The Nationals are wrapping up a fifth straight losing season. They jumped the Marlins to get out Chris Martin Jersey of last place for the first time since their 2019 World Series, but theres still a lot of work to be done to pull out of the rebuild. Longtime general manager and baseball operations president Mike Rizzo chatted with this week. In response to a question about pursuing first base help in the offseason, the GM indicated hed take a wider approach to acquiring offensive impact. I wouldnt keyhole us at first base , Rizzo told Ladson. We need some offense. We need a couple of bats that can hit in the middle of the lineup and take the onus off some of these good young core players and a sist them in the run creation of our offense. We have the core players to be middle-of-the-lineup hitters. If we add a bat or two into that group, it takes a little bit of pre sure off everybody and everybody can relax a little bit more and develop into the players we think they are going to be. Rizzo predictably didnt identify specific targets, but mentioning a middle-of-the-order bat naturally leads to speculation about the markets top free agent. Last week, MLBTRs Steve Adams of Washington making a run at bringing back . Theres enough long-term payroll flexibility to make that a po sibility, albeit a long shot. Having future payroll space doesnt nece sarily mean ownership wants to dole out a contract that could approach or top $600MM. Soto will also certainly have offers from teams that are clearer contenders in the short term. Soto is the crown jewel of the cla s but not the only player whod qualify as a middle-of-the-order bat. is one home run away from getting to 35 in all five full seasons of his MLB career. hits the market with a career-best 41 homers and counting. is probably going to get to 30 longballs amidst a resurgent .267/.334/.487 showing with the Dodgers. is hitting .258/.342/.484 to go along with Gold Glove defense at first base. has drilled 31 home runs for the Red Sox while obliterating left-handed pitching at a .315/.432/.756 clip. is more of a well-rounded star than a true masher, but hes certainly a good enough hitter to land in the middle of a lineup. has had a fantastic year in San Diego, while primary DH options , and will be back on the market. There are fewer obvious trade candidates, but players like , and could be available. [Related: ] While Rizzo suggested theyll cast a wider net than looking specifically at first base, thats indeed a position of weakne s. Washington first basemen have hit .240/.310/.378 this season, landing in the bottom third of MLB in all three slash stats. Things have been even bleaker at designated hitter, where the Nats are hitting .198/.268/.332. Only the Reds and Rangers have gotten le s production out of the bat-only position. has hit well in a limited role, but he wont stand in the way of an impact acquisition. is headed to free agency and seems unlikely to be retained. Neither nor is a lock to hold a 40-man roster spot all offseason. The Nats could accommodate both a full-time DH and a first baseman. Theyre in a better spot elsewhere on the diamond. and are flanking Gold Glove-caliber center fielder . Washington could certainly add an outfielder like Santander or ONeill and rotate them through designated hitter while nudging Young into more of a fourth outfield role, but center field is no longer a huge weakne s. Washington is unlikely to find an impact bat behind the plate, where theyre committed to for the foreseeable future. The middle infield duo of and is questionable defensively, but theyre both good hitters. seems like an adequate third base stopgap until the arrival of prospect . Bregman is the only marquee third baseman in the upcoming cla s. The contract comes off the books this winter, giving the Nationals more financial room than theyve had in a while. calculates their 2025 commitments around $40MM.Their arbitration cla s led by , Garca and first-year salaries for , and Abrams is manageable. Therell be a lot of breathing room before reaching this years approximate $125MM season-opening payroll. Its po sible ownership is willing to push spending higher than that to exit the rebuild. The Nats will need to add at least one established starting pitcher and look to deepen the bullpen, so theres a lot for the front office to weigh, but this should be their most interesting offseason in quite some time. Bryan Mata Jersey