Washington Nationals Projected as Prime Candidate to Retain Veteran Pitcher
With free agency starting for the Washington Nationals, the franchise will be looking at multiple ways to improve their roster.
In 2024, the Nationals won the same number of games (71) they did in 2023, but it certainly felt like an improved season for Washington. With a lot of young talent on the team, the Nationals have a bright future and it will be the job of the front office to capitalize on it.
Currently, the Nationals aren’t paying any player a significant amount of money. Pitcher Patrick Corbin came off the books at the end of the season. First baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo and the team parted ways. While the clock is ticking on young players like CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr., Washington has some time before it will have to pay them big bucks.
That being said, the Nationals have been one of the teams speculated to be aggressive in free agency this winter. Washington has a clear need to add some power to their lineup and first base is a bit of an issue.
Furthermore, the Nats also have question marks in their starting rotation. Washington has a lot of young arms that have yet to really prove themselves.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report wrote that Washington could bring back starter Trevor Williams on a one-year, $8 million deal to help provide veteran leadership to the staff. His reasoning is that Williams could bounce back and help the rotation eat some innings.
Williams is a potential source of innings. Prior to battling injuries this year, he made 30 starts and posted 144.1 innings in 2023. Williams was, of course, quite good when he was able to take the hill this year. Probably unsustainably so, but he did place more trust in a sweeper that held hitters to a .135 average. As such, he gives teams two qualities to gamble on.
After a dreadful 2023 campaign with the Nationals, the 32-year-old bounced back for a fine statistical campaign, though it was limited due to injuries.
Last year, Williams went 6-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 13 starts. When healthy, he was one of the best pitchers on the Nationals. However, a 13-game sample size is pretty small considering how poorly he pitched in 2023, when he made 30 starts.
For a Washington team that might not be looking to make a major signing for its rotation, a one-year flyer on a pitcher like Williams does make a lot of sense.
