Nationals projected to land Orioles $142 million star after breakout year

The Washington Nationals showed signs of promise in 2024, even hanging around in the Wild Card race until the end of July.

And though they fell out of contention and finished 71-91 while also missing the playoffs, there are signs of hope for 2025. They may even decide that now is the time to end their rebuild and spend big to supplement their young core.

Slugging outfielder Anthony Santander is a free agent after a strong season with the Baltimore Orioles. He hit 44 home runs and drove in 102 runs during the regular season.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicted that the veteran slugger will end up signing in Washington for six years and $142 million.

Santander would give the Nationals a major boost in their lineup this winter. Having him along with James Wood, Dylan Crews, Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams could finally allow the team to take a meaningful step forward.

The Nationals have a bright future ahead of them, and signing him would be the first sign that they plan to contend soon, which would make the National League East race all the more compelling in 2025.

Bowden compared this potential signing to that of Jayson Werth back in 2010. That was a deal that signaled the end of a rebuild and the beginning of a new era of Nationals baseball, one that included several winning seasons and even a World Series title in 2019.

The Nationals have not been in the postseason since then, but signing Santander would be a good start as they try to finally bounce back into contention after years of rebuilding.

We’ll see if Santander is on their radar.