The Washington Nationals and outfielder Jacob Young have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $23 million, according to league sources and reports from The Baltimore Banner and MLB Trade Rumors.
The deal, which includes an $8 million club option for a fifth season in 2031, secures the 27-year-old defensive specialist through the prime of his career. The agreement also features a $2 million assignment bonus if the team trades him while under contract, MLB Trade Rumors reported. This contract buys out Young’s three years of arbitration eligibility and his first year of free agency. If the $8 million option for a fifth season is exercised, it will delay his free agency qualification by one year, according to MK Sports.
Terms: Jacob Young and the Nationals reached an agreement on a four-year, $23 million contract extension that includes an $8 million option for a fifth season, according to a source familiar with the deal.
Offensive gains drive the extension
While Young has long been recognized for his elite defense, his 2026 campaign marked a significant turning point at the plate. He hit .252 with a .707 to .708 OPS and recorded a career-high 10 home runs over 140 games, Yahoo Sports noted. During that season, he also tallied 50 RBIs, 57 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, and 22 doubles across 471 plate appearances. His strikeout rate sat at 16.6%, with only 78 strikeouts recorded.
The improvement followed a period of offensive struggle; in 2025, Young posted an OPS of just .583 and hit only two home runs, Yahoo Sports said. To address these deficiencies, Young worked with hitting coaches and the player development facility Driveline to change his swing path and increase bat speed. He specifically focused on pulling the ball in the air to boost power production.
The Nationals and Jacob Young have agreed to a four-year, $23 million extension that includes an $8 million option for a fifth year, per source. @ByRobertMurray was on it.
A major component of this progress was a drastic reduction in his groundball rate. Young hit ground balls at a 56.5% clip during both 2024 and 2025, but slashed that rate to 39.4% in 2026, Yahoo Sports reported. This shift helped his power production, as his pulled ball rate rose to 15.7% in 2026 from just 5.9% the previous year, according to The Baltimore Banner. Young previously had only five home runs in 1,006 career plate appearances prior to the 2026 season.
Reflecting on his professional journey, Young told The Baltimore Banner, ❝I’ve hit my whole life, so getting to the big leagues and struggling was really hard.
❞
Nationals, CF Jacob Young reportedly agree to 4-year extension with an option year, per multiple reports including MLB’s @Feinsand. pic.twitter.com/aR0Z4Lt445
Reinforces Washington's defensive identity
The extension reinforces Washington’s defensive identity. Since 2024, Young has been one of the most productive defenders in the league, ranking fourth among all major leaguers in Outs Above Average (OAA). In 2026, his defense placed him in the 96th percentile for outs above average, and Baseball-Reference credited him with approximately 1.8 Wins Above Replacement.
Although Bleacher Nation noted that his Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) metric dipped slightly this year due to poor throws, the move secures a defensive anchor
for the outfield. The contract provides the Nationals with cost certainty at a critical up-the-middle position, even if Young’s offensive production were to plateau. He remains a strong hitter against left-handed pitching, posting a .282/.353/.423 line against lefties in 2026.
A pattern of long-term commitments
Young’s deal is the second major extension signed by the Nationals in recent months. He follows starting pitcher Cade Cavalli, who signed a four-year, $47 million contract with a club option in September, The Nats Report said. Young is the second player to sign an extension since Paul Toboni was named president of baseball operations.
The structure of the Young extension—buying out arbitration years and a year of free agency—mirrors the approach taken with Cavalli. This strategy allows the organization to retain core talent during their most productive years while maintaining flexibility. The agreement also ensures the team retains Young through 2030, the same year the club maintains control over outfielder James Wood, MLB Trade Rumors reported. This core includes other long-term commitments such as catcher Keibert Ruiz.
Jacob Young extended by Nats. @ByRobertMurray 1st. Great defensive CF is someone Yankees always liked
Clarifies the Nationals' outfield hierarchy
The extension clarifies the Nationals’ outfield hierarchy. With Young in center field, the roster features James Wood in right field and Daylen Lile in left, while Dylan Crews provides positional flexibility and comes off the bench, according to The Baltimore Banner. Last season, the Nationals managed to provide all four of these outfielders with 400 plate appearances. While Crews is a former top prospect, he posted an adjusted OPS of 82 in 2026.
The decision to extend Young also addresses the lack of right-handed-hitting outfielders across the league and the scarcity of players capable of playing at Young’s defensive level. While several teams expressed interest in Young’s defensive capabilities over the last year, the Nationals have opted to hold onto him to solidify their major-league depth.
The Washington Nationals sign outfielder Jacob Young to a 4-year, $23 million contract extension with a club option for $8 million in 2031, as @ByRobertMurray reports. It provides the Nationals 2 more years of club control.
Before extension enters salary arbitration
Before the extension was reached, Young was set to enter his first season of salary arbitration this winter. District on Deck reported that MLB Trade Rumors had projected his 2027 arbitration salary at $2.3 million.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Contract Length | 4 years guaranteed |
| Total Guaranteed Value | $23 million |
| Fifth-Year Option | $8 million (club option) |
| Assignment Bonus | $2 million (if traded) |
The deal is reportedly pending a physical, Yardbarker reported. The Nationals’ front office is scheduled to attend the annual general manager meetings in Las Vegas next week.
More on Jacob Young
Just in: Outfielder Jacob Young and the Washington Nationals are in agreement on a contract extension, according to sources familiar with the deal.
