Tim Dierkes’ MLB Mailbag: Nationals, Cardinals, Cubs, Ray

In today’s mailbag, we get into the Nationals’ needs, the Cardinals’ situations with Nolans Arenado and Gorman, how the Cubs might approach the offseason, whether Robbie Ray will opt out, and much more.

Kevin asks:

The Nats have a lot of talented youngsters ready to join the team but opening the window will require some veterans. Should they: Make us whole and try to sign Juan Soto, use that money to hire two or three solid veterans, or try several shorter term contracts because the window will really first open in 2026?

Soto returning to the Nats is an intriguing idea.  A lot of the best free agent signings have been for young superstars, though it’s unclear whether the Nationals would offer even more than the $440MM Soto turned down two years ago.  Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has said he made three offers to Soto within a year, and none of them were countered.  Since then, the Lerners decided not to sell the Nationals, so you could say there’s more certainty with ownership.

One question is whether the Lerners will return to the days of a top-ten payroll.  I don’t know the answer to that, but they have almost nothing on the books after this year aside from the Stephen Strasburg contract.

As it relates to Soto, it’s worth asking whether the Nationals committing to an outfielder is a good use of resources.  A Hall of Fame talent like Soto would be a great addition to any team, but if James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Robert Hassell III all become productive Major League outfielders as the Nationals expect, something would have to give.

Here’s a look around the diamond to assess what the Nats might need: