AFL/Offseason Update: Nov. 8, 2025
Just one National appeared in the game. Austin Amaral came on with the bases loaded and two out in the 8th and rolled a groundout.
2025 FREE AGENTS
Read into this what you will—like I could stop you!—but the Nationals have parted way with 34 players (most of any organzition this year):
CATCHERS
AAA – Francisco Mejia, CJ Stubbs
High-A – Jose Colmenares
FIRST BASEMEN
AAA – Juan Yepez
AA – Joe Naranjo
MIDDLE INFIELDERS
AAA – J.T. Arruda, Jackson Cluff
Low-A – Yoander Rivero
OUTFIELDERS
AAA – Carlos De La Cruz, Nick Schnell
AA – Jeremy De La Rosa, Delino Deshields Jr., Donta’ Williams
RHPs
AAA – Daison Acosta, Joan Adon, Bryce Conley, Michael Cuevas, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Chase Solesky
AA – Jose Atencio, Hyun-il Choi, Junior Santos, Samuel Vasquez
High-A – Wander Arias, Bryan C´ceres, Euri Montero, Johan Otanez
DSL – Greider Colina
LHPs
AAA – Garrett Davila
AA – Lucas Knowles
Low-A – Kevin Dowdell
Low-A – Tommy Kane
Eyeballing it, it appears there are seven former watchlisters, ten players drafted or signed by Washington. It’s probably worth noting that we’re approaching another surge soon as the draft classes of ’20 and ’21 will be entering their final year in ’26.
scanning the full list reveals former Nats prospect on other teams’ lists as well, Matt Cronin among them.
tough day for young men who gave everything they had chasing their dream.
I’m sure they’re be some hand ringing on a few. watching Atencio was a favorite for me.
Luke this might be your busiest winter and spring with updates and the ever evolving big board .
Right , Todd??
KW or another may run with this idea :
Let’s keep track of how many farmhands added this winter via free agency for AAA/AA/A plus once we’re with Pirates , Red Sox or Rays .
It feels like Jeremy de la Rosa has been around forever . . . and yet he’s only 23 years old. Wow. He’s a year and half younger than Hassell, who we think of as young and still trying to make it.
JDLR and Adon in particular were victims of organizational over-hype and under-development. Both were added to the 40-man too early due to Rule 5 paranoia. In Adon’s case, that led to him being rushed to the majors and brutalized to the tune of a 1-12 record.
Best wishes to all of these guys. A few will latch on with other organizations, but most won’t. You would think that some like Cluff might have coaching opportunities if they want them.
Wasn’t JDLR hyped up to have significant power at one point?
Lol…how Rizzo and his scouts and PD team lasted so long is beyond me.
I still shake my head at how they gloated and patted themselves on their back over the section of Sammy Infante in the second round – only to release him 2 years later
Even the Gabe Paul generation of wheelers dealers and stealers faded away like old Generals.
The only two that surprised me a bit were Nick Schnell and Juan Yepez. Yepez was actually solid with the bat for the Nats in 2024 (112 wRC+). But looking under the hood, he way overperformed his peripherals in 2024 and was pretty brutal in AAA in 2025 (63 wRC+). Add in he’s turning 28 in February, and I get it. Nick Schnell cooled off a bit late, but still hit 21 HRs in AAA. But he K’d a lot (33.8%) and his wRC+ was just 110. Add that he’s a LH outfielder, and there wasn’t really a spot for him. I hope that he hooks on somewhere.
If there wasn’t a big glut of OF on the. 40 man maybe Schnell sticks around but this is a true
Complete house cleaning .
I could be totally wrong about this since he switched teams, but I think Schnell is automatically an MiLB free agent if not added to the 40-man because of years since he was drafted. So the Nats’ binary choice was add him to the 40-man or let him walk. Presumably they could re-sign him.
JDLR actually showed more of his alleged power than Antuna did — admittedly a low bar!