While the Washington Nationals still have a reasonable chance to snag another big bat before Spring Training, it is more likely that Mike Rizzo will look for a cost-efficient player that will fit their needs. I know some fans will be upset if this is the route the front office decides to take, but it may be better for the team in the long run.

This player actually had a higher WAR than JT Realmuto, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Didi Gregorious in the abbreviated 2020 season and is likely to cost less than any of them. This player is Cesar Hernandez and according to Roster Resource he should only cost the Nationals an AAV of around $8 million. Hernandez would not only fit into Washington's financial restrictions, but could also make this team much better!

After starting out as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Hernandez made great improvements at second base during his time in the "City of Brotherly Love" and earned the gold glove for that position with the Cleveland Indians in 2020. His 6 defensive runs saved last season would easily improve our infield defense, which did not look pretty in 2020.

Thanks to the additions of Josh Bell and Kyle Scwarber, the Nats have three big bats in the middle of the order with the potential to hit 30+ home runs. Now this team needs length and with a career slash line of .277/.352/.383, Hernandez could also be the perfect fit for this team offensively. Having spent the majority of his career batting first, I would place Hernandez at the top of the lineup with Turner, Soto, Bell, and Schwarber to follow in that order.

But even if he isn’t leading off you can put Hernandez virtually anywhere in the lineup and expect him to be a reliable hitter. At .352, his career OBP is well over league average, he steals an average of 15 bags per season, and has the power to hit over 20 doubles and 10-15 home runs. Most importantly though, Hernandez would give the Nats the professional depth in their lineup that is missing outside of their usual 1 through 5.

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If Washington signed Hernandez, Starlin Castro would likely move to third base and Carter Kieboom would start the year in the minor leagues with the AAA Rochester Red Wings. Castro has said he would prefer to stay at 2nd, but the addition of Hernandez would clearly improve this team and that could possibly make the move easier for Castro. This move could also benefit Carter Kieboom and to a lesser extent Luis Garcia. Kieboom could go to the minors and hopefully build some more offensive confidence to go along with his much improved glove from 2020.

Garcia could work on his defense in the minors and put the finishing touches on his already impressive hitting, that we were lucky enough to get a sneak peak of last year. This is not the type of move that will break twitter, but it is certainly one that will improve this team and it fits into the budget no matter what else happens.