Nats agree to deals with 5 arbitration-eligible players

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals reached one-year contracts for 2023 with outfielder Lane Thomas and right-handers Víctor Arano, Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey on Friday.

Washington will continue negotiations with center fielder Victor Robles. Per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Robles filed at $2.6 million and the Nationals filed at $2.3 million. If continued negotiations do not yield an agreement before the date of a scheduled hearing, a panel of arbitrators will hear the case and choose the salary figure of Robles or the team.

Robles, 25, slashed .224/.273/.311 with a .584 OPS last season (compared to .203/.310/.295 and a .605 OPS in 2021). He was named a Gold Glove Award finalist for the second time in his six-year career.

Thomas is coming off a strong year in which he thrived in his first full season of consistent playing time. He slashed .241/.301/.404 and ranked second on the Nats in hits (120), home runs (17) and doubles (26). Thomas, 27, provided the Nationals with defensive versatility in the outfield and impressed in his shift to right field toward the end of the season.

Finnegan, who is entering his fourth season with the Nationals, returned to the closer role last season after Rainey required Tommy John surgery. The 31-year-old went 6-4 with 11 saves and a 3.51 ERA across 66 2/3 innings.

Arano, Edwards and Harvey are returning to the Nationals bullpen, where they contributed to it being one of the club’s biggest strengths last season. They maximized the opportunities of a new club -- Arano and Edwards signed Minor League deals with the Nats and Harvey was claimed off waivers from the Giants -- to produce turnaround performances:

Arano, 27
● 2021: Did not pitch in the Majors
● 2022: 43 games, 42 innings, 4.50 ERA

Edwards, 31
● 2021 (Braves/Blue Jays): 7 games, 5 2/3 innings, 11.12 ERA
● 2022: 57 games, 62 innings, 2.76 ERA

Harvey, 28
● 2021 (Orioles): 9 games, 8 2/3 innings, 4.15 ERA
● 2022: 38 games, 39 1/3 innings, 2.52 ERA

The Nats already had agreed to deals this offseason with infielder Ildemaro Vargas and right-hander Tanner Rainey to avoid arbitration.