WASHINGTON -- In the seven years since Jeimer Candelario was called up to the Cubs for his Major League debut, the conversations he shared with then-bench coach Dave Martinez still stand out to him. This coming season, they will have more of those chats -- Martinez as manager of the Nationals and Candelario as a veteran infielder in his lineup. 

“When I got to the big leagues, he gave me a lot of confidence, he talked a lot with me,” Candelario said on Tuesday in an introductory Zoom. “Being there now in Washington, him being the leader and the manager of the team, it just brings me more confidence. Go there and have some fun, like he always said, and dominate.”

Candelario, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Nationals on Nov. 29. After five-plus seasons in Detroit, he was non-tendered by the Tigers on Nov. 17, creating the opportunity for a reunion.

“He's an unbelievable kid,” Martinez said last week at the Winter Meetings. “He's got great character. He's a leader in the clubhouse. For me, when we talked about getting him, it kind of was a no-brainer.”

The Nationals and Candelario are hoping for a turnaround in Washington, D.C., following a down 2022 performance during which Candelario hit .217 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 19 doubles. This, one year removed from batting .271 with 16 home runs, an American League-high-tying 42 doubles and 67 RBIs.

“He’s a young player that we think is going to have a bounce-back season,” general manager Mike Rizzo said last week at the Winter Meetings. “He showed that for a couple of seasons in a row before last year that he was a player whose needle was pointing north. We’ve taken flyers on players with some past success and a down year, and we think this guy is a good bounce-back player.”

The switch-hitting Candelario wants to tap into what made him so successful in connecting for extra-base hits in 2021. He ranked No. 3 among all third basemen in fWAR and bWAR from ‘20-21, behind only José Ramírez and Manny Machado.

“I have to be consistent with the strike zone,” Candelario said. “I know I can hit. I’ve got to be able to be a gap-to-gap guy and the doubles and the home runs are going to come. I’ve just got to be able to control the strike zone, control my movement, see the ball well and just put the barrel on the ball, and a lot of good things are going to happen. For me, I’ve just got to keep it simple and try to help my team win -- and that for me is really special.”

Candelario provides defensive versatility the Nationals covet. He has played third base for the majority of his career and expressed interest in playing the hot corner in an everyday role. Candelario will compete with Carter Kieboom, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, for the starting job in Spring Training. He also has experience at first base and noted his willingness to help wherever needed. 

“The best player will play third, and we’ll make other arrangements for the other players,” Rizzo said. 

Wherever Candelario plays, it will be alongside a pair of 22-year-olds in shortstop C.J. Abrams and second baseman Luis García. Candelario was their age when he reached the Majors, and he will be looked to as the veteran voice Martinez lauded. 

“Leadership starts doing the little things the right way -- it’s leading by example, doing the stuff that I’m supposed to do,” Candelario said. “We have a lot of young guys. Me going there to the Nationals, I have to put myself in a great position to help the young guys – and help the young guys the right way. I have to bring the energy, I have to bring the mindset [of], ‘We’re winning, we’re winning.’ We need to do the right things to win, and that’s what we’re going to do.”