Now that it is January 15th, the Washington Nationals have officially signed their IFA class. We discussed this in an article a couple weeks back, but the signings are now totally locked in. The Nationals have a strong IFA class which is headlined by outfielders Samil Serrano and Isaias Suarez. Both signed today for around $1.9 million each.
These are the two biggest names in the class. Both are consensus top 50 players in this class and have immense potential. At 17 years old, both of these players are many years away from contributing at the MLB level, but they are worth monitoring. Last year, the Nats had their best IFA class in a while, landing the likes of Marconi German and Brayan Cortesia.
My favorite player from the class is the top name, Samil Serrano. Scouts rave about Serrano’s beautiful left handed swing. He is one of the better pure hitters in the IFA class. I also think there could be more power projection here as well. Serrano is listed at 6’3 175 pounds, so he has plenty of room to pack muscle onto that frame.
If everything clicks, Serrano has a chance to be a corner outfielder with power and hitting ability. That is a very exciting blend and it is why the Nats gave him almost $2 million. Suarez seems like more of a project, especially offensively, but he is highly athletic and has great defensive upside.
The Nats spent most of their bonus money on four players. Obviously, Serrano and Suarez are the heavy hitters, but Angel Ramirez and Juan Duran are also getting seven figures. Both of these players are outfielders with big time power upside. Ramirez is a switch hitter which is exciting. It is a lot of fun to watch switch hitters with real power.
These four players cost nearly $6 million of the Nats $6.67 million budget. That means the rest of the class is filled with guys who are not as highly touted. The Nats are pretty much banking on at least a couple of these four outfielders to hit.
Of course, these guys are very young, so a lot can change quickly. Last year, Marconi German was virtually unknown, and only got a bonus of $400,000. Now, only 12 months later, German is the most highly regarded player from the Nats 2025 IFA class. Maybe a player like Euris Acosta can be this year’s version of German.
Overall, the Nats signed 15 players. Most of these guys will not make it, but if a couple of these players really break out, that is a win. The IFA market is a low percentage game, but when you hit, it can change your franchise. Nats fans know that all too well. Just over a decade ago, Nats history changed forever when they signed a kid named Juan Soto.
It would be unrealistic to expect any of these guys to be Hall of Famers one day, but we can dream. These are all signings that were locked up by the previous regime. I am interested to see what Paul Toboni does on the international market. It is under discussed, but nailing the IFA process massively helps teams. Every year, it seems like a new star rises from Latin America. Hopefully, the Nats have found a star in this cycle.
