Washington Nationals They have money to spend if they choose to do so.

Owner Mark Lerner looks ready to open his checkbook again After delivering one of the most promising seasons they’ve had in a while last season, a number of young stars look set to be cornerstones of this squad for years to come.

Adding established players at positions of clear need will go a long way in getting them out of this rebuild.

The question becomes whether the Nationals will be willing to spend when that time comes.

General manager Mike Rizzo is weighing the option of allowing this young roster to continue to develop, and if he doesn’t think this is the right time to attack the free agency market, he may opt to wait another cycle before spending Lerner’s money. .

But it appears Washington is targeting at least one high-profile player.

Accordingly USA TODAY’s Bob NightengaleThere are at least six teams planning to heavily pursue first baseman Christian Walker, and the Nationals are one of them.

That would be huge.

First base has been a position discussed as an area they will look to upgrade this winter, and it would be huge for Walker to land if there wasn’t a top candidate waiting to take over that role on the wings, as at other spots on the field.

Not only is he currently playing the best baseball of his career, finishing three consecutive seasons with a 120+ OPS+ and 25+ home runs, but he also won his third straight Gold Glove, anchoring this team’s elite defense. calling.

So does it fit into their timeline?

That’s what Washington has to figure out, being 33 years old and showing some regression.

Perhaps they view Walker as a stopgap solution, bringing legitimate Major League experience to help this roster in the short term while they wait for one of their younger prospects to take over at first base down the road.

Regardless of the situation surrounding the Nationals’ plans for the slugger, it looks like they’ll be aggressively pursuing him this winter.