Washington Nationals Could Bring Bullpen Veterans Back on Discount Deals
The Washington Nationals have done a solid job of improving upon some of the weaknesses their roster had coming into the offseason.
First base now looks like a strength after the team acquired Nathaniel Lowe in a trade with the Texas Rangers and signed veteran Josh Bell for a second tenure with the franchise.
The opposite corner, third base, remains a weakness that has to be addressed. If Keibert Ruiz cannot carry over his second-half performance catcher is a position to keep an eye on too, but the rest of the lineup looks pretty set a few weeks out from Spring Training.
On the mound, the Nationals brought in veteran Mike Soroka, who could function as a starter or reliever. Trevor Williams was re-signed with the intention of keeping him on the starting rotation, where experience was lacking.
MacKenzie Gore, who has thrown 372.2 career innings, has the most Major League experience.
Where the team could really use some help is the bullpen.
It was already a part of the team that needed some help before Robert Garcia was included in the Lowe deal. Another decision made earlier in the offseason thinned things out even more.
Washington surprised a lot of people when they non-tendered closer Kyle Finnegan after he recorded a career-high 38 saves in 2024 and was named an All-Star. Pre-arbitration talks did not result in a deal getting done, so the team opted to move on.
With the relief pitching market being so slow to develop, it could present the Nationals with an opportunity to bring him back at a lower price than the projected $8-9 million arbitration price. If no one is willing to give him a multi-year pact, why not run things back and attempt to increase his value again?
The lack of late-game experience currently on the roster is a major Achilles heel, especially if they plan on making a push for a playoff spot.
Finnegan has his flaws but pitched solidly for the franchise over the last few years. Bringing him back at a lower price than his arbitration number would be a win and solve some of their late-game issues.
Another name to keep an eye on is Jacob Burnes.
He made 63 appearances for the team this past campaign, going 8-3 with a 4.36 ERA across 66 innings with 55 strikeouts. A well-traveled veteran, he wasn’t spectacular in his one-year stint with the club, but they could do worse on a Minor League deal.
Burnes will likely wait things out to see if a team comes with a Major League offer, but if they do not, it would make some sense for him to return to Washington on a Minor League deal.
There are openings in the pecking order out of the bullpen with Jose A. Ferrer, Derek Law and Evan Reifert likely the only players with locked-in roles currently. Having a legitimate chance to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster could be appealing to the veteran righty.
