Does Meneses fit into Nationals' first base plans?

As the final shopping week before Christmas arrives, we’re left wondering if the Nationals intend to make any more purchases in the coming days, or if they’re content to wait until after the holidays.

To date, they’ve addressed their short-term need at third base (Nick Senzel) and their need for bullpen depth (Dylan Floro). That still leaves first base, left field and the back of the rotation to be addressed.

Like third base, the Nats figure to treat left field and the back of the rotation as short-term fixes as well, knowing they’ve got top prospects knocking on the door at all three of those positions (Brady House, James Wood, a healthy Cade Cavalli). But the situation at first base isn’t as clear-cut.

The Nationals don’t have an obvious long-term first baseman in their farm system. Of course, first basemen often come from some other position, so it’s not necessarily a problem they don’t already have somebody in the minors targeted for that spot.

But where does that leave them right now? If they wanted to make a multi-year commitment, they certainly could. The problem: The notable free agents who fit that bill (Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins) aren’t cheap. The Nats have been in touch with Hoskins, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but aren’t likely to get into a bidding war for the 30-year-old former Phillie, who missed all of this season with a torn ACL.

Short-term options in free agency include Brandon Belt, Carlos Santana, Joey Votto (who will probably be looking for his best chance to win at this stage of his career), Eric Hosmer (who already vetoed a trade to the Nats in 2022), Trey Mancini, Wil Myers, C.J. Cron and Jared Walsh.

There is, of course, an in-house option who’s already on the major-league roster: Joey Meneses.

The 31-year-old made 131 of his 151 starts this season as designated hitter, appearing at first base only 19 times. And, to be sure, he’s not considered a Gold Glove-caliber defensive player. But he’s made it known he prefers to play in the field over DHing every day, and the Nationals are at least suggesting they’re open to the idea.

“Look, he did really well,” manager Davey Martinez said earlier this month. “I know he wanted to play more of a position. I had to explain to him that DH is a position, and it’s a big position because we needed him to hit. But I will look at the options, and we’ll get him out there to play some first base more this year just to keep him engaged a little bit.”

Interpret these stats with a healthy grain of small-sample salt, but Meneses was a far more productive hitter during those 19 games he played first base (.333/.372/.630) than he was during the 131 games he served as DH (.265/.313/.361).

There was another potential factor to consider. Martinez revealed Meneses hurt his knee last winter playing in Mexico, and though it wasn’t significant enough to keep him out of the lineup during the regular season, it apparently was bothersome enough to keep him off the field as much as possible.

“He had a knee issue, so we wanted to keep him healthy,” Martinez said. “The biggest thing was to keep him on field, keep him hitting.”

Again, include a grain of salt with this analysis, but if Meneses really was hindered at all by a troublesome knee, it could help explain his dramatic drop-off in power production and the opposite-field approach he seemed to take to most at-bats during the season.

So, if his knee is 100 percent now, and if he really is a better hitter when he plays the field, there’s at least some reason for the Nationals to think about using Meneses at first base in 2024. If not as the everyday starter, perhaps as part of a platoon, allowing the team to sign a left-handed power bat who could also DH on a regular basis.

* Spenser Watkins has signed with the Nationals, the right-hander announced via Instagram late Sunday night.

Watkins, 31, owns a 7-14 record and 5.97 ERA in 40 career major-league games, 31 of those starts, 30 of those for the Orioles from 2021-22 before he had a brief stint with the Athletics this year.

Watkins was being courted by teams in Japan and Korea, but he revealed he has decided to stay in the United States for family reasons. Terms of his deal with the Nationals weren’t specified, but it’s likely a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league camp in the spring.

Watkins would be given a longshot chance to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, but his more likely destination would seem to be the rotation at Triple-A Rochester.

A 30th-round pick of the Tigers in 2014, Watkins is one of six alums of Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., to play in the majors. Only one major-league beat writer, however, has ever come out of that school.