Good Morning Washington Nationals Fans,

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, November 20, 2023. I am Haden and let’s dive into the news.

Upgrade your subscription to get our weekly round-up of the biggest Washington Nationals stories over the past week, minor league game notes, and more MLB headlines.

Leading today’s Morning Briefing: One of the best available free-agent starters returns to the Phillies

The Nationals extended contracts to everyone who did not have a guaranteed deal for 2024. With that being the only news, I figured we should talk about the biggest free-agent signing of the offseason. That is the signing of Aaron Nola.

Aaron Nola was one of the best starting pitchers in a deep class of free agent starting pitchers.  Despite a down year in 2023, Nola provided a ton of value for the Phillies by throwing over 190 innings at an above-average level. That is the type of pitcher that Nola is at his worst. A guy that will threaten to throw 200 innings of baseball with a Fielding Independent Pitching that hovers around 4.00. At his best, he will provide you with 200 innings of well-above-average pitching.

For that reason, I found Nola as a natural free agent target for the Nationals this offseason. Having a guy you can count on to throw six or more innings would be huge for the Nationals, and hopefully, someone can take a step forward and become that in 2024.

To get Nola at the price point that the Phillies did is also a solid victory. $172M over seven years is hardly a bargain, but at an AAV of $24.5M, you cannot complain. But the move does put the Phillies into a predicament. This is now their third large contract on the books past 2027, joining Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Zack Wheeler and Matt Strahm are both slated to enter free agency at the conclusion of the 2025 season, and of the two you’d expect them to extend Wheeler, who broke out into a front-of-the-rotation arm since joining the Phillies. They may try to dump Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos, but their payroll may finally be maxing out.

The BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot was Announced

You can read Richard’s write-up on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot here on the site.

In the Clubhouse returns

After taking the postseason off, In the Clubhouse returned! The latest episode is out on the site and on YouTube. We talked about the roster moves we’ve seen over the past month, the front office hires, and changes to the coaching staff.

ICYMI: Latest articles on the Nats Report

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

• Rochester Red Wings: A Year in Review
• The Nats Report’s Free Agency Wishlist
• Prospect Profile: Drew Millas
• Prospect Profile: Brady House

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 Stories of the Day

Lance Lynn returns to the Cardinals on a one-year deal via MLB Trade Rumors

Braves sign Reynaldo Lopez, want him to start via MLB Trade Rumors

Zack Britton retired via The Athletic

Brewers non-tender Brandon Woodruff via MLB Trade Rumors

Braves trade injured starter for Royals’ reliever via MLB Trade Rumors

Braves swap five players for Aaron Bummer via MLB Trade Rumors

Marlins acquire Rays utility man via MLB Trade Rumors

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting this publication with a paid subscription so you don’t miss a thing:

The Nats Report is an independent reader-supported project with both free and paid subscriptions and not affiliated with the Washington Nationals.

Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster our independent coverage of the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball.