The Washington Nationals have acquired first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers in exchange for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia, the teams announced Sunday.
Lowe, 29, is a former Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award recipient who will not qualify for free agency until after the 2026 campaign. Over the past three seasons, he has hit .277/.360/. 438 (124 OPS+) with 20 home runs on average. His contributions were worth a total of 8.5 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference estimates.
Lowe will be part of what is expected to be an improved national roster. Washington ranked 25th in points scored and 24th in wRC+, a catch-all metric hosted at FanGraphs that adjusts for approximation and other variables. Although Lowe is the first external addition the Nationals have made to their starting lineup, they should benefit from having young outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews in their lineup for a full season.
In Garcia, Texas added a capable reliever whose 4.22 ERA understates his talent. Over 59 innings last season, he averaged 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.69 strikeouts per walk. Garcia, a weak-slot lefty, relies heavily on a fastball changeup combination that both features appreciable arm movement.
The Rangers moving Lowe also means freeing up funds for other potential moves, even after acquiring Jake Burger earlier this offseason from the Miami Marlins. Matt Swartz’s Arbitration Projection Model at MLB Trade Rumors Lowe will make $10.7 million next season.
Lowe is the latest in a weekend full of traveling first basemen. On Saturday alone, the New York Yankees signed veteran Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year pact and the Cleveland Guardians both traded their incumbent starting sacker (Josh Naylor, to the Arizona Diamondbacks) and signed an old friend in Carlos Santana.
