In today's mailbag, we get into the needs of the Nationals, the situations of the Cardinals and Nolans Arenado and Gorman, how the Cubs can approach the offseason, whether Robbie Ray will come out, and more.
Kevin asks:
The Nats have plenty of talented young players ready to join the team, but opening the window will require veterans. You should: Heal us and try to sign Juan Sotouse that money to hire two or three solid veterans, or try a few short-term contracts because the window will really start to open in 2026?
Soto's return to the Nats is an interesting prospect. The best free agent signings have been for young superstars, though it's unclear whether the Nationals will offer more than the $440MM Soto turned down two years ago. National GM Mike Rizzo said he made three requests to Soto within a year, and none of them were denied. Since then, the Lerners decided not to sell the Nationals, so you could say there's more confidence in ownership.
One question is whether the Readers will return to the days of top 10 salaries. I don't know the answer to that, but they probably don't have anything on the books after this year except for Stephen Strasburg agreement.
Regarding Soto, it's worth asking if the Nationals' commitment to an outfielder is a good use of resources. A Hall of Fame talent like Soto would be a great addition to any team, but if James Wood, Dylan Crewsagain Robert Hassell III they all became successful Major League players as the Nationals expected, something has to give.
Here's a look at the diamond to assess what the Nats might need:
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