. And maybe they needed another productive offensive player who could either hold or share the DH role with someone else.

And then just like that, they added another pressing need to the list: a closer.

Friday night’s unexpected decision not to tender a contract to Kyle Finnegan – fellow reliever Tanner Rainey also was non-tendered – created a major void in the Nats bullpen. Maybe Finnegan wasn’t an elite lockdown closer, but he ranked second in the National League in saves this season and over his five seasons in D.C. totaled 88 saves and 291 appearances, third-most in club history in each category.

Manager Davey Martinez’s remaining relief options boast nothing close to that kind of resume.

Derek Law, who was tendered a contract before Friday’s deadline, is a durable and reliable reliever, to be sure. But the 34-year-old has notched only 13 big league saves across parts of eight seasons with six different clubs. His value lies in his ability to take the ball as often as his manager needs him, which led to a whopping 75 appearances and 90 innings pitched this season. He actually pitches more regularly than a typical closer does.

The Nationals surprisingly parted ways with Kyle Finnegan tonight, choosing not to tender a contract to their All-Star closer four months after turning down trade offers for him.

The club also non-tendered reliever Tanner Rainey, the last remaining active member of the 2019 World Series roster, before this evening’s leaguewide 8 p.m. deadline.

Five other unsigned arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts: Second baseman Luis García Jr., catcher Riley Adams, left-hander MacKenzie Gore and right-handers Josiah Gray and Derek Law. Reliever Mason Thompson, who missed the entire season following Tommy John surgery, already agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the team Thursday evening.

The decision to let Finnegan become a free agent with one year left of club control was unexpected, especially after general manager Mike Rizzo opted not to accept offers for him at the July 30 trade deadline while dealing setup men Hunter Harvey and Dylan Floro for prospects. In non-tendering him now, the Nationals receive nothing in return for a proven late-inning reliever who ranked second in the National League this season with 38 saves.

Finnegan’s late-season struggles, though, may have changed some club officials’ minds about him. Owner of a 1.98 ERA on July 4 (shortly before he was named an All-Star for the first time), he saw that number skyrocket to 5.93 over his final 28 appearances, leaving his season-ending mark a pedestrian 3.68. That marked four straight years in which he finished with an ERA between 3.51 and 3.76.

There was a point late this summer when it looked like there was a legitimate two-man race for National League MVP. Yes, Shohei Ohtani was doing his usual thing in Los Angeles, but Francisco Lindor was playing out of his mind as well for a Mets club making a surprise run at the postseason.

Could Lindor actually beat out Ohtani for the most prestigious individual award in baseball?

In the end, the answer was a clear no. While Lindor did help get New York into the playoffs, he missed eight key games down the stretch with a back injury. Ohtani, meanwhile, had a closing stretch for the ages: seven homers, 11 stolen bases and an insane .547/.586/1.057 slash line over his final 12 games, during which he became the first player in major league history in the 50/50 Club.

So it came as no surprise Thursday night when Ohtani was named the 2024 NL MVP in a unanimous vote. It’s the third MVP of his illustrious career, and he joins the immortal Frank Robinson as the only players in history to win MVP in both leagues.

That historic performance made Ohtani an easy decision for me on my MVP ballot, which I was fortunate enough to receive this year as one of two designated voters from the Baltimore/Washington chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. I’ve voted for MVP several times before, and sometimes it’s been a tough call. I remember waiting until the final day of the 2007 season before picking Jimmy Rollins over Matt Holliday. This one really wasn’t a tough call in the end.

If you were asked to predict the Nationals’ Opening Day lineup right now, you could probably rattle off six names without too much fear of being wrong. James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews figure to return as the starting outfield. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are likely to return as the starting middle infield. Keibert Ruiz is all but certain to start behind the plate.

We know first base is a top priority for the organization this winter, with several prominent free agents available if the Nats are ready to spend big again. And the DH slot could be filled by an outside acquisition, by someone already in the organization or some combination of the two.

But what about third base? That’s where it gets more complicated.

The hot corner has truly been a revolving door around here the last five seasons. From 2014-19, Anthony Rendon played 736 games there. The only other player to appear in more than 34 games there was Yunel Escobar, who took over the position in 2015 when an injury plagued Rendon saw more time at second base.

But since Rendon left for Anaheim following the World Series, the Nationals have searched for and failed to find a permanent replacement at third base. A whopping 19 players have appeared in at least one game there since 2020, only two of them seeing action in more than 100 games: Ildemaro Vargas (126) and Carter Kieboom (114).

It’s a deadline day across Major League Baseball, with a host of prospects about to be added to their organization’s 40-man roster.

Officially, this is the deadline for teams to protect players from being lost in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. That draft, if you’ve forgotten, gives clubs the opportunity to snatch prospects away from other clubs for the low, low price of $100,000, provided they’re willing and able to keep those prospects on their 26-man major league roster (or injured list) the entire season.

The Nationals, who completely sat out the Rule 5 Draft from 2011-21, jumped back into the fray the last two winters, taking right-hander Thaddeus Ward in December 2022 and infielder Nasim Nuñez in December 2023. Both players made it through a full season in the majors, but Ward is now a member of the Orioles after getting placed on waivers following a rough season at Triple-A Rochester. Nuñez, meanwhile, barely played in Washington this year but did impress with his eye-popping glovework and blazing speed on the bases when he did get a chance to take the field.

Which players are eligible for this year’s Rule 5 Draft? In the most simplistic terms, it’s anyone who was drafted out of high school or signed internationally in 2020 or earlier, plus anyone drafted out of college in 2021 or earlier, who isn’t on his club’s 40-man roster.

Last year, the Nationals opted to protect four prospects from being lost, all pitchers: DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, Zach Brzykcy and Cole Henry. The first three all reached the big leagues, with Herz and Parker becoming mainstays in the rotation and Brzykcy pitching out of the bullpen in September. Henry, whose career has been beset by injuries, totaled only 16 1/3 innings for Double-A Harrisburg and Single-A Wilmington.

The Nationals want to be better in 2025. Better enough to contend in the National League East.

Which means, first and foremost, they’re going to have to play better against the NL East.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn the Nats haven’t finished with a winning record against division opponents since 2019, which just so happens to be the last time they finished with a winning record overall (not to mention the Commissioner’s Trophy). The results against the Braves, Marlins, Mets and Phillies in recent years hasn’t been pretty.

But there has been actual improvement. The low point came in 2022, when the Nationals lost 107 games overall and produced a dismal 17-59 record within the division, a .224 winning percentage. Major League Baseball’s schedule changes beginning in 2023 meant a lot fewer intradivision games, but the Nats still struggled that season, going 19-33 for a .365 winning percentage.

We finally saw real progress this year, resulting in a respectable 25-27 record against the NL East, good for a .481 winning percentage. And most notably, the Nationals actually had a winning record against two division foes, going a solid 8-5 against Atlanta and a dominant 11-2 against Miami one year after stumbling to the exact opposite record in that matchup.

The Arizona Fall League season wraps up tonight with the annual championship game, and members of the Nationals organization will be participating.

Thanks to a 13-4 victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions in Friday night’s semifinal, the Salt River Rafters earned the right to face the Surprise Saguaros in tonight’s championship in the desert. The Rafters roster is made up of prospects from five major league organizations: the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins, Yankees and Nationals.

Only one of the Nats’ top-ranked prospects is playing in the AFL this year, but Robert Hassell III has made the most of the opportunity. After another injury-plagued season in the minors, the 23-year-old outfielder has proven himself healthy and quite productive at the plate this fall.

In 22 games over the last month, Hassell batted .281 with a .360 on-base percentage and .517 slugging percentage, producing seven doubles, a triple, four homers and 19 RBIs. And then he added to those totals Saturday with two RBIs to help lead Salt River to a dominant win.

Hassell, who is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time, is likely to be added to the Nationals’ 40-man roster within the next week. He’ll come to spring training hoping to make an impression on club officials and convince them he’s finally close to big-league-ready after an up-and-down few seasons since his acquisition from the Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade.

Organizational prospect rankings, by their nature, are going to fluctuate year to year. And this has especially been true for the Nationals, who have seen their farm system completely overhauled in recent seasons.

As recently as 2021, the organization’s top 10 list (as compiled by Baseball America) was headlined by three homegrown pitchers (Cade Cavalli, Jackson Rutledge, Cole Henry) and two internationally signed infielders (Yasel Antuna, Armando Cruz).

Only two years later, that list looked totally different, bolstered by the additions of top prospects acquired in the Juan Soto trade (James Wood, Robert Hassell III) and more recent first round draft picks (Elijah Green, Brady House).

The top-tier talent perhaps peaked one year ago, when Dylan Crews and Yoyo Morales joined Wood, House and Cavalli to create a pretty impressive one through five.

Now, with Baseball America releasing a new top prospects list within the last week, there’s a whole new set of promising young players busting down the doors, with five of the new top 10 having been acquired by the Nationals in the last 16 months alone.

As the Nationals have navigated their way through their current rebuilding efforts, general manager Mike Rizzo has often reiterated the fact he’s done this before. Upon taking the job in 2009, Rizzo tore down much of the 102-loss roster he inherited and spent the next three years building it back up before reaching the promised land with a 98-win division champion in 2012.

The comparisons of that rebuild timeline to this rebuild timeline have been plentiful. And though the 71-win Nats of 2024 didn’t come close to matching the 80-win team of 2011, there is a similar sense of optimism right now as there was back then, that this organization is ready to start adding significant pieces to the puzzle in an attempt to contend next season.

We tend to think of free agency as the primary method for adding those kind of major pieces. Who’s going to be this generation’s version of Jayson Werth? Of Adam LaRoche? Of Edwin Jackson?

Let’s not forget, though, the major piece Rizzo acquired last time around through an entirely different process: Gio Gonzalez.

On Dec. 22, 2011, the Nationals and Athletics finalized a trade that brought Gonzalez to D.C. in exchange for four highly rated prospects: Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, A.J. Cole and Tommy Milone. And, yes, all were considered highly rated prospects at the time, even if none ever realized their full potential. (Peacock and Norris ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the club’s farm system at the time, trailing only a couple of guys named Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon.)

Most of the attention this time of year – and, really, most of the offseason – is on big names. Sluggers. Starting pitchers. Free agents seeking multi-year deals, hopefully helping transform franchises in the process.

But there’s never been a Hot Stove League that ultimately wasn’t filled with dozens of relievers joining new clubs. And very often, those seemingly lower-profile moves prove to be just as important as the big-ticket ones.

The Nationals almost always are involved in this market, and there’s every reason to believe they once again will be involved this winter. (Or, perhaps, this spring.)

Mike Rizzo added a host of experienced relievers prior to the 2024 season, and many of those guys were signed not in November, December or January, but rather in February, even after pitchers and catchers reported for camp. Only one bullpen arm was signed prior to Feb. 1: Dylan Floro, who also got the only major league contract of the eventual bunch, for a modest $2.25 million.

Then came a flurry of minor league signings as camp was beginning. Richard Bleier and Robert Gsellman on Feb. 2. Luis Perdomo on Feb. 8. Jacob Barnes on Feb. 16. Derek Law on Feb. 22. Matt Barnes on Feb. 27.

If there’s only one player the Nationals are likely to pursue this winter, it’s an established slugger, preferably one who can play first base.

If there’s a No. 2 item on general manager Mike Rizzo’s wish list, it’s probably an experienced starting pitcher, one who could help lead an otherwise young rotation to better days.

This isn’t earth-shattering news. The next time Rizzo says he’s not looking for starting pitching will be the first time. It’s always a priority.

But the evidence suggests it’s been more of a priority certain years compared to others. Yeah, the Nationals pursued starters last winter. The only one they landed was Zach Davies, who got a minor league contract and then lost a spring training battle for the No. 5 spot in the rotation to Trevor Williams and was cut loose before camp ended.

At the other end of the spectrum, of course, were the major signings of Max Scherzer in 2015 and Patrick Corbin in 2019 to nine-figure deals.

It doesn’t take tremendous insight to figure out the Nationals’ No. 1 need this winter. They need to add power to a lineup that simply hasn’t had enough of that in recent years.

The Nats ranked 29th in the majors in home runs each of the last two seasons, and their total actually went down from 2023 (151) to 2024 (135). In today’s game, that simply won’t cut it. Six of baseball’s top-seven home run-hitting clubs made the playoffs this year, and none of the bottom six did.

Club officials do have hope for an increase in power production from several key young players, especially James Wood and Dylan Crews as they embark on their first full big league seasons. And if Brady House arrives as expected, the 2021 first round pick should provide some much needed slugging potential as well.

But make no mistake, the Nationals also have to acquire power from outside the organization this offseason. And that has to come from someone closer to the prime of his career than Joey Gallo, Eddie Rosario or Jesse Winker was upon their bargain-basement acquisitions last offseason.

If Mike Rizzo truly has the green light from ownership to pursue bigger name free agents, it stands to reason the longtime general manager will be making his pitch to a number of prominent sluggers seeking employment. And in a perfect world, the slugger the Nats wind up getting would play first base.

The Nationals envision three of their recent first-round picks playing a significant role on their major league roster next season, with Dylan Crews leading the way, Cade Cavalli poised to make his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery and Brady House on track to get called up from Triple-A Rochester at some point.

They need major contributions from top draft picks like that after a string of disappointments, something that was underscored this week when two prior first-rounders left the organization for good.

Carter Kieboom and Mason Denaburg were among a host of minor league players who became free agents, joining a list that also included former prospects Israel Pineda and Tim Cate, plus a pair of prospects acquired at the frantic 2021 trade deadline: Aldo Ramirez and Richard Guasch.

Kieboom, the 28th overall pick in the 2016 draft, was supposed to help provide a bridge from the Nationals’ 2019 championship roster to the future, tabbed as Anthony Rendon’s heir apparent at third base. But he never did produce at the big league level, finishing with a .199 batting average, .297 on-base percentage and .301 slugging percentage from 2019-23. He never mastered the third base position, either, after shifting from shortstop, with minus-5 career Defensive Runs Saved and 11 errors in 117 games at the hot corner.

Tommy John surgery also threw a wrench into Kieboom’s career, knocking him out the entire 2022 season. He made it back to the majors late in 2023 and got one final chance to play regularly but did little with that opportunity. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in March and spent his entire season at Triple-A, batting .265 with seven homers, 42 RBIs and a .751 OPS while ultimately giving way to House at third base.

The first official week of the offseason didn't include any acquisitions - it rarely does - but it did include some notable departures, as well as some other news. With four open spots now on the 40-man roster, the Nationals are positioned to add. The question, of course, is how prominent (read: expensive) those additions might end up being.

It'll probably be a while longer before we know the answer to that all-important question. In the meantime, there's plenty to anticipate and speculate about as we gear up for the Hot Stove League.

If you've got something you'd like to ask, please leave it in the comments section below. Then check back throughout the morning for my replies ...

In a free agent class loaded with big names, one name clearly stands above the rest. Juan Soto was always going to be the prize of the 2024-25 offseason, and the now-26-year-old star ultimately positioned himself as well as he possibly could to get whatever he wants, from wherever he wants it, this winter.

Are the Nationals part of that conversation? The optimist would say absolutely they are, with plenty of available money to spend and their prior relationship with their former World Series hero. The pessimist would say there’s no chance of a reunion, not with the Yankees and Mets at the top of the list of suitors and not with the Nats’ lack of participation in legitimate free agency for several years now.

The realist would say there is a chance, but it’s a pretty small chance. By all accounts, Soto loved his first season with the Yankees, who loved him back and who now really need him to try to get back to and then win the World Series. If he somehow doesn’t re-sign with the Yanks, then the Mets are probably going to offer comparable money in the same city. And then there are other big-market suitors like the Phillies and Red Sox, maybe the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs as well if he’s willing to leave the East Coast.

Soto would have to really want to come back to the Nationals, and the Nationals would have to really want to bring him back to make this happen. It’s not impossible, but it’s probably improbable.

Here’s an interesting question, though, that must have crossed a few minds in the last week or two: If the Nats had never traded Soto, would they have a better chance of re-signing him now?

There’s already been a good amount of roster turnover for the Nationals since season’s end, with multiple veterans becoming free agents and several other notable players dropped from the 40-man roster earlier this week.

As the offseason gets underway, there are now four open slots on that 40-man roster, slots that could go to free agent acquisitions or in-house prospects ready for promotion. And if more slots are needed, there are a handful of current players who could still be dropped to create space.

What do the Nats currently have? What do they still need? Let’s take a look at the organizational depth chart as currently constructed to get a better idea of the state of things, going position by position. Players on the 40-man roster are listed first, with some minor leaguers not yet on the 40-man listed below them with an asterisk next to their names …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Drew Millas
Riley Adams
Brady Lindsly*
Onix Vega*
Caleb Lomavita*
Kevin Bazzell*

Comment: Ruiz was deemed the Nationals’ long-term answer behind the plate two years ago when he signed his $50 million extension, but there will be pressure on him to show real improvement after a disappointing season. Millas and Adams were on the D.C.-to-Rochester-and-back shuttle all year, neither seizing the job. And now that he’s arbitration-eligible, Adams could be a non-tender candidate later this month. For the first time in club history, the Nats used high draft picks on catchers this summer, selecting both Lomavita and Bazzell. Neither is going to be big league ready in 2025, but both are worth keeping an eye on.