WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals know they need to hit for more power in 2025. They hit the second-fewest home runs in the major leagues last year with 135, only two more than the woeful White Sox.

The offseason additions to the lineup are supposed to address that lack of power. They already know Josh Bell’s homer potential. They believe Nathaniel Lowe can tap into the power he displayed in Texas. And Paul DeJong, while not known for his batting average, has been able to provide some pop throughout his eight-year big league career.

Bell hit his first home run in yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals, a two-run shot for the Nats’ only runs in the first game of their split-squad doubleheader. Lowe has yet to go long. And DeJong finally went deep in today’s 4-3 win over the Astros.

Against Astros closer Josh Hader, DeJong got ahead in the count, ran it full and drove the seventh pitch over the visiting bullpen in left field. There are no Statcast measurements at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, but it traveled far.

“He's been good. He's been really good,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Another veteran guy that knows himself really well. When he connects, he can hit the ball a long way. We saw that today. What I really love, though, is that, honestly, he plays defense really well, too, which is going to help us. It really is. We know when he's up there, he's got a chance to put us in the lead. And I love that about him. So he's been great.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Jake Irvin planned to throw two innings tonight. That would be the standard ramp-up after throwing only one inning in his spring debut five days ago.

Just one problem: Irvin was too good during those two innings. He faced six batters, he retired all six and he needed only 23 pitches to do it.

So the Nationals sent the right-hander back to the mound for an unplanned third inning. At which point the sharpness and efficiency that defined the start of his night eluded him and brought a quick end to his night.

Back-to-back walks with one out in the third raised Irvin’s pitch count to 37 and brought manager Davey Martinez out of the dugout. It wasn’t a big deal; it’s still Feb. 27, after all. But for Irvin, it left a bit of a sour taste in his mouth at night’s end as the Nats took a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Braves.

“I’m excited to ride the wave of the first two innings going into the next one,” Irvin said when asked about the third inning.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Two days into full-squad workouts, more than a few observers have noticed a crispness to the Nationals’ infield defense that wasn’t always there last year.

With middle infielders CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. returning, now joined on the corners by Nathaniel Lowe and Paul DeJong, the unit as a whole looks sharper than it did last season.

“We’ve got to catch the baseball. We talk about it all the time,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We were really good in the beginning, and toward the second half we were not good at all. We’ve got to be consistent, and I think with the guys we brought in … they’re going to help our young guys.”

Lowe takes over at first base, already the proud owner of a Gold Glove Award from 2023 when he was with the Rangers. DeJong, just signed this week, doesn’t look inexperienced at third base, even though he only moved there from shortstop in the middle of the 2024 season.

Abrams is still working on his fielding mechanics and can look a bit stiff at times, but the organization believes the All-Star shortstop is primed to make significant strides after his second half struggles last season.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals’ search for more power has landed on a former All-Star shortstop who will now be asked to play third base in D.C.

The Nats signed Paul DeJong to a one-year, $1 million contract this morning, adding the veteran infielder to a roster lacking in experience and proven home run power. The 31-year-old passed his physical and settled into a new clubhouse, where he now resides in between veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and young shortstop CJ Abrams.

"This was the best offer I had, and I'm happy for this offer," he said. "This worked out great for me. Honestly, I think this is a great team for me to be on right now. A lot of great, young talent. I know a few guys in camp already, so it's not too unfamiliar to me. And being a local guy, living in (nearby) Jupiter, it makes it nice. I can just transition right into this first day."

Needing to clear space for DeJong on the 40-man roster, the Nationals placed right-hander Josiah Gray on the 60-day injured list. Gray isn't expected to return from last summer's Tommy John surgery until late this season.

A Rookie of the Year finalist in 2017 and an All-Star in 2019 with the Cardinals, DeJong has spent the last two seasons bouncing between five different organizations. He spent last year with the White Sox and Royals, hitting 24 homers with a .703 OPS but struggling to make contact, as evidenced by his .227 batting average, .276 on-base percentage, 156 strikeouts and 23 walks in 482 plate appearances.

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