Will first week of January once again feature free-agent signings?

When the calendar shifted from 2022 to 2023 one year ago, the Nationals had already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Jeimer Candelario) and a No. 5 starter (Trevor Williams). They still needed a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter), and they proceeded to address both of those needs within the first 10 days of January, first signing Dominic Smith to play first base and then signing Corey Dickerson to play left field.

As the calendar now shifts from 2023 to 2024, the Nationals have already addressed two of their stated needs, signing a third baseman (Nick Senzel) and a veteran late-inning reliever (Dylan Floro). They still need a left fielder and a first baseman (or designated hitter). And maybe a No. 5 starter.

Anybody ever experienced déjà vu?

Yeah, there’s a very familiar pattern playing out here this winter. Only Mike Rizzo knows whether that’s legitimately by design or pure coincidence. But the similarities are impossible to ignore.

The Nats do have more promising pieces already in place than they did a year ago, feeling more secure about their catcher, their shortstop, their right fielder, two (or maybe three) of their starting pitchers and multiple relievers. And they know the most promising pieces are close to joining the party sometime before the year is up.

But the holes are basically identical to what they were last offseason. And the process of filling those holes, to date, has been nearly identical.

The good news: Maybe this means we’ll get some actual news this week after a protracted dead period that began long before the holiday break. The Nationals’ last major-league addition came Dec. 12, when they signed Floro and announced the previously reported Senzel deal. That’s three weeks without any news of real substance.

If there’s a first order of business in the new year, you would think it would involve a left-handed power hitter. One who could either play left field, first base or at least DH.

Among the potential options on the free-agent market (presented in alphabetical order): Cody Bellinger, Brandon Belt, Michael Brantley, Kole Calhoun, Garrett Cooper (who is right-handed), Robbie Grossman, Rhys Hoskins (who is right-handed), Eric Hosmer (who already vetoed a trade to D.C. 17 months ago), Trey Mancini (who is right-handed), Joc Pederson, David Peralta, Jurickson Profar, Eddie Rosario, Carlos Santana, Jorge Soler (who is right-handed), Joey Votto, Jared Walsh and Jesse Winker.

That’s a lot of options, of varied skill, experience and salary demand. Some (like Bellinger) qualify as a major free-agent signing, the likes of which the Nationals haven’t suggested they’re interested in this winter. Some (like Belt, Brantley, Hoskins, Peralta and Santana) have track records as quality players but could probably be had on a one- or perhaps two-year deal at this stage of their respective careers. And some others might only require a minor-league deal and an invitation to big-league camp.

So there are many different ways the Nationals could go here. That also applies position-wise, because they haven’t decided if they intend to make Joey Meneses their everyday first baseman, find a left-handed counterpart to share the job and the DH position with him, or sign an everyday option at first and leave Meneses as the regular DH for a second straight year.

In other words, there’s a lot still to be determined.

But if history repeats itself and the Nats really are treating this offseason just as they did the last one, we should finally get some resolution to these matters in the next 7-10 days.