Good Morning, Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, March 6.

Welcome to the Morning Briefing! Haden here, as usual, let’s talk about the newest outfielder coming to camp and some Spring Training stories.

Leading this Morning’s Briefing: Left fielder Rosario comes to the Nats on $4M split contract

The Nationals brought in long-time Twins and recent Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario on a one year split contract that will pay him $4M for his time in the majors. The deal is a split contract, so while he could open the season in the minors, it would be a shock if one of Jesse Winker or Eddie Rosario did not break camp with the team. This is another left-handed outfield bat that crowds an already crowded outfield.

Last season, Rosario appeared in 142 games and hit .255/.305/.450. That slash line and his slightly above-average left field defense let him accumulate 1.4 fWAR on the season. While the splits weren’t as significant last season, Rosario has generally struggled against left-handed pitching and should be considered a strong side platoon option for the Nationals. With Joey Gallo cemented at first base now, the Nationals have to sort out who their designated hitter and center fielder is.

So where does the lineup stand now, and who would this take playing time away from? The obvious answer is Stone Garrett, who despite a strong 2023 season, the Nationals seem to be looking for left-handed options to platoon him with. Garrett may also begin the season on the injured list, as he is still yet to appear in a spring training game.

But adding another player to this mix, especially if both Rosario and Winker make the team out of camp, seems to be the beginning of the end for Joey Meneses. The most likely scenario is one of these two left-handed bats makes the team out of camp, and if Meneses's struggles continue into May, then the Nationals will call up the other (assuming they do not struggle more than him in Triple-A). The Nationals have seemingly little faith in Meneses, as his ideal fit was as the everyday first baseman while Gallo was in left field. With Gallo now at first, Meneses has become expendable, and it would no longer shock me if he did not break camp with the team.

While I have seen many people question this signing’s impact on a potential James Wood Opening Day start, I do not agree. The Nationals seem comfortable with Wood in center and right field, with more playing time coming at either of those positions than left field. Why not let Victor Robles come off the bench and let Wood get playing time in center field? Sure, the defensive upside is reduced, but it is time to stop pretending that Robles has been an elite defender in recent years.

No matter what, things are starting to get a little clunky. The Nationals signed too many outfielders and with two utility infielders, it is hard to make room for everyone.

Early Spring Training Notes

Spring Training is in full swing and shoutout to Rich for breaking down the Nationals’ victory over the Cardinals, which you can read here.

We also wrote about the upcoming Spring Breakout game against the Mets and who could possibly make that roster. Read more about it here.

Our 40-man Roster Breakdown Continues

We will be breaking down every player on the 40-man roster until Opening Day. You can read the previous editions by clicking the button below.

Catch up on Spring Training News

There is a constant flow of news coming out of Spring Training and Richard has you covered with his Reporter’s Notebook series, where he breaks down each day’s news during Spring Training (and the week’s biggest headlines during the season).

Click here for the latest off-season headlines, rumors, trades, and more.

ICYMI: Latest articles on the Nats Report

Even though it is the offseason, we have been extremely busy producing great content on the Nats Report. Here are just a couple of the articles that we have published recently that you might have missed:

• Podcast: In the Clubhouse (Gallo and Top 30 Discussion)
• Spring Training Storylines to Watch
• Potential ballpark funding changes
• Perspective: When is Enough Enough?
• Sleepers! Get Your Sleeper Prospects Here!

We are working on a lot of great Nationals-themed content all off-season so make sure that you are following us on all the major social media channels for the latest.

Featured Story of the Day

Lucas Giolito to begin the season on the IL via MLB Trade Rumors

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