Washington Nationals Sign Former New York Mets Pitcher to Minor League Deal

The Washington Nationals have agreed to a minor league deal with right-handed pitcher Robert Gsellman and the pitchers and catchers reporting deadline nears.

As the reporting date for pitchers and catchers nears, the Washington Nationals have come to terms with right-handed pitcher Robert Gsellman.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post had the news on social media:

Robert Gsellman signs minors deal with Nats. $900K if in majors.

Robert Gsellman signs minors deal with Nats. $900K if in majors.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 1, 2024

The 30-year-old California native has appeared in the majors in seven different seasons with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. He played for the Mets from 2016-2021 and spent a portion of 2022 with the Cubs. He did not appear in the majors in 2023 after playing in Japan for part of 2022 and all of 2023.

Lifetime, he's 20-18 at the major league level with a 4.60 ERA. He's appeared in 184 games, starting 34 of them. While there's no guarantee that he makes the Nationals, he should be able to give them a flexible depth option in either the rotation or the bullpen.

As of right now, the Nationals appear to have some degree of opportunity in either spot. The team has All-Star Josiah Gray in the rotation, as well as veteran Patrick Corbin and youngster MacKenzie Gore. Trevor Williams likely has a spot as well but there could be an opening at the fifth spot. The bullpen also has spots up for grabs.

Washington finished last in the National League East a season ago and projects to finish there again in 2024 - although they do have several nice pieces on the roster like Gray, Gore, CJ Abrams and catcher Keibert Ruiz. They also have a well-stocked farm system led by top prospect Dylan Crews.

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