Nationals Reportedly Working to Finalize Extension With Ace Cade Cavalli
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Ahead of the 2026 season, the Washington Nationals identified right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli as someone they wanted to build around.
Now, the organization is putting their money where there mouth is; literally.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Nationals and Cavalli "are close on a contract extension." The insider stated that nothing is officially done just yet, but "there is optimism" that something will get worked out between the two sides that would keep the ace in Washington for the foreseeable future.
Because things are still getting worked through, there hasn't been an indication, at the time of writing, regarding what the terms of this possible extension would look like. But the fact that something is even on the table at this point in time is a great sign for how this franchise plans to operate under the new leadership of president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.
Nationals Building Their Rotation Around Cade Cavalli
Rewinding all the way back to when Toboni was hired, left-hander MacKenzie Gore was the ace of this staff. But Toboni decided to trade the former top prospect away to revitalize this farm system, and he handed the keys to Cavalli, despite the fact that Cavalli had limited experience in the majors following a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery.
But Cavalli was ready this moment, as he has posted an ERA of 3.12 across 31 starts and 164 2/3 innings this year. He's also been dominant in the second half with a ridiculous 2.05 ERA over 11 starts, which includes 84 strikeouts to 16 walks across 66 innings pitched.
The gamble by Toboni and his other decision makers to make Cavalli the ace has paid off in spades. They have a bonafide No. 1 leading their rotation at the age of 28, and now they are working on making sure things remain that way with a contract extension.
Extending Cavalli is almost as important as the front office's evaluation. Since the 2019 World Series-winning season, there hasn't been a whole lot for this fanbase to get excited about, as they have dealt with prolonged losing and star players departing in free agency or because they were shipped out of town. Locking up Cavalli for long haul is a sign that the tides are turning on that front, as this franchise -- and more specifically the ownership group -- appears committed to keeping their best players on the roster going forward.
That bodes well for something regarding James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, elite prospect Eli Willits and the other high-end minor leaguers they have down on the farm, so Cavalli getting an extension could be the first domino that falls as this front office starts to create pillars of their major league roster.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai