Trade rumors circle Nationals’ stars as free agency passes Washington by

An overhauled front office hasn’t brought a fresh approach to the Washington Nationals’ offseason.

As December wears on, the Nationals have still opted against any flashy moves via trade or free agency while trade rumors swirl around the team’s few stars, eliciting the same old shrugs from the District’s baseball fans.

Since taking over the front office, new Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni has publicly emphasized scouting and development as key factors for a franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since winning the World Series in 2019.

His early moves have matched the message. Washington traded closer Jose Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for catcher Harry Ford, a promising prospect who has made just eight appearances as a major leaguer.

Ford was the No. 4 prospect in Seattle’s farm system, but he lacked a path to the lineup. All-Star Cal Raleigh, who led the Majors in home runs last season, was the Mariners’ everyday backstop. In Washington, Ford has a chance to develop.

“He’s an unbelievable kid,” Toboni said. “Dating back to high school, I got to know him really well then. He’s a stud athlete. There aren’t many catchers around the game that have this type of athleticism. Thirdly, he’s still really young … he’s still very much developing. I don’t think he’s close to what his potential might be.”

The Nationals are all about development. Their Rule 5 Draft selections, including former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Griff McGarry, represented more lottery tickets for the rebuilding franchise.

But none of the early moves have inspired much confidence among the Nationals’ downtrodden fan base. Washington’s only free agency acquisition this winter is reliever Foster Griffin.

The former first-round pick made a handful of appearances with the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays in 2020 and 2022 before reviving his career in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.

Griffin’s deal lands him with the Nationals for a single season and could be worth up to $6.5 million.

It isn’t exactly the big-money deal that fans have been clamoring for. Owner Mark Lerner insisted, when he introduced Toboni earlier this year, that the new decision-maker would have all the financial resources he needed.

“We’re going to do what it takes. We’re going to do it, sitting down with Paul, when it’s ready, when he says, ‘I need to do this, I need to do that.’ And we’ll take it from there,” Lerner told reporters in October.

In 2011, the Nationals handed out a seven-year, $126 million deal for outfielder Jayson Werth. The flashy deal helped pave the way for five postseason appearances in nine years. It feels like a century ago.

No MLB insiders have tied Washington to any potential nine-figure deals this offseason. Free agents like shortstop Bo Bichette, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder Cody Bellinger have been tied to big-spending teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

But, just up the road, the Baltimore Orioles have made splashes. The franchise, after adding a new manager in the offseason, signed power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal.

“I think we have a whole new era in front of us and signing Pete is a big part of that, but also a big symbol of where we think we are going,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, Washington’s offseason rumors revolve around subtracting stars — not adding them. ESPN reported that the Nationals have had conversations about trading All-Star shortstop C.J. Abrams and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Kansas City Royals and other clubs, according to ESPN.

If the Nationals plan to return to their aggressive offseason approach of the 2010s under Toboni, it appears unlikely to happen this winter.