The Nationals have won their arbitration hearing with Nathaniel Lowe, the TalkNats website reports. Lowe will receive a $10.3MM salary for the 2025 season, rather than the $11.1MM salary he was hoping to land by going to a hearing.
First base was a major target area for D.C. this offseason, and the Nats addressed this need by acquiring Lowe from the Rangers for reliever Robert Garcia back in December. Lowe hit .274/.359/.432 over 2576 plate appearances (123 wRC+) in his four seasons in Texas, with a resume that includes a Silver Slugger Award in 2022, and both a Gold Glove and a World Series ring in 2023. Since the Rangers were looking to create room in their lineup and bolster their pen, the Garcia-for-Lowe trade helped both Texas and Washington check some boxes on their winter to-do lists.
Money was also a factor, as the Rangers were able to re-allocate Lowe’s projected salary towards other needs. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Lowe to earn $10.7MM, with that predicted salary falling right in between Lowe’s desired $11.1MM payday and the Rangers’ figure of $10.3MM.
An arbitration hearing is something of an awkward way for a player and a team to kick off a new partnership, yet even in defeat, Lowe’s $10.3MM salary is still a nice raise over the $7.5MM he earned in 2024. He’ll have another year of arbitration eligibility before becoming eligible for free agency following the 2026 season.
Lowe’s hearing officially wraps up the 2024-25 arbitration class. Of the 17 players who didn’t reach an agreement before the January 9 figure-filing deadline, nine went to hearings, with teams winning five of those nine cases.