Nats add pop at 1B in trade for Nathaniel Lowe

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.

He made 135 starts at first base to a .995 fielding percentage (fourth in the AL).

Lowe, 29, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022 along with a Gold Glove Award and a World Series championship in ‘23. He had spent his entire six-year career in the AL with the Rays and Rangers as a 2016 13th-round Draft pick by Tampa Bay.

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), Andrés Chapparo (12) and Trey Lipscomb (2).

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.

“We’re going to try to not pigeonhole ourselves, but it’s that clear we have an opportunity to fill in several different spots -- first base, designated hitter,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at Winter Meetings earlier this month. “We feel that Yeppy [Yepez] and Chappy [Chaparro] did a nice job for us. I think that they’ll be guys that will be usable on a roster. But I think that beyond those two guys, we can improve ourselves in several of those positions.”

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 leaves a hole in the bullpen after the team already non-tendered right-handers Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey this offseason.