Photo by Alec Geis for TalkNats
The birds are singing, the sprinklers are sprinkling, and the fastballs are flying at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches.
Yes, it’s that time again: spring training, when everything is possible.
Foreword
Two years ago, this is how I opened this annual (sort of; more on that in a bit) feature: “It has not been an impressive offseason for General Manager Mike Rizzo & Co. Many of Rizzo’s stated priorities heading into the winter have not been addressed, or they’ve been addressed very cheaply and by players who don’t inspire a great deal of confidence.”
I added in the second part: “The Nats have their work cut out for them in 2024. The front office chose not to give out any multiyear deals this winter, going for cheap, short-term additions where they bothered to add at all onto last year’s 71-win team.”
Last year — for the first time in many years — I didn’t bother doing this feature at all. As lazy and half-hearted as Rizzo’s 2023-24 “efforts” to “improve” the Washington Nationals were, the 2024-25 offseason was a true masterclass in who cares?
Here’s a summary: Rizzo…
Brought back old friend Josh Bell, coming off a dreadful season, on a cheap one-year deal the Nats failed to parlay into any trade value at the deadline.
Traded for Nathaniel Lowe, who ended up turning in one of the most disappointing campaigns in Nationals history.
Added platoon infielders Amed Rosario and Paul DeJong, who managed to combine for 0.1 rWAR for the Nats.
Gave Trevor Williams, inexplicably, a new two-year deal coming off an injury-wrecked season.
Signed a few washed-up relievers, who were predictably terrible and all gone by June.
So, frankly, it was hard for me to care, either.
But that was last year.
Rizzo is history, and so are most of the pieces of flotsam and jetsam he collected over the past few offseasons. So too is longtime manager Davey Martinez and much of his coaching staff. Martinez and Rizzo were finally, mercifully fired last July — weeks after a jaw-dropping postgame meltdown in which Martinez threw his players under the bus and insisted that he and his coaching staff bore no responsibility for the team’s underperformance. His coaches played out the string under interim manager Miguel Cairo, who was not retained after the season and ended up taking a job with the Baltimore Orioles.
While Rizzo will be mentioned again, the rest of this feature isn’t about him. It’s about what’s next.
Onward
A few big things have happened this offseason. Paul Toboni has taken the reins as President of Baseball Operations and drastically overhauled the front office, coaching staff, and player development system. Erstwhile ace MacKenzie Gore and closer José A. Ferrer have been shipped off for prospects. The Nats have finally broken free from MASN, and the brand-new Nationals.TV will broadcast games this year, starting Saturday, Feb. 21.
One big thing has not happened this offseason: Toboni has not spent a whole lot of money on free agents. He’s been consistent in laying out where he sees the team right now, coming off a 66-win season and under new management. The rebuild continues. In some ways, it has begun again. Toboni has to clean up the mess that Rizzo left behind and restock a bare cupboard.
The hope is clearly that the Nats can step back, align with Toboni’s vision, and take two steps forward. But it’s also clear that Toboni came to his position viewing a return to contention this year as an extreme long shot. With that perspective, it made sense to begin cashing in trade chips — to improve the Nats’ future outlook — and not to spend big money in free agency.
As such, we have sort of a Rorschach test before us. Some will look at this offseason and this team as constructed and scoff: More of the same. When do we start winning again? Others will look and say: This is what had to happen. Let’s see what happens next.
With that, here’s the new faces this spring on the pitching side — including offseason acquisitions, non-roster invitees, and pitchers who otherwise didn’t suit up for the Nats in 2025.
#16 – LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 23 G, 38⅔ IP, 6.98 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 17.3% K, 11.6% BB+HBP
2025 stats (Rk/A+/AAA): 8 G, 34 IP, 3.71 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 21.4% K, 7.6% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
Mike Rizzo made his first-ever major league signing out of Japan last winter. Shinnosuke Ogasawara agreed to a cheap two-year deal, as the Nats hoped the lefty’s microscopic walk rate and solid results for the Chunichi Dragons would translate Stateside. They didn’t. With a fastball hovering around 90 and unimpressive secondaries, Ogasawara struggled to induce swings and misses. His nibbling around the zone frequently got him into trouble. One of Toboni’s first acts was to designate him for assignment. Unsurprisingly, Ogasawara cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. He figures to be the Nats’ best-paid minor league player this season.
For all of his struggles in MLB, Ogasawara was actually serviceable in the minor leagues last year. He issued free passes at a significantly lower rate and gave up just two home runs (compared to a whopping nine at the major league level). He worked mainly as a starter in the minors, while functioning as a swingman with the Nats (two starts and 21 relief appearances). Ogasawara is unlikely to force his way onto the Opening Day roster this spring. He’ll have an opportunity to work with the Nats’ mostly new pitching coaches, though. Hopefully, Ogasawara can make the adjustments he needs to be relevant in 2026. Otherwise, he’ll almost certainly find himself back in Asia by 2027.
#22 – LHP Foster Griffin
2025 stats (NPB): 17 G, 89 IP, 1.52 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 24.9% K, 7.7% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 30
Toboni hasn’t engaged much with the free agent market in his first offseason with the Nats. One exception is Foster Griffin, who returns to the States after a successful three-year run in Japan. Griffin is coming off a stellar season with the Yomiuri Giants. He’s latched on with the Nats on a one-year deal that he will hope begins a career renaissance in MLB.
Griffin was a first-round draft pick a long time ago, in 2014. But he bounced off MLB — thanks in part to Tommy John surgery in 2020, his career line is eight innings scattered across two seasons — and ended up pitching in Japan. While overseas, Griffin remade himself as a starting pitcher, embracing data analytics and strategy. While he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, Griffin used a varied arsenal and pinpoint command to overmatch NPB hitters. Now, if that sounds a lot like the scouting report on Shinnosuke Ogasawara, whom the Nats imported from Japan last winter…well, we’ll have to hope Griffin is a significant improvement. He figures to be in the mix to start on Opening Day.
#25 – RHP Griff McGarry
2025 stats (A/AA/AAA): 21 G, 83⅔ IP, 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 35.1% K, 15.9% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 26
Three years ago, Griff McGarry was entering the 2023 season as the Philadelphia Phillies’ third-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. That year didn’t go well for him, and 2024 was worse. While McGarry turned in a strong 2025 campaign, it wasn’t enough to restore the Phillies’ faith in him. He was left exposed in December’s Rule 5 draft. Drafting third overall, the Nats scooped him up. Now, we’ll see if McGarry can stick in the major leagues this season.
McGarry has always had incredibly loud stuff, with sky-high strikeout rates and eye-popping metrics. Unfortunately, going all the way back to college, he’s struggled to find the strikezone. The Phillies tried different ways to develop McGarry — including moving him into a relief role in 2024, which somehow only amplified his control problems. The Nats haven’t said whether they intend to use McGarry in the rotation or in the bullpen. His usage this spring will be worth watching. (And as a reminder: Mike Rizzo returned his last Rule 5 pick midway through spring training in 2025, after he walked nearly one-third of the batters he faced.)
#40 – RHP Josiah Gray
2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 3 IP, 5⅔ IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 19.2% K, 23.1% BB+HBP
2024 stats (MLB): 2 G, 8⅓ IP, 14.04 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 20.5% K, 11.4% BB+HBP
2024 stats (A/AA/AAA): 5 G, 21 IP, 6.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 15.7% K, 7.9% BB+HBP
2023 stats (MLB): 30 G, 159 IP, 3.91 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 20.5% K, 12.8% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
We all remember Josiah Gray, of course. He was an All-Star pitcher in 2023 and our Opening Day starter in 2024. Unfortunately, injuries and eventually Tommy John surgery wrecked his season. He didn’t return to action until very late in 2025. It’s now been nearly two years since we’ve seen Gray on a major league mound. His ability to bounce back from elbow surgery is one of this season’s (many, many) big question marks.
A high-strikeout arm in the Dodgers system, Gray has struggled to miss bats since being traded to the Nationals as part of the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner deal in July 2021. Nonetheless, he’s been able to pitch 386⅔ innings for Washington while healthy, and his last full season was at least a qualified success. Gray has a lot to prove and a wide range of possible outcomes in 2026. If the Nats think he needs extra time to ramp up, he does still have an option year remaining.
#43 – RHP Luis Perales
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 3 G, 2⅓ IP, 7.71 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 44.4% K, 33.3% BB+HBP
2024 stats (A+/AA): 9 G, 33⅔ IP, 2.94 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 38.9% K, 10.4% BB+HBP
2023 stats (A/A+): 21 G, 89⅔ IP, 3.91 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 29.3% K, 13.2% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 22
As with Gray, we have to go back to 2023 to see a full season from Luis Perales. The flamethrowing righty had Tommy John surgery in June 2024. Perales came back toward the end of last season, velocity undiminished but command unsurprisingly a bit shaky over three brief minor league appearances. The Nats acquired him in a prospect-for-prospect swap with the Boston Red Sox in December, with TalkNats darling Jake Bennett shipping up to Boston in exchange. Toboni is familiar with Perales from his time in the Red Sox front office. He clearly felt strongly enough about him to trade a good pitching prospect to acquire him.
Perales’ fastball tops out around 101 mph. Some inconsistency in his results and effort in his delivery have many evaluators thinking he’s a future reliever. If he ends up in the bullpen, the Nats will surely be hoping he becomes a closer or setup type, after giving up a high-floor, likely back-end starter to acquire him. It remains to be seen how the Nats develop Perales. He could pitch his way into MLB soon. Still, it seems likely he’ll start the season with Triple-A Rochester.
#46 – LHP Jake Eder
2025 stats (MLB): 8 G, 18⅓ IP, 4.91 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 19.2% K, 12.8% BB+HBP
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 16 G, 70⅓ IP, 6.40 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 19.6% K, 7.6% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 27
While the Nats acquired southpaw Jake Eder during the 2025 season, he never made it to Washington before the season ended. Eder missed time with an injury and only returned to minor league action late in the year. He’ll have a chance this spring to make his case for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, although after trading MacKenzie Gore last month, the Nats may prefer to keep him as rotation depth.
Eder has had a pretty underwhelming professional career. That’s strange, given how it started. The Miami Marlins drafted him in 2020, then started him at the Double-A level for his professional debut in 2021. He rewarded them with a brilliant season, pitching to a 1.77 ERA over fifteen starts. But that campaign ended when he underwent Tommy John surgery in August. He hasn’t been anywhere close to the same since then. Eder hasn’t authored a minor league season with an ERA under 6 since returning to action in 2023. He figures to be on the roster bubble this spring as the Nats evaluate non-roster players.
#47 – RHP Eddy Yean (NRI)
2025 stats (AAA): 50 G, 70⅔ IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 17.5% K, 15.9% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 24
This name might be familiar to prospect-heads. Eddy Yean was part of the trade package the Nats sent to Pittsburgh back in December 2020 for Josh Bell. Bell’s time with the Nats came and went, then came and went again. Now Yean, too, is back in the fold on a minor league deal. He’s coming off a dominant season for Triple-A Indianapolis, with not-so-dominant peripherals.
Yean never made it to MLB with the Pirates. Still just 24, he heads into spring training still in search of his MLB debut. While Yean’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was abysmal last year, it was better than 3:1 as recently as 2024 for Double-A Altoona — and despite clearly struggling to put away batters at the Triple-A level last year, he somehow still limited runs quite nicely while working as a swingman (four starts, 46 relief appearances). Yean is a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. Still, he seems likely to figure into the Nats’ pitching depth this season in some capacity.
#49 – RHP Jarlin Susana (NRI)
2025 stats (A+/AA): 14 G, 56⅓ IP, 3.51 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 38.9% K, 16% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 22
Hard-throwing righty Jarlin Susana is still rehabbing from September surgery on his right lat. Sadly, that means we probably won’t get to see him in game action this spring. He’s nonetheless a non-roster invitee to camp, where he’ll be able to work with new pitching coach Simon Mathews and assistants Dustin Glant and Sean Doolittle.
One of the many big questions of 2026 is whether Toboni and minor league pitching director Grayson Crawford will maintain course in developing Susana as a starter, or whether they’ll move him into relief. Susana throws up to 103-104 mph. He has massive stuff that has blown away minor league hitters, but he’s struggled to rein in free passes. Unsurprisingly, the big Dominican has battled injuries and fatigue. Most evaluators have long predicted he’ll end up as a reliever — potentially even a closer, with his earth-shattering stuff. Either way, Susana could make his major league debut at some point this season…provided he can stay healthy.
#52 – LHP Ken Waldichuk
2025 stats (Rk/AAA): 17 G, 54 IP, 8.17 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 25.8% K, 16.7% BB+HBP
2023 stats (MLB): 35 G, 141 IP, 5.36 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 20.7% K, 12.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
Once a top prospect with the Yankees, left-hander Ken Waldichuk never really made good after he was traded to the Athletics at the deadline in 2022. As a swingman for the A’s, Waldichuk labored through 42 major league games with a 5.28 ERA before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He came back midway through the 2025 season looking worse than ever. Unsurprisingly, the A’s shipped him out of West Sacramento after the season. The Nats claimed him off waivers last week, so here is where he’ll seek to revive his career.
Waldichuk gets great extension on his pitches and can run his fastball up into the mid-90s. But since making his MLB debut late in the 2022 season, he’s never really put things together. He missed all of 2024 and about half of 2025. His results last season in a limited sample size of seventeen games certainly left a lot to be desired. But there aren’t a lot of starting pitchers who land on the waiver wire, and the Nats felt it was worth taking a chance on Waldichuk. He’s almost certainly not going to make the team out of spring training. A strong showing in camp could keep him in the mix as a depth starter, though.
#55 – LHP Richard Lovelady
2025 stats (MLB): 10 G, 11⅔ IP, 8.49 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 21.1% K, 17.5% BB+HBP
2025 stats (AAA): 35 G, 38 IP, 1.66 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 26.3% K, 10.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 30
The Nats lost Konnor Pilkington and acquired Richard Lovelady in a series of roster moves this winter. Both lefties pitched in MLB last year, but Pilkington had more success in his larger body of work, while Lovelady struggled. New general manager Ani Kilambi came to D.C. with a reputation for genius in finding quality pitchers. We’ll see if he’s made a canny move here with Lovelady.
Lovelady has spent much of the past year bouncing up and down between the Mets and their Triple-A affiliate (although he also spent a portion of 2025 in the Twins and Blue Jays organizations). The Nats at least temporarily took Lovelady off the merry-go-round. They will see if they can get his strong Triple-A results to finally translate to major league success. Since Lovelady is out of options, he’ll have to be exposed to waivers again if he is healthy but doesn’t make the team.
#61 – RHP Tyler Baum (NRI)
2025 stats (Rk/AA/AAA): 36 G, 36 IP, 5.50 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 26.9% K, 12.6% BB+HBP
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 45 G, 60 IP, 4.95 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 27.1% K, 15% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
Tyler Baum split the past two seasons between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, playing in hitters’ havens. He struck out a lot of batters last year in an injury-pocked season, but his game results weren’t so good. While his toplines aren’t impressive in that time, his stuff clearly piqued the Nats’ interest.
It’s worth breaking down Baum’s 2025 season in a little more detail. He started the season in Triple-A, but after getting shelled in his first few appearances, he was placed on the development list — then, a few weeks later, the injured list. He returned to action in June and was assigned to Double-A. In repeating the level, Baum recorded a 3.80 ERA over 21 games with a strong 25:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That earned him a late-season promotion back to Triple-A, but he finished the year with a rough September. The Nats are hoping Baum figured something out but simply ran out of gas last year. They’ll get a chance to see him compete this spring.
#71 – RHP Travis Sykora (NRI)
2025 stats (Rk/A/A+/AA): 12 G, 45⅓ IP, 1.79 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 46.7% K, 11.2% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 21
Travis Sykora spent the first ten starts of his age-21 season putting up absolutely bonkers video-game numbers. But after an uncharacteristic struggle in his Double-A debut, he had to be pulled midway through his next start. The 6-foot-6 righty ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in August. That will likely keep him out of action for the entire 2026 season.
Sykora is in major league camp for the first time, although he’ll have to watch from the sidelines on account of his recently surgically repaired elbow. He and the Nats are most certainly eager to get him back and healthy. Judging by his sheer dominance in the minor leagues so far, the sky is the limit for Sykora if he can come back strong. We’ll just have to wait and see what 2027 brings.
#72 – RHP Andry Lara (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 9 G, 14⅓ IP, 8.79 ERA, 2.44 WHIP, 12.8% K, 11.5% BB+HBP
2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 22 G, 56 IP, 7.55 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 15.2% K, 11.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 23
Call him a strong starter: Andry Lara struck out four over three innings of one-hit, shutout ball in his MLB debut last year. Then he appeared in eight more games out of the bullpen, recording a 11.12 ERA with just six strikeouts in those appearances. It was a mirage presaged by his progression from 2024 — a breakout season in which Lara pitched to a 3.34 ERA and looked very comfortable in his first taste of Double-A — to 2025.
A year ago, it would have been shocking to see the Nats designate their former top international pitching prospect for assignment, much less for no other team to claim him. But that’s how poorly the Venezuelan righty pitched in 2025. He’s now in camp as a non-roster invitee after being outrighted to the minors last month. If Lara makes another major league roster, he’ll have all three minor league options left. Although he bounced between the rotation and the bullpen last year, he could serve as non-roster starter depth this season. Ideally, the Nats would like to see Lara rebound with the benefit of better coaching and more of a development focus. He’s still young, had legitimate prospect cachet less than a year ago, and he’s flashed good stuff. But clearly, he is no longer a core part of the organization’s plans under Toboni.
#74 – RHP Riley Cornelio
2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 27 G, 134⅓ IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 24.8% K, 10.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 25
Riley Cornelio, Washington’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year, was added to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft this winter. While he’s never been a top prospect, “the Great Cornelio” certainly deserved it, rising two levels and producing solid results at every level. Cornelio did stumble a bit with Triple-A Rochester, pitching to a 5.35 ERA in eight starts. Even so, he maintained a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio and finished strong, striking out twelve and allowing just two runs in his last eight innings.
The rotation picture for the Nats is highly uncertain. Even still, Cornelio seems like a long shot to force his way into it out of spring training. He could still have a valuable role for the Nats as a depth starter. He’s already on the 40-man roster and has all three minor league options remaining. If Cornelio ends up making a significant number of starts for the Nats this year, he would hardly be the first player in his position to end up impacting the major league club.
#75 – RHP Paxton Schultz
2025 stats (MLB): 13 G, 24⅔ IP, 4.38 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 25.5% K, 8.1% BB+HBP
2025 stats (Rk/AAA): 26 G, 51 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 25.4% K, 8.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
One of the more interesting waiver claims of the winter, right-hander Paxton Schultz had decent results and very strong peripherals in 2025. He even tied the MLB record for strikeouts as a reliever making his major league debut. Yet Schultz found himself squeezed off the Blue Jays roster in January. He ultimately landed with the Nats after a few days on the waiver wire.
Schultz’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, pairing it with a cutter/slider in the high 80s. It’s a fairly conventional arsenal for a reliever, but Schultz commands it well, effectively limiting free passes at every level last year. Toronto may have been willing to move on because he was somewhat homer-prone, giving up nine last year between the MLB and Triple-A levels. He ought to find plenty of opportunity with the Nats, whose bullpen picture is wide open. Toboni has prioritized relievers with options this winter. While Schultz is on the 40-man, he has two option years remaining. He could serve as up-and-down depth even if he can’t solidify a place in the major league bullpen.
#76 – RHP Gus Varland
2025 stats (Rk/AAA): 8 G, 6⅓ IP, 5.68 ERA, 2.05 WHIP, 35.5% K, 22.6% BB+HBP
2024 stats (MLB): 26 G, 26⅓ IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 23.5% K, 7.8% BB+HBP
2024 stats (AAA): 32 G, 37⅓ IP, 7.47 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 24.1% K, 9.4% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 29
If Gus Varland’s name sounds familiar, it may be because his younger brother, Louis Varland, was on the AL championship roster last season. The younger Varland was a setup man par excellence last season, pitching to a 2.97 ERA between Minnesota and Toronto. It’s easy to conclude Gus Varland simply isn’t of the same caliber. But would it surprise you to know that this time last year, his little bro actually had less career WAR? Louis Varland was one of MLB’s worst pitchers in 2024, with a 7.61 ERA as a Twins swingman. By contrast, Gus Varland was a serviceable middle reliever for the White Sox. So, there’s Exhibit 74,673 in how volatile relief pitchers can be: Louis Varland threw meaningful innings in five games of the 2025 World Series, and Gus Varland is competing for one of the last spots on the roster of a last-place team.
At his best, Varland has successfully limited walks while maintaining a solid strikeout rate. His stuff isn’t exceptional, but he’s made it work. There are obvious downsides: He’s been injured a lot, he didn’t pitch much last season because he was hurt, he gives up too many hits, and too many of those hits leave the yard. But it’s easy to see what Toboni is thinking here. Varland does have a minor league option remaining. If he sticks on the 40-man roster and stays healthy, he could be a depth piece for the Nats.
#77 – LHP DJ Herz
2024 stats (MLB): 19 G, 88⅔ IP, 4.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 27.7% K, 10.2% BB+HBP
2024 stats (AAA): 10 G, 39⅓ IP, 3.89 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 26.2% K, 19% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 25
Two years ago, a 23-year-old southpaw named DJ Herz authored one of the most promising rookie seasons by a Nationals pitcher in years. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2023 for Jeimer Candelario, Herz battled control issues in the minor leagues but showed marked improvement in commanding his four-pitch arsenal in MLB. Unfortunately, Herz’s command was shaky and his velocity diminished last spring. He underwent Tommy John surgery around Opening Day and missed the entire season.
Because Herz went under the knife so early in 2025, there’s legitimate hope for him to contribute in 2026. He will still be rehabbing this spring and is exceedingly unlikely to pitch in the Grapefruit League. Optimistically, if all goes well, he could be back in MLB by around Memorial Day.
#78 – LHP Zach Penrod (NRI)
2025 stats (Rk/AAA): 26 G, 33⅓ IP, 7.83 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, 17.9% K, 22.9% BB+HBP
2024 stats (MLB): 7 G, 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 15% K, 25% BB+HBP
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 22 G, 62⅔ IP, 4.16 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 34.8% K, 13.9% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 28
A former Red Sox prospect who spent much of 2025 in the Dodgers organization, Zach Penrod has struggled lately with injuries and performance. Last season was a horror show for Penrod. He was much better in 2024, and that’s what the Nats are hoping to get. Lefties with Penrod’s stuff don’t grow on trees, and he’s historically racked up huge strikeout numbers.
So, can the Nats get Penrod back on track after a nightmare campaign in which he walked more batters than he struck out? Free passes have always been an issue for Penrod, but a fastball that hits 99 mph can paper over a lot of sins. Toboni knows the player and has a hunch here, and if things don’t pan out, nothing has been committed. Also, if Penrod makes the roster at any point, he does have minor league options.
#79 – RHP Andre Granillo
2025 stats (MLB): 14 G, 21 IP, 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 19.8% K, 8.8% BB+HBP
2025 stats (AAA): 29 G, 42 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 36% K, 9.3% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 25
The Nats flipped waiver claim George Soriano for Andre Granillo in a curious trade with St. Louis, just as camp opened. As an up-and-down bullpen piece, Granillo’s rookie campaign last year had mixed results. For Triple-A Memphis, though, the slider specialist was flat-out dominant.
Granillo has options and could serve his new club in a similar capacity in 2026. But the Nats would certainly love to see him take that next step and establish himself as a bona fide major league arm. He had a 2.38 ERA through his first eight MLB games before a rough August, so perhaps better conditioning can help him unlock some consistency at the highest level. He can touch the upper 90s with his fastball and has the potential to be a real weapon for Blake Butera.
RHP Trevor Gott (NRI)
2025 stats (Rk/AAA): 24 G, 20⅔ IP, 7.40 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 19.1% K, 10.1% BB+HBP
2023 stats (MLB): 64 G, 58 IP, 4.19 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 23.8% K, 8.8% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 33
Ten years ago, Trevor Gott was a baby-faced 23-year-old, new to the Nationals organization after being traded from the Angels for Yunel Escobar. Now, Gott enters camp as one of the oldest players there. An experienced journeyman, he has more than six years of service time and appearances with six different MLB teams. The righty is coming off a lot of lost time: Gott had Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2024 season and didn’t make it back to the big leagues with the Mariners in 2025.
While it’s been a few years, Gott was a passable middle reliever in stints with the Brewers, Mets, and Mariners over 2022 and 2023. The Nats would be happy if he were to return to that form. Unlike most of the other NRIs, Gott can’t be optioned if he cracks the roster. That may make his path onto a young roster more complicated. Either way, and regardless of how he performs, Gott’s experience as a major league veteran could be an asset in the clubhouse at West Palm Beach.
RHP Bryce Montes de Oca (NRI)
2024 stats (A/AA/AAA): 13 G, 10 IP, 9.90 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, 25.5% K, 30.9% BB+HBP
2022 stats (MLB): 3 G, 3⅓ IP, 10.80 ERA, 2.70 WHIP, 31.6% K, 10.5% BB+HBP
2022 stats (AA/AAA): 44 G, 51⅓ IP, 3.33 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 34.6% K, 19.5% BB+HBP
Age on Opening Day: 29
One of the more enigmatic players in camp this spring, Bryce Montes de Oca was actually drafted by the Nats in 2017. He chose not to sign and ended up earning a higher draft selection in 2018 by the Mets. The 6-foot-7 righty throws up to 100 mph when healthy, but that’s been the rub: Montes de Oca is coming back from his third Tommy John surgery. He has fired just 231 pitches in anger since 2022. And that last full season was colored by a scary free pass rate approaching 20%, even if his overall results were decent.
Montes de Oca is a high-upside, low-risk signing. There’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal, after all — and despite all his trials and tribulations, Montes de Oca is still shy of his 30th birthday and has just over a year of service time. If he cracks the roster at any point, he has three minor league options remaining. The upside is a mammoth arm that has racked up Ks throughout his career. And if, on elbow #4, Montes de Oca still can’t stay healthy or locate his pitches, the Nats have committed essentially nothing.
Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of this series: a guide to new and non-roster position players.
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