Jeimer Candelario agrees to 1-year contract with Nationals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Infielder Jeimer Candelario agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, giving the club someone to compete for the starting job at third base.

The 29-year-old Candelario is a switch-hitter who is coming off a down year for the Detroit Tigers, hitting just .217 with a .272 on-base percentage in 2022.

But in 2021, he tied for the major league lead with 42 doubles and batted .271 with a .351 on-base percentage, 16 homers and a career-best 67 RBIs.

He was with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and the start of 2017, then was traded to Detroit during the 2017 season.

Candelario became a free agent 10 days ago when the Tigers declined to offer him a contract for next season.

Washington, which finished with the worst record in the majors in 2022, also has Carter Kieboom — a first-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft who missed all of last season after reconstructive elbow surgery — and Ildemaro Vargas — a 31-year-old who hit .280 in 53 games after joining the Nationals — at third base.

In another move announced Tuesday, the Nationals agreed to a major league deal with outfielder Stone Garrett. The 27-year-old Garrett batted .276 in 27 games as a rookie for the Arizona Diamondbacks this year.

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