Nathaniel Lowe was released by the Nationals on August 16 after a poor season. The Red Sox signed him on August 18 and he immediately produced a .350/.417/.600 slash line and a 179 OPS+. Defensive metrics improved from -13 Total Zone runs and -5 Defensive Runs Saved with Washington to 1 and 0 with Boston. Lowe posted 0.2 fWAR with Boston after -0.8 fWAR earlier in the season, and his first three hits for Boston were all extra-base hits. The Nationals prioritized payroll flexibility and future rebuilding given Lowe's $10.3 million salary and approaching arbitration eligibility.
But ever since the Red Sox signed him on August 18, he's torn it up. He's slashing .350/.417/.600, good for a 179 OPS+. His defense has improved as well; according to Baseball-Reference, he had -13 Total Zone runs and -5 Defensive Runs Saved for Washington, but for Boston, those totals are at 1 and 0, respectively. He suddenly looks like his old self (better, in fact), a player who might make a real difference on a team in the midst of a competitive playoff race.
Baseball expert Tyler Milliken summed up this crazy twist of events on Saturday, posting on X that Lowe had already put up 0.2 fWAR for the Red Sox after accumulating just -0.8 fWAR all season for the Nationals. He also pointed out that Lowe's first 3 hits for Boston all went for extra bases. This development feels like a typical story for the Nationals organization; nothing seems to go their way recently.
It probably was, mainly because it felt inevitable that Lowe would be gone by this offseason at the latest. He was already making more $10.3 million this year, and given that next year is his final year of arbitration, he might have gotten a slight raise even with his poor performance for most of this year. Few teams would want to pay a player heading sharply in the wrong direction and showing no signs of turning it around a significant chunk of money,
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