According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Washington Nationals will trade for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. In return, left-hander Robert Garcia will head to the Texas Rangers.
Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia is headed from the Nationals to the Rangers in the Nathaniel Lowe trade, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 22, 2024
Nationals Acquire Veteran to Bolster Young Core
Lowe represents a significant upgrade at first base in Washington over the likes of Joey Gallo and Joey Meneses. Last season,29-year-ol in 140 games, he batted .265/.361/.401 (120 OPS+) with 16 home runs, 16 doubles, and an excellent 12.6% walk rate.
Additionally, the 29-year-old ranks among the best in baseball at not whiffing or chasing pitches out of the zone. The Nationals expect to rely on a core of unproven but high-upside position players in 2025. Adding a veteran with a reputation for taking professional at-bats may help the development of the young hitters.
NATHANIEL LOWE HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE NATIONALS 🚨
The 29 year old 1B has a career 120-OPS+, and turned in an insane 7-OAA defensively last year pic.twitter.com/IIJvUrQuVP
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) December 22, 2024
Lowe spent the past four seasons as an everyday player with the Rangers. In that time, he hit 27 home runs once (2021) and finished the other seasons with 16, 17, and 18. Washington might see untapped potential in his power output and will look to get him back to the 25+ mark.
Furthermore, Lowe has greatly improved as a defender in recent years. In 2,603 innings at first base over the past two seasons, the slugger has earned four Defensive Runs Saved and 10 Outs Above Average. His performance earned him a Gold Glove in 2023.
The Nationals will trade for Lowe and control him for two seasons via arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to earn $10.7 million this season in arbitration. With another solid campaign in 2025, he will earn a raise via arbitration for 2026.
That said, the first base market in free agency has not looked good in recent years. Lowe and the Nationals could explore an extension this offseason or next that locks up his early and mid-thirties.
Robert Garcia to Texas
In exchange for Lowe, the Nationals will trade a middle-reliever to the Rangers. Garcia, 28, posted a 4.22 ERA (96 ERA+) in 59 2/3 innings across 72 games last year. However, he features upside, as seen by a 29.9% strikeout rate and a 6.4% walk rate.
Nationals just traded 5 years of this for 2 years of Nathaniel Lowe. Idk about that chief pic.twitter.com/n7VfqQmdii
— Zack Wheeler FC (@cywheela) December 22, 2024
Though the deal will largely serve as a salary dump for Texas, they might hit big if they can help Garcia develop. Garcia will earn close to the league minimum in 2025 and is under control through the 2029 seasons.
Main Photo Credits: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
