Former Braves outfielder makes Nationals GM eat words about top prospect

The Atlanta Braves losing former postseason hero Eddie Rosario felt inevitable after the team traded for Jarred Kelenic early this offseason. Going from the streaky Rosario to Kelenic who came with five years of control made a lot of sense, especially because the Braves didn't give up too much to acquire him.

With the Braves eliminated from the Rosario running, it was assumed that the 32-year-old would find a starting job elsewhere. After all, he did just post a modest .755 OPS and hit 21 home runs while getting a majority of the starts in left field for the 107-win Braves. Turns out, not only did Rosario not get a guaranteed starting job anywhere, he didn't even get a guaranteed MLB deal.

The Washington Nationals shocked the baseball world by signing Rosario to a split contract. It's a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training that would pay him more if he made the MLB team. The value is impossible to hate from the Nationals' perspective as they were able to land a legit MLB outfielder on a minor-league deal. The problem is, the deal likely costs one of their top prospects a chance to make the team, proving that GM Mike Rizzo wasn't serious with a quote he gave just last week.

Eddie Rosario signing likely seals James Wood's fate, going against everything Nationals GM just said

James Wood, MLB Pipeline's 14th-ranked prospect whom Washington acquired in the Juan Soto trade, has had himself a monster start to Spring Training. In nine games played, the 21-year-old has nine hits in 19 at-bats with three home runs and six RBI, drawing six walks and stealing a base. He leads MLB in OPS this spring, and is tied for the lead in home runs. Obviously, spring stats mean very little, but Wood has put the league on notice with what he's been doing.

When asked about Wood earlier this spring, Rizzo seemed to indicate that he had a legitimate shot at making the team's Opening Day roster.

"I'm not going to say anybody doesn't have a chance. They've got to kick the door down and force us to put them on the team and win the job. We want to take the best guys, not the best future guys, the best guys right now. It's got to make sense for his development but if any of those guys are ready to go, we've shown no apprehension to bring guys to the big leagues."

Giving Wood, one of the top prospects in the game, a chance to make the team out of Spring Training sounded awesome, and frankly, well-deserved. While things haven't always gone perfectly for him in the minors, he did play in 87 games for AA Harrisburg last season, hitting 18 home runs and posting an .827 OPS. Strikeouts were an issue, but the fact that he's toned them down so far this spring is noteworthy even in a limited sample.

There's a very good chance that the Eddie Rosario signing means that Rizzo did not mean it when he said Wood had a legitimate shot to make the team. It's extremely unlikely Rosario will begin the year in the minors, otherwise, why would he accept that offer? With Lane Thomas occupying one of the other outfield spots and Victor Robles likely manning center field, that leaves Wood without room to start.

The Nationals weren't going to be competing this year with Rosario or not, and are now forcing one of their best prospects to begin the year in the minors when he might be MLB-ready rather than giving him a chance to make the team. Again, it's hard to hate on the Rosario signing too much since it came at good value, but the Nationals likely eliminating any chance for Wood to make the team on March 6 shortly after Rizzo said it was a possibility is unfortunate.