After losing eleven straight, the Washington Nationals have won two of their last three games, in which James Wood has homered in each. Whether it was snapping the losing streak or crushing a ball 451 feet in Saturday night’s game in Los Angeles, Wood has set the tone for Washington’s offense in the team’s last two wins.
Wood is ascending towards superstar status in MLB, as he’s hit 21 home runs this season. Last season, CJ Abrams led the Nationals with 20 home runs, a total Wood has already surpassed just 77 games into this season with this towering home run.
Woods’ 451-foot home run exploded off his bat with an exit velocity of 113.1 mph, which was his 12th 110+ mph homer this season, the most in MLB. With all these great individual performances, a cost comes to a struggling team like Washington. The price being what Wood is worth in a future deal that would keep him with the Nationals?
With numbers like that, it’s no surprise Wood’s contract situation is becoming a growing storyline. While he remains under team control through 2030, the Nationals may soon feel pressure to initiate extension talks, especially with his agent being Scott Boras (ring a bell, Washington fans?), who was spotted at Saturday’s game in LA.
Though no formal negotiations have been reported, locking in a player of Wood’s caliber early would send a message to the fanbase that the Nationals are serious about building around its next star.
Washington has seen this movie before, first with Bryce Harper, then with Juan Soto. Both were homegrown stars who captivated the fan base and were represented by Boras, but neither remained with the team long-term, thanks to him. Harper left in free agency after the team made only a late push to re-sign him, while Soto was traded at 23 after declining a massive extension, signaling the Nationals’ rebuild was underway.
In both cases, Washington controlled the players through pre-arbitration and arbitration years, just as they do now with Wood. Under MLB rules, teams hold rights to players for their first six major league seasons. Their prerogative includes three in pre-arbitration, where salaries are near the league minimum, and three in arbitration, where players earn escalating salaries based on performance but cannot choose their destination.
While that gives the Nationals leverage through 2030, it also means a ticking clock is already running. Signing Wood now would allow the team to buy out those control years and potentially some free-agent years, offering him financial security while also signaling a significant shift in the Lerner family’s spending philosophy. After years of cost-cutting and letting stars walk, a long-term deal for Wood would mark a clear turning point. It would show a commitment to building a sustainable contender around a player who already looks like the future of the franchise.
Wood may still be two years away from arbitration, but Nationals fans know better than to get comfortable. After watching Soto get traded in his early 20s, Washington now sees Boras turn negotiations into his own game, with Soto and Harper under mega deals from fellow NL East clubs. Boras isn’t just an agent; he’s the ultimate contract maestro who knows how to squeeze every last cent, every last clause, and probably a few free agent meals along the way. The Nationals need to stick to the fastball and get ahead in the count before he unloads on a poorly thrown curveball, sending Wood over DC’s fence elsewhere just like Harper and Soto once were.
This city has seen what happens when front offices hesitate. Just look at the Wizards; young talent gets brought in and then drifts away, like they’re swan boats in the Tidal Basin. The Capitals have mastered the art of developing and keeping their stars to remain competitive, and even the Commanders are improving around Jayden Daniels so he can lead the way. The Nationals have that same kind of player in Wood, someone who could be the cornerstone of a new era in D.C. baseball if they’re willing to put in the work and the wallet.
Wood already feels like the face of the franchise. He’s lighting up the field, giving the fans a reason to believe again, and sparking hope that Washington can finally break the cycle of losing their best players. The Lerner ownership group has a real opportunity here: sign Wood, build around him, and prove that the Nationals aren’t just going to stand by while Boras scripts another high-budget drama.
It’s time to stop waiting for the curtain call and let ownership be the ones to start starring in the show.
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