Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals infielder Ildemaro Vargas has cleared waivers and has elected to test free agency, according to Bobby Blanco. Vargas posted a .246/.295/.316 slash line with one home run and nine stolen bases across 97 games with the Nationals. He was deployed as a utility option in Washington last season and logged double-digit starts at second base, third base, and the outfield. He held a stellar 10.2% strikeout rate but struggled to generate hard contact as he carried a poor 31.9% hard-hit rate and a 1.2% barrel rate. Fantasy managers should expect Vargas to have a similar role in the 2025 campaign if he finds a suitor, but he should not be on your fantasy radar given his lack of hitting production.

According to Washington Nationals insider Bobby Blanco, first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses has elected to test free agency. Meneses had the worst season of his three-year MLB career last summer as he posted a poor .231/.291/.302 line with three home runs and two stolen bases. This was a stark contrast to the .275/.321/.401 line he held during the 2023 campaign. The 32-year-old also spent some of last season with Triple-A Rochester and carried a modest .254/.322/.471 line with 14 doubles and nine home runs. Meneses will likely find a new home but is best to leave off your fantasy radar in 2025 given his struggles last season.

As expected, the Washington Nationals declined their $8 million 2025 mutual option for outfielder/designated hitter Joey Gallo on Monday. It was the no-brainer move after Gallo showed more decline in his first year in the nation's capital. The two-time All-Star hit an abysmal .161/.277/.336 with a career-worst .613 OPS, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, three stolen bases and 24 runs scored in 260 plate appearances and 76 games played. The whiff-happy 30-year-old veteran left-handed slugger was always a big swing and miss guy, but it's gotten worse, with Gallo fanning in 102 of his 223 at-bats in 2024. In 10 big-league seasons since debuting in 2015 with the Texas Rangers, he has hit .194 with a .319 on-base percentage in 939 regular-season games. Gallo may have to settle for a minor-league deal elsewhere if he wants to continue his playing career.

Washington Nationals rookie outfielder James Wood went 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies, collecting two RBI and two runs scored in the process. The hits extended the left-handed hitter's current hit streak to six games. The 22-year-old has shown he belongs in the big leagues since being called up at the beginning of July, slashing .269/.360/.434 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases in 78 games (331 PA) to start his career. Expect the former second-round draft pick to start 2025 with the Nats and he'll likely have a costly ADP with the strong blend of power and speed.

The Washington Nationals placed rookie infielder Andres Chaparro on the paternity list on Tuesday and recalled outfielder Stone Garrett from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. Chaparro will almost certainly be away from the team for the entire three-game series against the Kansas City Royals this week before returning to the club for the final series of the season this weekend against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old has hit just .215 (26-for-121) with four home runs, 12 doubles, 15 RBI, one steal, seven walks and 24 strikeouts in 132 trips to the plate in his first 33 major-league games for the Nats in 2024. Juan Yepez is making the start at first in D.C. on Tuesday against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans and could play regularly this series with Chaparro away from the team to welcome a child into his family.