The Washington Nationals have made their first free agent signing of the offseason, bringing in Eddy Yean on a Minor League deal. It is far from a big splash, but it interests me for a couple of reasons. For one, Yean has an interesting back story and history with the organization. Also, this should be the first of a flurry of Minor League deals.

Yean has a big arm, and that is probably why Paul Toboni wanted to sign him. In AAA last year, Yean averaged 97 MPH on both his 4-seamer and his sinker. At just 24 years old, he could potentially develop into an MLB bullpen piece. Despite posting a 3.06 ERA, Yean’s strikeout and walk numbers were both poor, which is probably why the Pirates let him walk.

While he has a big fastball, he is better at getting ground balls than strikeouts. He struck out less than 7 hitters per 9 innings last season. However, he did have an elite GB rate at 55%. Yean is likely just needed Triple-A depth, but with his big arm, he may get a look at the MLB at some point.

Interestingly, this is not Yean’s first stint in the Nats organization. He was signed by the Nats out of the Dominican Republic back in 2017. Yean was actually pretty highly regarded at one point. He was part of the Josh Bell trade back in 2020. Yean was the 6th ranked prospect in a weak Nationals system.

His time in the Pirates system was up and down, with Yean never fulfilling his promise. However, he is still only 24, so there is time and arm talent. We should see a lot of these types of signings over the next couple of months though. Hopefully a couple of these guys can become MLB contributors.

The Nationals let 34 Minor Leaguers become free agents. That is the most of any team in baseball. With that in mind, Paul Toboni is going to be looking for replacements on the far. The Nats depth in AAA has been a problem for years now. With this mass exodus, Toboni is shaking things up.

That is why I suspect we will see a lot of Minor League deals. The Nats need to reload their system. After all, the Rochester Red Wings still have games to play. It is very important to have guys ready to go in AAA, especially on the pitching side.

Pitchers are very volatile, due to both injuries and fluctuations in year to year performance. The Nats saw the consequences of that this past season. All of the Nats free agent relievers flamed out this season. However, they were given plenty of leash because there were no capable replacements.

Last season, the Triple-A pitching staff was a disaster. That is why Lucas Sims and Colin Poche got a month of leeway. There was nobody knocking on the door to replace them. That is also why Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker lasted the whole season. Nobody on the farm was showing enough to start, even though Parker and Irvin had disastrous seasons.

One of the big jobs Paul Toboni has is to build depth. In the future, I hope there are players waiting in the wings when guys are struggling. That kind of competitive culture brings out the best in everyone. It is also good for the organization. Eddy Yean is the first of many Minor League signings, and hopefully they can provide quality depth.