The Nationals’ first major league free agent signing feels a lot like one of their major league free agent signings from a year ago.

Nick Senzel might as well be Dominic Smith. Not necessarily in his playing profile, but certainly in his career situation.

Smith was a 27-year-old first baseman who was once a Mets first-round pick but was non-tendered after failing to live up to his full potential, ultimately signing with the Nats for $2 million plus another year of club control.

Senzel is a 28-year-old third baseman who was once a Reds first-round pick but was non-tendered after failing to live up to his full potential, ultimately signing with the Nats for $2 million plus another year of club control.

We all know how the Smith acquisition worked out. Though he played a smooth first base and was well-liked in the clubhouse, he didn’t hit nearly enough for his position and thus was cut loose after one season.

The Winter Meetings officially ended Wednesday. The Nationals stuck around Nashville a bit longer and went home with their first major-league free agent signing of the offseason.

The Nats signed former Reds utilityman Nick Senzel for $2 million (plus $1 million in incentives) overnight, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. This came shortly after Cincinnati signed former Nats third baseman Jeimer Candelario for a reported three years and $45 million.

Senzel, 28, was non-tendered by the Reds last month after a second straight disappointing season, during which he batted .236/.297/.399 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games. His defensive versatility, though, remains a strength.

Senzel has played center field, third base, second base, left field and right field during his five-year career. The Nationals could use help at several of those positions in the short-term, so it’s possible they’ll have him move around the field depending on their needs on any given day, though a club source said the initial intention is to play him primarily at third base as the organization waits for top prospect Brady House to reach the majors.

The second-overall pick in the 2016 Draft out of Tennessee, Senzel came to the Reds with high hopes of becoming a star. It didn’t happen. After a solid rookie season in 2019, he missed significant time in 2020 and 2021 with injuries, then struggled in both 2022 and 2023 after returning healthy.

NASHVILLE – The Nationals’ winter wish list – first base, third base, left field, starting pitcher – reads a whole lot like it did one year ago, when Mike Rizzo filled those needs with one-year deals for Dominic Smith, Jeimer Candelario and Corey Dickerson, plus a two-year deal for Trevor Williams.

So, is it fair to assume the same type of approach this winter, or might the Nats take a different tack this time around?

“We’ve got several holes to fill,” the general manager said tonight in his first media session of the Winter Meetings. “We’ve got our work cut out for us this year, and I think we’re going to take our aggressive approach when it suits us and wait for the market when it suits us. I think we’re going to be busy here.”

“Busy,” of course, doesn’t necessarily mean the Nationals will leave town with any new players signed. It may refer only to meetings they take with agents, which could eventually lead to the signing of new players.

Rizzo doesn’t deny, though, what he’s looking for.

At this point 12 months ago, the Nationals had three holes to fill in their 2023 starting lineup. They needed a left fielder. They needed a third baseman. And, after choosing not to tender a contract to Luke Voit, they needed a first baseman (or designated hitter).

Mike Rizzo promptly filled all three of those holes in the form of Corey Dickerson, Jeimer Candelario and Dominic Smith, who combined made less than $10 million. One of them worked out wonderfully and was flipped at the trade deadline for a pitching prospect who could make his major league debut next season. The other two didn’t work out at all, with Dickerson injured and unproductive and out of a job by early August, and Smith offering smooth defensive work but not nearly enough offense at a traditionally offense-first position.

So as they progress into the heart of this offseason, the Nationals find themselves yet again with three lineup holes to fill. They need a left fielder. They need a third baseman. And, after choosing to designate Smith for assignment this week, they need a first baseman (or DH).

There are, to be fair, some potential in-house options at each position. Stone Garrett could be the starting left fielder, but how confident is the team in his ability to be 100 percent recovered from a gruesome broken leg by Opening Day? Carter Kieboom or Ildemaro Vargas or Jake Alu could be the third baseman, but none provides the kind of assured offense you’d think the Nats prefer at that position. And they could make Joey Meneses their regular first baseman and hope his defense is good enough, but even then, would still need to find another DH.

So, it feels like Rizzo is probably going to be looking once again to fill all three of those holes from outside the organization.

We knew there would be news Tuesday, what with the Nationals facing a late-afternoon deadline to add players to the 40-man roster and protect them from being lost in the Rule 5 draft. We didn’t know there would be quite this much news, though.

While the promotions of pitchers DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, Cole Henry and Zach Brzykcy to the 40-man roster were newsworthy, the bigger story wound up being one of the corresponding moves made to clear spots for those prospects: Dominic Smith was designated for assignment.

This isn’t to suggest Smith was always a lock to return in 2024 after a very disappointing 2023 at the plate. But here’s what Mike Rizzo had to say when asked during the season’s final week about the roles both Smith and Jeimer Candelario played after they were signed the previous winter:

“Dom’s shown that his leadership in the infield, I think he’s made our young infielders much, much better and much more confident defensively,” Rizzo said. “And he’s starting to show some power late in the season. Those are always the type of people that you want to acquire, and guys that when you’re at this point in the rebuild, I thought was important for us to acquire.”

Smith was never supposed to be part of the long-term plan around here. But with no obvious replacement at first base waiting in the wings and based on the way both Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez talked about him at season’s end, it felt like he would be back for another year.

The Nationals made their one obvious trade deadline move 24 hours before the deadline, dealing Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs before Monday night’s game. They then spent deadline day deciding if any offers they received for other potential candidates were good enough to make another move.

In the end, they didn’t believe any were worth it.

Kyle Finnegan and Lane Thomas are still part of the Nationals, as is anyone else who was on the roster this afternoon, after the club opted not to make any more moves before today’s 6 p.m. deadline. Candelario wound up the only player dealt this year.

Finnegan and Thomas always loomed as possible pieces to move at the deadline, but the price for either always was going to be high because of their contract statuses. Neither player can become a free agent until after the 2025 season, leaving the Nats to ponder whether they believed one or both could be part of what they hope will be a winning roster before either could depart on his own.

"Those are two guys we feel very good about," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We're very high on both of them. They're good players, but more importantly, they're great guys in the clubhouse. They've both become leaders in the clubhouse. When you're building a young foundation like we are here, you've got to sprinkle in some good, veteran players. And those two guys are good players. (Potential trades) never reached the bar we set for each player."

This trade deadline always promised to be different from the previous two, in which the Nationals dealt away some of the biggest names in club history for premier prospects, four of which are currently on their big league roster.

So as Trade Deadline Day 2023 finally arrives, we already know not to expect those kind of fireworks coming out of the offices on South Capitol Street. The question now is: After Monday’s trade of Jeimer Candelario, will there be any fireworks at all?

Candelario was the likeliest player to be dealt all along, and Mike Rizzo went ahead and made that move with 24 hours to spare, sending the third baseman to the Cubs for minor league shortstop Kevin Made and left-hander DJ Herz. Where does that leave the organization now heading into the 6 p.m. deadline?

It’s quite possible the Nats don’t do anything else. There’s no obvious, slam-dunk name everyone expects to be gone at this point. Besides Candelario, the other players set to be free agents at season’s end are either injured (Carl Edwards Jr.) or haven’t been productive enough to generate much interest (Corey Dickerson).

The asking price, meanwhile, on players with multiple years of control remains quite high, according to sources familiar with Rizzo’s negotiations. Rizzo views Lane Thomas and Kyle Finnegan, in particular, as potential long-term pieces to the Nationals’ puzzle, so he isn’t about to give either away for whatever best offer he receives.

When the Nationals lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Brewers was published and Jeimer Candelario’s name wasn’t included, all eyes in the home clubhouse immediately turned toward the third baseman’s locker. Candelario, for the record, was there, in his usual Nats gear, preparing for batting practice.

Three hours later, he was no longer a National.

The Nats finalized a trade with the Cubs shortly before tonight’s game that will send Candelario back to the organization he began his career with, receiving two prospects in return, the club announced.

Kevin Made, a 20-year-old shortstop who was the Cubs’ 14th-ranked prospect, and DJ Herz, a 22-year-old left-hander who was their 16th-ranked prospect, will now join the Nationals organization.

Candelario was far and away the most likely Nationals player to be dealt before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline. A number of teams, headlined by the Angels and Yankees, reportedly were interested in the 29-year-old, who entered the day with an .823 OPS, 30 doubles, 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 3.3 bWAR in 99 games played.

This is a weird portion of the Nationals schedule. They just went on the road for only four days. Now they’re back home for only three days before leaving town again.

This quick homestand comes against the Brewers, who are locked in a tight race with the Reds atop the NL Central. Milwaukee pitches well, so it’s going to be a challenge for a Nats lineup that totaled four runs in its three losses to the Mets over the weekend (while scoring 11 runs in their lone win).

Jake Irvin gets the ball, facing a Brewers lineup that has never seen him before. The rookie right-hander has done a nice job giving his team innings recently, completing at least six in each of his last two starts, but he did surrender four runs in two of his last three outings.

One roster move to announce here on Trade Deadline Eve: With Trevor Williams officially placed on bereavement leave, the Nationals have recalled right-hander Hobie Harris from Triple-A Rochester. Harris gives them a ninth reliever for a few days until Williams returns.

Although he's not in the starting lineup, Jeimer Candelario is still in the Nationals clubhouse and in uniform before tonight's game.

NEW YORK – The weekend had already included rain delays, trades and a lot of offense. Sunday’s series finale between the Nationals an Mets included none of that.

Nor did it include a win for the visitors.

A tepid offensive showing against Justin Verlander and a laborious start from Trevor Williams doomed the Nats during a 5-2 loss to close out a long weekend at Citi Field that ultimately didn’t prove to be as rewarding as they hoped.

Despite facing a Mets club tearing down the most expensive roster in major league history and conceding it won’t be winning anything this year, the Nationals still wound up losing three out of four. The consistent theme in those three losses: A lack of offensive punch.

The Nats scored 11 runs in Saturday night’s lone victory. They scored a combined four runs in their three losses.

NEW YORK – It’s been quite a weekend here at Citi Field, with two rain delays, two wins for the Mets, one win for the Nationals and one massive trade of a New York pitcher who will forever be better known for pitching for Washington. Now it’s the finale of this four-game series, the Nats with a chance to head home with a split and rub some more salt in the Mets’ wounds.

Neither team released its starting lineup early, which is no surprise given the presence of the trade deadline in two days. No reason to unveil something that could change before gametime. But as far as we know, Jeimer Candelario is playing for the Nationals and Justin Verlander is starting for the Mets.

Verlander could be on his way out at some point in the next 48 hours, perhaps back to Houston, where he’d suddenly be going up against Max Scherzer and the Rangers in the American League West pennant race. If he does start today, he’ll be facing the Nats for the first time this season. The 40-year-old has been very good of late, with a 1.46 ERA in his last six starts.

Trevor Williams, meanwhile, faces his former team for the third time this season. The right-hander gave up four runs in five innings here in April, then allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings in a May start that was cut short by a long rain delay.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 1:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 77 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field

NEW YORK – Jeimer Candelario is back in the Nationals lineup tonight, having survived Friday night’s injury scare and ready to resume playing as Tuesday’s trade deadline inches closer.

Candelario thought he hurt his left shoulder an awkward slide into second base as he tried to stretch an eighth-inning single into a double during the Nats’ 5-1 loss to the Mets. He immediately grabbed his left arm and motioned to the dugout for a trainer, then later walked off the field under his own power.

The 29-year-old didn’t return, but because he was serving as designated hitter instead of playing his usual third base position, he was never officially taken out of the game. He wound up taking swings in the cage and declared himself fine and even said he would’ve been able to bat had his spot in the lineup come up again.

“It was scary, but I’m good,” he said afterward.

Davey Martinez didn’t hesitate to put Candelario back in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Mets, penciling him back into the No. 3 spot and at third base.

NEW YORK – Josiah Gray managed to pull it off Thursday night, playing with fire but emerging unscathed for six scoreless innings. MacKenzie Gore tried to pull off the same feat tonight at Citi Field, until he finally got burned at a most inopportune moment.

After pitching out of jams in each of his first four innings, Gore couldn’t pitch out of his last one in the fifth. The Nationals left-hander hung a slider to Pete Alonso and watched the ball soar to left field, the decisive three-run blow in what wound up a 5-1 loss to the Mets that might've been even more damaging had Jeimer Candelario suffered a significant injury in the top of the eighth.

Candelario, fortunately, appears to be fine after getting twisted up sliding into second base while trying to stretch a single into a double and briefly feeling discomfort in his left shoulder.

On that aggressive baserunning play with his team down four runs, Candelario beat the throw to second but had to try to touch the base with his left hand after his feet got twisted up. In the process, he grabbed second base umpire Vic Carapazza, and that caused whatever pain he felt in his own arm, prompting him to motion to the dugout for assistance. 

"Everything's good, everything's good," Candelario insisted. "I just tried to come back, but the umpire was right there. It's part of the game. It was scary, but I'm good."

NEW YORK – It’s a rare thing to see a Nationals lineup without Joey Meneses in it. Aside from two games he missed in May for the birth of his son, Meneses has been on the bench only five times this year.

He’s got tonight off, though, as manager Davey Martinez looks to field what he thinks may be a better matchup against Max Scherzer and simultaneously give Jeimer Candelario a chance to rest his feet.

With Meneses sitting, Candelario is serving as designated hitter against the Mets. That opens up third base for Ildemaro Vargas.

“I wanted to give Candy a DH day,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Facing Max, the slider can be tough. So I’m just giving him a day.”

Candelario has been taking a beating in recent weeks, getting hit by pitch four times in his last 14 games and also taking a bad-bounce grounder off his right thumb, resulting in a bone bruise that knocked him out of the lineup for two days.

Jeimer Candelario tries his best not to think about it. There’s always another game to prepare for, batting practice to take, grounders to field. That’s how he keeps his mind off the subject everyone else wants to bring up with him: Next week’s trade deadline.

“You know how it is: I want to be able to live day by day,” the Nationals third baseman said. “I know the deadline is there, but I don’t want to pay attention to that. I want to keep going, helping my team where I’m at. Right now, I’m here. And I want to control what I can control right here.”

The Nationals have no superstars on the block this late July. Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were dealt two summers ago. Juan Soto and Josh Bell were dealt last year. The best chip they’ve got is Candelario, who is enjoying a strong season and is due to be a free agent, and that makes him far and away the most likely player on the roster to be moved before the Aug. 1 deadline.

Candelario, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Nats last winter after getting non-tendered by the Tigers, has professed his desire to stay in D.C. He’s performed well, and on Monday night delivered his 16th homer of the season to match Lane Thomas for the team lead, to go along with 28 doubles, 50 RBIs and an .821 OPS. He’s also played solid defense and would be a welcome addition for any contending team in need of help at third base.

Despite the noise surrounding him, Candelario has managed to continue to play well. He’s now hit six homers in July, more than any previous month.

CHICAGO – Rarely does a team deal away two stars, one of them a surefire Hall of Famer, in one trade deadline transaction. Now consider how rare it is for a team to do that two years in a row.

Suffice it to say, the Nationals’ 2021 and 2022 trade deadline moves were highly unusual. Teams just don’t generally put the likes of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Josh Bell all on the trade block in the span of 12 months. Whether they should’ve done that or not is an old debate at this point. It’s too late now to change history.

What isn’t debatable is the significance of the Scherzer/Turner deal to the Dodgers in 2021 and the Soto/Bell deal to the Padres in 2022. Those two moves alone netted the Nationals four current young major leaguers, one of the highest-rated prospects in baseball, two more who could reach the majors in the coming years and two others who to date haven’t panned out.

“I think we impacted our franchise greatly,” general manager Mike Rizzo said this week when asked to look back at his last two deadlines. “I think that we put the rebuild process in overdrive. And I think that we’re further along than if we hadn’t done those two trade deadlines.”

We’re now 12 days away from this year’s trade deadline (Aug. 1), and this much is clear: While the Nationals do have a few quality players who could be attractive to contenders, they don’t have anyone who compares to the aforementioned fabulous four. There are no franchise-altering deals to be made this time, only some calculated transactions and some interesting decisions to be made on a few guys who still could or could not be part of the Nationals’ long-term plans.

CHICAGO – With a chance to win another road series, with a chance to use their few remaining reliable relievers late, the Nationals yet again put themselves in position to emerge victorious.

This time, despite an inspired rally to tie the game in the eighth, they watched as one of those few trusted relievers gave up the eventual winning run minutes later. Then they watched as one of the unproven relievers turned this game into another rout in a matter of seconds.

Mason Thompson, entrusted with a tie game in the bottom of the eighth, was the pitcher of record in what finished as an 8-3 loss to the Cubs. Cory Abbott gave up the grand slam that blew things wide open after Thompson was pulled with the bases loaded later in the inning.

Through injuries, demotions, promotions and a flurry of transactions in recent weeks, the Nats bullpen has devolved into a mess in its current incarnation. There's no immediate help coming. They have no choice but to keep putting the same group on the mound and hope things will finally click.

"It's still the same game," Thompson said. "At the end of the day, we've just got to go out there and do a better job of helping the team win."

ST. LOUIS – Jeimer Candelario can’t return to play in this afternoon’s resumption of Friday night’s suspended game. The Nationals can only hope their starting third baseman’s right thumb heals enough to allow him to play this evening’s nightcap.

Candelario, who had to depart Friday’s game after one at-bat in the top of the first, was still dealing with swelling in his thumb this morning. Manager Davey Martinez described the injury as a bone bruise.

“I just talked to him; he’s pretty sore still,” Martinez said this morning. “We’ll get him treatment today, see how he feels the rest of the day, see what happens the second game.”

Candelario hurt himself during a defensive drill Friday afternoon but felt like he could play the second-half opener. He wound up fouling off three straight pitches during his first-inning at-bat against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas, shaking his right hand in discomfort each time. When he finally struck out with an awkward swing on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, he jogged back to the dugout and was replaced in the field by Ildemaro Vargas when the bottom of the first began.

Vargas will be at third base when the game resumes this afternoon and could start the nightcap if Candelario isn’t available. The Nationals also could use utilityman Michael Chavis if needed. They’re allowed to call up a 27th player for the game; that move won’t be announced until later this afternoon, but Triple-A infielder Jake Alu is a possibility.

ST. LOUIS – The last thing any team wants is to face a doubleheader on the second day coming out of the All-Star break. But if ever there was a time to do that, and a pitching staff unintentionally designed to handle it, this is it.

After Friday night’s second-half opener against the Cardinals was suspended with two outs in the bottom of the third, St. Louis leading 1-0, the Nationals will be forced to play 15-plus innings today at Busch Stadium. They’ll pick up Friday night’s game from the point it was suspended – runner on first, 3-2 count on Paul Goldschmidt – at 2:15 p.m. Eastern, then play the originally scheduled game at 7:15 p.m.

Trevor Williams, who recorded the first eight outs for the Nats, will have to be replaced on the mound. Davey Martinez, though, has a good number of viable options. Everybody in the bullpen is fresh coming out of the All-Star break, and that unit already has an extra pitcher on staff in Paolo Espino, who is replacing starter Patrick Corbin this weekend while the latter is on paternity leave.

Espino is one of three long relievers available to Martinez if needed, along with Cory Abbott and Joan Adon. Those three are supplemented by six other healthy, fresh relievers in Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Mason Thompson, Jordan Weems, Jose A. Ferrer and Amos Willingham.

Jake Irvin will start the nightcap as originally planned. Even if the rookie only goes five innings, the Nationals still should be in decent shape to cover the rest of the game.

ST. LOUIS – The skies above Busch Stadium opened up in the bottom of the third inning tonight and did not let up enough at any point to allow the Nationals and Cardinals to resume the opener of their weekend series.

They’ll have to pick things up from this point, with a 3-2 count on Paul Goldschmidt, two outs and a runner on first with St. Louis leading 1-0, at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Saturday before playing the originally scheduled 7:15 p.m. game.

The Nationals can only hope Jeimer Candelario feels well enough to play by then, even though he won’t be eligible to finish the suspended game after he departed with a right thumb injury following his first at-bat.

Candelario saw nine pitches from Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas in the top of the first, battling through the first eight before taking an awkward swing at a slow curveball on the final pitch. He then looked uncomfortable as he jogged back to the dugout with the third out of the inning.

When the bottom of the first arrived, it was Ildemaro Vargas at third base, not Candelario.