*Photo from Southside Showdown*
As things stand right now for the Washington Nationals, what they can do best this offseason is add veteran placeholders as they enter what is likely to be a rebuild for the next few seasons. This signing exemplifies that to a tee. The Nationals and 2B Cesar Hernandez have agreed to a one year, $4 million deal, with $1 million in bonuses, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The deal has been confirmed.
Hernandez signs in Washington with lots of familiarity with both the Nationals organization and the NL East as a whole, which can be attributed to his 7 years with the Philadelphia Phillies. He'll likely be in a platoon with young infielder Luis Garcia at second base, and will have Alcides Escobar slotted across from him at shortstop.
Last season, with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, Hernandez finished the regular season with a .232 batting average and a .694 OPS, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 62, with one stolen base in 149 regular season games, the last 53 he played with the White Sox. In 3 playoff games last season, Hernandez had two hits and drew 4 walks in 11 plate appearances.
Across his 9 major league seasons, spent with the Indians, White Sox, and Phillies, Hernandez has a career .270 batting average and .729 OPS, slugging .384 with 70 home runs and 335 RBI's, stealing 81 bases in 1,039 regular season games. In 5 career playoff games, Hernandez has a .333 average with one RBI and 5 walks in 20 plate appearances.
Despite his sometimes streaky bat, Hernandez brings defensive strength to the Nationals infield. He won the AL Gold Glove at second base for Cleveland in 2020, leading AL second basemen with a 4.7 FanGraphs defensive rating. While he has spent the overwhelming majority of his games at second base, he can also play 3rd base, shortstop, and center field.
The signing of Hernandez is the first noteworthy move Washington has made this offseason. So far, they've claimed IF Lucius Fox off waivers and avoided arbitration with some of their roster, marking a quiet offseason in Washington so far.
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