Washington Nationals Linked to Intriguing Starting Pitcher in Free Agency
The Washington Nationals are expected to take a very aggressive approach to the MLB offseason. With the offseason officially underway, they're going to be a team to monitor very closely.
Over the last couple of months, the Nationals have been linked as a potential contender to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto. While that would be a dream scenario for Washington, it seems very unlikely that the dream will become a reality.
While Soto can't be counted out, it seems likely that the Nationals will need to look elsewhere for their big offseason moves.
Washington absolutely needs to focus on bringing in more firepower for their lineup, but they also need to address their starting pitching rotation. If they're going to make a leap into contending in 2025, the rotation has to be much better than it was in 2024.
Keeping that in mind, there are a lot of options available in MLB free agency this offseason.
There are superstar names that Washington could consider pursuing. Players like Blake Snell and Corbin Burnes could make sense as big splash targets for the Nationals, but there are other cheaper options that could be extremely impactful as well.
One of those options could end up being Houston Astros' free agent starter Yusei Kikuchi.
R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports has linked Washington as a potential top landing spot for Kikuchi. He also has the Astros and Baltimore Orioles as destinations for the 33-year-old pitcher.
Kikuchi would be a much cheaper option than the two names mentioned above. However, he is an older option and would not be great for long-term purposes. He would be better served as a two or three-year deal kind of target.
During the 2024 MLB season after being traded to Houston, Kikuchi pitched like an elite star. He made 10 starts, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, a 5.4 K/BB ratio, and 60.0 innings pitched.
No one should expect him to pitch like that for an entire season, but he showed just how good he's capable of being.
A team like the Nationals could sign him for a relatively cheap contract and get a legitimate No. 2 or high-end No. 3 starter. That's something that Washington should consider.
That being said, Kikuchi is expected to have a fairly large market. The Nationals will need to be aggressive in their pursuit of him if they want to land him.
Expect to hear a lot of rumors start flying around about Washington in the near future. Don't be surprised if Kikuchi's name is attached to some of them.
