The Nationals have agreed to a minor league deal with slugger Mark Reynolds, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Reynolds still needed to pass his physical as of Thursday night, but barring an unexpected hiccup, he will join the organization at a bargain price.
The Nationals don’t have an obvious need at the major league level for Reynolds, with Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Adams to play first base. Zimmerman played in just one spring training game, but he and the Nationals have insisted he wasn’t dealing with an injury. Zimmerman was 4 for 36 (.111) in 12 games entering Thursday.
As a result, Reynolds figures to be a depth piece, though he has experience at positions besides first base. While he almost exclusively played first base in 2017, but has played third base for most of his career. He also has some experience in left field, right field, and second base.
Reynolds and Zimmerman played together at the University of Virginia for two seasons. Zimmerman started at third base. Reynolds played shortstop. Whether they will play together again remains to be seen.
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