Nats add pop at 1B in trade for Nathaniel Lowe
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The Nationals have addressed their need at first base.
The Nats acquired lefty-hitting first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Rangers for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia on Sunday evening.
TRADE DETAILS
Nationals get: 1B Nathaniel Lowe
Rangers get: LHP Robert Garcia
Lowe, who won't be a free agent until after the 2026 season, slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs last season. Among the AL, he ranked sixth in walks (71) and ninth in on-base percentage. His 12.6 percent walk rate also was good for fourth among all players.
¡°I believe that offense flows in rhythm,¡± Lowe said on an introductory call on Monday. ¡°There are certain guys who can do special things ¨C obviously you have to be ready early in the count ¨C but there are certain times when your pitcher needs a break and you need to take a strike. Maybe there¡¯s a matchup guy you¡¯re going to see later at a more important time and you need to take a pitch in a certain situation. But you have to be on the gas pedal at the same time, too.
¡°So if you get 27 outs, the idea is to not make any of them easy. So if you can work an at-bat longer, see a couple more pitches, grind down a starter, get somebody tired so the guy behind you can tee off on something, then I think that controlling the count and being patient is a good way to go about that.¡±
Lowe made 135 starts at first base, posting a .995 fielding percentage (fourth in the AL). First base was a priority for the Nationals this winter. Last season, the Nats fielded the position with Joey Gallo (54 games), Joey Meneses (49), Juan Yepez (45), Andr¨¦s Chapparo (12) and Trey Lipscomb (2).
¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t care before, but I don¡¯t think I cared the right way,¡± Lowe said about his defense. ¡°It was just, I¡¯m going to take ground balls before Spring Training, I¡¯m going to show up and I¡¯m going to be in rhythm and we¡¯ll work out. But caring about tiny details matters. Tony Beasley in Texas has done a great job of continuing to direct me, finding a routine that works for me and yeah, it¡¯s been great to see the computer agree with how I play defense. But the same thing goes for trusting a pitching staff, too, because when the pitcher gets over and covers, all I have to do is knock it down and throw it to him. So it¡¯s a team thing for sure. But defense has been something that I believe has improved drastically and I¡¯m very proud of.¡±
The Nationals were looking to boost their offense, too. They ranked 25th among all teams with a -104 run differential last season. They also hit the fewest home runs in the National League, and their .375 slugging percentage ranked second to last in the NL.
¡°I¡¯m looking to get back to power production,¡± Lowe said. ¡°That¡¯s a big piece of what¡¯s going to make me the best version of me. The first baseman in the middle of the lineup needs to be able to drive the ball out of the ballpark and drive in runs consistently. I feel like I have pretty good strike zone discipline, so I¡¯m going to do my best at getting on base for guys behind me. So for me to get back to the ¨C I don¡¯t want to put a number on home runs or anything like that because it¡¯s all relative to the opportunities you get -- but I need to do a better job of maximizing my power production.¡±
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Garcia, 28, established himself as a reliable go-to in the Nationals' bullpen. He made his Major League debut with the Marlins on July 14, 2023, and the Nats claimed him off waivers two weeks later. In one-plus seasons in Washington, Garcia went 5-8 with a 4.04 ERA in 91 1/3 frames.
In 2024, Garcia set career bests in holds (13), games (72) and strikeouts (75). Among all lefty relievers, he tied for fourth most appearances, ranked fifth in strikeout-to-walk rate (4.69), eighth in inherited runners scored (26.2%) and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.31).
While the Nats filled an infield gap with Lowe, the trade of Garcia left a hole in the bullpen after the team already non-tendered right-handers Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey this offseason. The Nationals added a starter last week by signing right-hander Michael Soroka to a one-year deal.