“If they come here and they work and they grow and they contribute, there is a pathway to being part of something long-term here”— was Paul Toboni’s message as the Washington Nationals’ new President of Baseball Operations. As the Nationals kickstarted their offseason, Toboni made good on his words. The Nationals signed homegrown star Jacob Young to a 4-year, $23 million contract extension.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported on X, “Terms: Jacob Young and the Nationals reached an agreement on a four-year, $23 million contract extension that includes an $8 million option for a fifth season, according to a source familiar with the deal.”
In the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Nationals picked Jacob Young out of the University of Florida. Following his debut in August 2023, Young has been the Nationals’ primary center fielder since 2024. While the 27-year-old’s defensive skills have never been a concern, Young’s bat needed to catch up to ensure an everyday role within the team going forward.
In 2025, Young struggled at the plate, posting a .231/.296/.287 slash line with 2 home runs and 31 RBIs in 324 at-bats. That year, Young struck out 65 times in 364 plate appearances across 120 games.
Speaking of his struggles, Young told the Baltimore Banner, “I’ve hit my whole life, so getting to the big leagues and struggling was really hard.”
To address his issues at the plate, Young trained at Driveline’s player development facility during the 2025-2026 offseason. This season’s numbers show that the decision paid off. In 2026, Young posted a career-high .708 OPS and hit 10 home runs. He also struck out only 78 times in 471 plate appearances while batting .252 across 140 games.
This season, Young’s pull rate increased to 15.7%, a significant improvement over his 5.9% in 2025. If Young can build on it in 2027, it promises more power production. His barrel rate also increased to 5.7% this season.
Alongside these numbers, Young can also contribute against southpaw pitching. In 2026, he posted a .282/.353/.423 slash line against left-handed pitchers.
Young’s improved hitting skills, combined with his highlight-reel defense, give the Nationals enough incentive to buy out his three arbitration-eligible seasons and his first year of free agency (2030). His current contract extension also provides an $8 million club option for 2031.
Having agreed to the new terms, Jacob Young will join Cade Cavalli (3.02 ERA) as another homegrown star to be extended by the Nationals. In September, the franchise signed Cavalli to a 4-year, $47 million extension. The pitcher’s contract also includes a $25 million club option for 2031, alongside a $2 million buyout. Cavalli will become an unrestricted free agent in 2032 if the club option is not exercised.
The Nationals’ commitment to Young and Cavalli shows that the team is ready to reward growth, with Paul Toboni at the helm. Now, the Nationals will focus on turning this growth into sustained success.
While Young’s extension is a significant step forward in their 2027 plans, the Nationals have also added to their bullpen on Friday.
Nationals trade lefty reliever from San Francisco Giants
The Washington Nationals’ bullpen finished the 2026 season with a 4.99 ERA, the third-highest in the league. Collectively, the team posted a 4.67 ERA this season. To boost their pitching staff, the Nationals acquired southpaw Reiver Sanmartin from the San Francisco Giants on Friday. In exchange, the Giants received minor leaguer RHP Robert Cranz.
The 30-year-old reliever, Sanmartin, posted a 4.22 ERA with a 3-0 record, 7 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 24 outings this year. The Colombian native recorded exceptional success against left-handed hitters. He allowed only two extra-base hits and 3 walks in 9.2 innings.
Moreover, Sanmartin was also effective at generating ground balls. His 63.8% ground-ball rate ranked second in the Majors among pitchers with at least 20 innings, per MLB.com.
Across his final 19 appearances this season, from August 19, Sanmartin allowed zero home runs and recorded a 1.69 ERA. In his last 16 innings, opponents only batted .186 against the southpaw.
To open up a spot for Sanmartin on their 40-man roster, the Washington Nationals designated RHP Kyle Nicholas for assignment.
As teams won’t be able to sign any new players once the current CBA expires, the Nationals will strengthen their roster as much as they can before December 1.