Organizational depth chart reveals strengths, problem areas

We don’t know yet how the Nationals are going to approach this offseason. Is there a chance they spend big on a free agent? Are they going to stick with their approach from last winter and sign several stopgap players to one-year contracts? What positions are they targeting most?

We’ll learn in the coming weeks and months how exactly this is going to play out, but as the true offseason gets underway this week, it’s helpful to look at what the Nats currently have as a guide for what they might now want to add.

And that doesn’t just mean what they have at the big league level. Now more than ever, the presence of top prospects in Double-A or Triple-A who could be close to arriving in D.C. can and should affect how Mike Rizzo and Co. approach the Hot Stove League. If they think they’ve got a long-term answer at third base waiting to make his major league debut, they probably aren’t going to sign a free agent for more than one year. If they don’t think they’ve got an in-house answer at first base, they might well decide it is appropriate to make a long-term commitment to someone from the outside.

So let’s take an opportunity this morning to look at the Nationals’ organizational depth chart, position by position. The top players listed are currently on the 40-man roster. Players who follow with an asterisk next to their names are not on the 40-man roster (though some could be added next week when the team needs to protect them from being lost in the Rule 5 Draft).

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Riley Adams
Drew Millas
Israel Pineda
Brady Lindsly*
Onix Vega*

Comment: The Nationals made it clear Ruiz is their long-term answer behind the plate this spring when they signed him to an eight-year, $50 million extension. He still has work to do to improve defensively, but his offensive performance was much improved this year. Same for Adams, who did a nice job in limited playing time before breaking his hamate bone in September. That injury afforded Millas his first opportunity to play in the majors, and he acquitted himself well, perhaps putting himself in the mix for the future. Pineda, meanwhile, was beset by injuries all season and has been leapfrogged on the depth chart.

FIRST BASE
Dominic Smith
Joey Meneses
Will Frizzell*
T.J White*
Branden Boissiere*
Yohandy Morales*

Comment: Smith didn’t provide the kind of offense you want from a first baseman, but his glove work was excellent, probably enough to convince the Nats to retain him for another season. Meneses did fine when filling in at first base, but he’s clearly the designated hitter at this point. Long-term, this appears to be a position that needs to be addressed. One in house-possibility: Morales, the 2023 second-round pick who may be blocked at third base and could shift to the other corner position.

SECOND BASE
Luis Garcia
Jake Alu
Ildemaro Vargas
Jeter Downs
Darren Baker*
Trey Lipscomb*
Sammy Infante*

Comment: Most of the Nationals’ key young big leaguers took steps forward this season. Garcia did not, and that leaves him a big question for 2024 and beyond. The alternatives aren’t great, so he may retain the starting job by default. But if there’s a spot on the field the team could seek to upgrade with a free agent, this might be it.

SHORTSTOP
CJ Abrams
Ildemaro Vargas
Jeter Downs
Jackson Cluff*
Kevin Made*

Comment: The Nationals entered the year believing Abrams was their long-term shortstop, and their feelings on that matter were only strengthened by season’s end. He’s the guy for 2024 and many years to come. And with Vargas back for another season coming off the bench, there’s not a lot of reason to worry about the lack of premium shortstop depth in the farm system.

THIRD BASE
Carter Kieboom
Ildemaro Vargas
Jake Alu
Trey Lipscomb*
Brady House*
Yohandy Morales*

Comment: Kieboom got one more chance to prove himself late in the season. He hit a few homers, but for the most part the results were the same as previous seasons. You would think the Nats have decided it’s just not going to happen with him. But if they believe House is going to be ready to take over late in 2024, they may not feel the need to spend money on this position. If they do, it’s probably a one-year deal, just as they did with Jeimer Candelario last winter.

LEFT FIELD
Stone Garrett (injured)
Alex Call
Jake Alu
Ildemaro Vargas
James Wood*
Robert Hassell III*
Andrew Pinckney*
Daylen Lile*

Comment: Who’s the Nationals’ Opening Day left fielder? He’s probably not on this list. Garrett may not be 100 percent ready to return from his broken leg in time. Call likely played his way out of regular playing time this season. Alu and Vargas are utility infielders. Wood and the other prospects are going to need a bit more time in the minors. So it stands to reason Rizzo will be seeking a power-hitting corner outfielder willing to take a one-year deal this winter.

CENTER FIELD
Victor Robles
Jacob Young
Alex Call
Lane Thomas
Dylan Crews*
James Wood*
Robert Hassell III*
Jeremy De La Rosa

Comment: There are serious questions about the top choices for this position, as well. But with Crews knocking on the door and likely coming sometime in 2024, the Nats don’t need a full-year stopgap in center field. Whether Robles gets one last shot, or whether Young showed enough in September to merit everyday playing time, the Opening Day center fielder is probably already here.

RIGHT FIELD
Lane Thomas
Stone Garrett (injured)
James Wood*
Robert Hassell III*
Andrew Pinckney*
Daylen Lile*
Jeremy De La Rosa

Comment: For all the hype over the organization’s outfield prospects, Thomas has already now proven himself a very good everyday right fielder who hits for power and throws out a ton of baserunners. He may be supplanted eventually, but not in 2024. It will be fascinating, meanwhile, to see which of those many intriguing outfield prospects arrives first and which ones stick, potentially leaving the others without a clear path to the majors in D.C. (Can you say, “trade bait?”)

DESIGNATED HITTER
Joey Meneses
Keibert Ruiz

Comment: Meneses may not hit for as much power as everyone wishes he would, but he’s still a good hitter who keeps delivering in the clutch. And for now, that’s enough for him to remain the everyday DH. Look for Davey Martinez to keep finding opportunities to use Ruiz here as well, though, with Adams catching those days and Meneses perhaps at first base.

STARTING PITCHERS
Josiah Gray
MacKenzie Gore
Patrick Corbin
Jake Irvin
Trevor Williams
Cade Cavalli (injured)
Jackson Rutledge
Joan Adon
Thaddeus Ward
Roddery Munoz
DJ Herz*
Mitchell Parker*
Cole Henry*
Andrew Alvarez*
Stephen Strasburg (injured)

Comment: The rotation depth chart is finally starting to look different, with young building blocks at the top instead of veterans on the downside of their careers. Gray and Gore should be the No. 1 and No. 2 starters entering the season, and maybe Irvin can even get the No. 3 slot ahead of Corbin. The Nats hope Cavalli joins the mix in June after completing his Tommy John rehab and perhaps proves himself an ace by season’s end. And even if he doesn’t start the season in the majors, Rutledge will get another look in 2024. There’s some interesting rotation depth beyond that, as well, headlined by Herz (acquired from the Cubs for Candelario) and Parker.

RELIEF PITCHERS
Kyle Finnegan
Hunter Harvey
Tanner Rainey
Jordan Weems
Andres Machado
Robert Garcia
Jose A. Ferrer
Joe La Sorsa
Mason Thompson
Trevor Williams
Cory Abbott
Amos Willingham
Tim Cate*
Holden Powell*
Orlando Ribalta*

Comment: This is potentially a good and deep bullpen, if everyone’s healthy and pitches to his capabilities. A late-inning trio of Finnegan, Harvey and Rainey would be quite intriguing. And Weems and Machado enjoyed moments of dominance, too. The emergence of three young lefties was long-awaited, with Garcia looking like the best of that group.