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The Nationals kick-started their offseason early. The team and outfielder Jacob Young agreed to a four-year, $23 million extension with an $8 million club option for a fifth year, a source confirmed.

Already regarded as one of the premier defensive center fielders in the sport, Young set out this past offseason to improve his hitting. He spent time at the player development facility Driveline to work on his bat speed, and it showed during the season as Young hit a career-high 10 homers and posted a career-high .707 OPS.

His 15.7% pulled ball rate was a significant improvement over his 2025 season (5.9%). Pulling the ball in the air can lead to more power production.

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With Young’s extension, the Nationals have a set outfield with Young in center field, James Wood in right field and Daylen Lile in left and Dylan Crews coming off the bench. The Nationals still found ways for all four outfielders to receive significant at-bats last season.

Young is also a critical clubhouse presence for a Nationals team that doesn’t have veterans in the lineup. The extension buys out a year of free agency for Young and is the second extension under Paul Toboni’s stewardship after Cade Cavalli signed a four-year deal in September.

FanSided’s Robert Murray was the first to report the deal.

By signing the deal now, the Nationals are getting ahead of a potential lockout next month. Teams and players can no longer negotiate once the collective bargaining agreement between the league and players association expires on Dec. 1 just before midnight.