Washington Nationals Manager Excited About Evan Reifert's Potential
One of the spots on the Washington Nationals roster that needs to be addressed this offseason is their bullpen.
In a surprising move, they non-tendered closer Kyle Finnegan after pre-arbitration negotiations didn’t result in a contract getting finalized. Coming off a season with a career-high 38 saves, it created another void on the roster to address.
Without Finnegan in the mix, the team is lacking established options to use in late-game situations. Right now, workhorse Derek Law and young lefty Jose A. Ferrer are the only options locked into roles heading into 2025.
A veteran addition or two in free agency will likely come at some point. It would be a major boost to a team looking to make some strides in 2025 to have established, reliable relievers coming out of the bullpen in support of a young starting rotation.
More moves will be on the horizon, but one addition has already been made to the bullpen — Evan Reifert.
Selected in the Rule 5 Draft away from the Tampa Bay Rays, he was originally drafted in the 30th round by the Texas Rangers in the 2018 MLB Draft. But, he decided to play collegiately and made his pro debut in 2021 in the Milwaukee Brewers organization after signing as an undrafted free agent for $20,000 in 2020.
Reifert is someone that Nationals manager Dave Martinez is excited to have in the mix as an option coming out of the bullpen in 2025 and potentially beyond.
“We’re young, and this is another piece that we could hopefully use. We like the arm. He’s got a wipeout slider. And he has pitched in the back-end of the bullpen in Double-A and done really well. He was striking out 14 per nine,” he said via Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.
That slider is truly devastating, as he dares batters to swing and hit it. While pitching in Double-A in 2024, he threw the pitch 52 percent of the time and 70 percent of them resulted in swings and misses.
It is a pitch that is effective against everyone, as lefties hit a paltry .117 against the pitch in 2024 as well.
However, there is one glaring issue in his game; control.
Reifert has walked 87 batters in 146.1 innings in the Minor Leagues. He has also hit 21 batters and thrown 36 wild pitches, as he is as intimidating as Ricky Vaughn in Major League.
It is something that Washington is hoping they can corral, as he possesses an electric arm and Major League-level stuff.
“The biggest thing was his command, and he seemed to clean that up a little bit, we know he’s worked on some different things. So we’re excited to have him and see what happens,” Martinez added.
If the Nationals can find a way to harness Reifert’s natural ability, they have a long-term piece for their bullpen with high-leverage upside. That wipeout slider is the kind of pitch that can lead to a player finding late-game success.
