The Nationals’ shopping list looks familiar. It starts with power.

“We’re going to look at all different avenues and see,” Manager Dave Martinez said Monday. “There’s always room for improvement. … [General Manager Mike Rizzo] does not like losing. I do not like losing. So we’re going to do the best we can to field a competitive team.”

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Whomever the Nationals decide to target, they will look for power hitters, especially from the left side as a possible platoon option in the outfield, which is dominated by right-handed hitters.

Last season, the Nationals addressed these needs by signing Dominic Smith and Jeimer Candelario, each of whom offered modest offense while providing leadership to younger players for a team that finished 71-91. Candelario was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline; he and Smith are now free agents.

The Nationals’ 151 home runs were the second fewest in the majors, behind only the Cleveland Guardians’ 124. It’s reasonable to project improved power numbers from younger players such as shortstop CJ Abrams and catcher Keibert Ruiz as they develop, but Martinez’s lineup will still need help.

Martinez said power will need to come from within the organization and from players not currently on the payroll.

“It’s going to be both,” he said. “Some of our young players started getting it toward the end [of last season]. There’s still a lot more out of CJ, out of Keibert, some of our young guys. We do have some young players that are coming that I think can supply some power as well. But I think this winter, we’re going to look elsewhere, too, to see if we can fill some gaps that we need to fill.”

Candelario hit 16 home runs in 99 games before he was traded. Smith hit 12 in 153 games but was designated for assignment last month. Joey Meneses had 13 home runs in 154 games after posting the same total in just 56 games during his breakout 2022 season. Martinez said Meneses dealt with a knee injury for most of 2023 that could have been a factor in his reduced production. If Meneses is healthy, Martinez said he will contribute at first base and designated hitter in 2024.

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Martinez also hinted that some of the Nationals’ prospects could be given a chance to help address the power deficiency — if they are ready. James Wood, 21, acquired in the Juan Soto trade in 2022, hit 26 home runs in 129 games across two minor league levels, finishing the season at Class AA Harrisburg. Another player to watch is Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. Crews, who will turn 22 in February, played at three levels of the minors during his brief introduction to pro ball and is likely to open 2024 at Harrisburg, where he played in 20 games last season.

“It’s easier to hit a three-run homer than it is to kind of string together four or five hits with these elite pitchers and these elite bullpens,” Rizzo said. “Power is a way of scoring runs and winning games. We think, in the minor leagues, we’re developing it. We’ve got several players that we think fit that description. And in the meantime, you saw players take jumps in their power game from the year before to last year.”

The Nationals have five outfielders on the active roster. Lane Thomas, who led the team with 28 home runs, will be the right fielder. Martinez said Victor Robles will get another chance to nail down the center field job as long as he’s healthy — or the Nationals could turn to Jacob Young, who ended the season there. If Young doesn’t beat out Robles, he, Alex Call and Stone Garrett — once he returns from his leg injury — would be in the mix in left field. But all five are right-handed hitters. The left-handed Wood, whom MLB.com ranked baseball’s No. 7 prospect in 2023, would be a natural fit but needs to greatly cut down on his strikeouts. (Crews was ranked No. 4.)

In the infield, Brady House, 20, is a talented third base prospect who jumped two levels last season but probably needs more time to develop. It’s possible that Martinez would feel comfortable opening the season with Carter Kieboom, who hit .207 in 94 plate appearances a year ago, or Jake Alu, who hit .226 in 175 plate appearances, at third, but the team is looking for more offense there.

The young players are pushing, Martinez acknowledged, but the Nationals are trying to be patient with their prospects while filling gaps on their major league roster.

“We’re in a tough situation because we want to get our young guys up here,” he said. “We don’t want to take too many spots away from those guys when they’re ready. But we got to compete at the big league level, so we’re going to look at all avenues and all aspects of what we can do.”