Washington Nationals Make Wise Move Bringing Back Former Starter
The Washington Nationals have started to pick things up this winter, with the team getting much more active in free agency in the last week.
After a slow start to the offseason, the Nationals have been very busy lately. Coming into the winter, there were plenty of needs for the organization, but they are starting to address those needs with some newly added veterans.
Recently, Washington was able to bring back one of their veteran pitchers from last season, as right-hander Trevor Williams will reportedly be coming back to the Nationals on a two-year, $13 million deal.
Coming into the offseason, adding help to the starting rotation and the bullpen were needs for the Nationals. The addition of the veteran right-hander will give the franchise some flexibility in those areas.
The 32-year-old had an outstanding season for Washington last year, but injuries cut it short.
In 2024, the veteran totaled a 6-1 record and 2.03 ERA in 13 starts. Those were some exceptional numbers for the right-hander, but the drawback was injuries.
From a Nationals' point of view, this is a really appealing deal for them. They are getting back a pitcher at a reasonable price, who could either start or help in the long relief role. Washington now has a good number of arms to use in their rotation with the young pitchers on the staff from last season and the addition of Williams and Michael Soroka in free agency.
While it might not be realistic to think the veteran right-hander will pitch as well as he did in 2024, his ability to help in a couple of different areas is appealing to the team.
Washington has clearly prioritized this offseason not locking up too much money long-term, which might be the right move. The new core of the team is still young and spending on long-term contracts might be a better idea next offseason when the core is a bit more established. Their progress could be what brings in the top-tier free agents in years to come.
Spring Training should be exciting now when looking at the battle for the spots in the starting rotation. Besides MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin, there likely aren’t any other spots that are set in stone.
This should create some excellent competition early on, and hopefully push the young arms of the staff to better things.
Furthermore, the decision to re-sign Williams at the number they did seems like an excellent move for the franchise.
