The Nationals have five free agents heading into this winter but only one of them (Adam Dunn) is a major one. Here is how I would handle the situation with these five guys:

Adam Dunn: 30-year old lefty swinging 1B/RF Adam Dunn is the biggest free agent the Nationals have going into this winter. The Nationals already tried to re-sign him but to no avail. Dunn played in 158 games for the Nationals last season and he was 145 of 558 (.260 avg, .892 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 38 homers and 103 RBIs. VERDICT: The Nationals should try to re-sign him as long as the bidding doesn’t get to crazy. There are cheaper alternatives to Dunn on the free agent market.

Adam Kennedy: 34-year old lefty swinging 2B/3B Adam Kennedy played in 135 games for the Nationals last year and he was 85 of 342 (.249 avg, .655 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. VERDICT: With Danny Espinosa & Ian Desmond likely taking over as the starting middle infield I would likely let Kennedy walk unless he’s willing to accept a bench role.

Willie Harris: 32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Willie Harris played in 132 games for the Nationals last season and he was 41 of 224 (.183 avg, .653 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 10 homers, 32 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. VERDICT: I would let Harris walk.

Kevin Mench: 32-year old righty swinging outfielder Kevin Mench played in 27 games for the Nationals last season and he was 3 for 27 (.111 avg, .284 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. VERDICT: I would let Mench walk as he clearly doesn’t have much left in the gas tank.

Miguel Batista: 39-year old righty reliever Miguel Batista pitched in 58 games (1 start) for the Nationals last season and he was 1-2 with 2 saves, a 3.70 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. VERDICT: I would likely let Batista walk unless he was willing to work cheap.

The Nationals have released 29-year old righty reliever/starter Jason Bergmann. Bergmann pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Nationals this year and he was 0-1 with a 15.43 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. He has now pitched 155 games (50 starts) in his six years in the majors (all with the Nationals) and he was 12-24 with a 5.04 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. The Nationals wanted to go in a different direction but this move will also give Bergmann a fresh new start with another team.