By james art 
The Washington Nationals have seen their fair share of hitting outfielders don their uniform throughout their franchise’s history.
From Adam Dunn to Jason Werth and Bryce Harper to Juan Soto, the list goes on and on, even though the team only has one World Series title to boast about.
It’s been rough lately for the Nationals, who find themselves in yet another rebuild, and this one seems to be ending much sooner than most.
With the end of any rebuild comes the beginning of spending billion-dollar bucks to bring in pieces through free agency to help push the team over the edge and boost the almighty rivalry window.
That appears to be no different for Washington this offseason, as the team has been heavily linked to hard-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander, with many predicting he will land in the nation’s capital via free agency.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Tim Britton delved into projecting the contracts that each of the top free agents will receive and predicted that Santander will receive a 5-year, $105 million deal.
That would be a $9.5 million raise for the one-time All-Star for AAV and a contract he’s worth, and the Nationals have more than enough money on their payroll to swing the deal.
Santander has been a veteran in the Baltimore Orioles club for the past three years and has shown he is capable of suiting up and taking the field every day in the process.
During that time, he batted .244/.317/.478 with 105 home runs, 286 RBI and a 125 OPS+ in 1,968 plate appearances over 460 games.
Last season, the outfielder hit .235/.308/.506 with a career-high 44 home runs, 102 RBI and a 134 OPS+ in 665 plate appearances over 155 games.
Washington needs a veteran like Santander with their young lineup, and the outfielder will add a huge amount of power to the middle of their lineup, helping James Wood get closer to 200 home runs for the season.
Santander is a diamond in the rough through free agency this winter, and any team would be lucky to have his services in the middle of their lineup.
The team that most desperately needs his services in the middle of their lineup, however, is the Nationals, and they are more than capable of making this deal happen.