While spring training is underway, and the World Baseball Classic is dominating the baseball headlines, there are still free agents who can sign with teams for the 2026 season.

For the Washington Nationals, with a weaker starting rotation, adding another starting pitcher wouldn’t be the worst option.

That’sexactly what they’re doing. According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, the Nationals are in agreement on a contract with free-agent right-handed starter Zack Littell after spending 2025 with the Cincinnati Reds and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Nationals agree to contract with Zack Littell

“RHP Zack Littell and the Washington Nationals are in agreement on a contract, sources tell me and @JeffPassan,” McDaniel reports.

Littell is a 30-year-old veteran righty who’s slated to join a rotation made up of Miles Mikolas, Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, Josiah Gray, and Foster Griffin. Littell will take over one of the starting spots by Opening Day for the Nationals.

Last season, Littell began the year with the Rays, where he posted a 3.58 ERA in 22 starts before being traded to the Reds at the MLB trade deadline.

With Cincinnati, Littell posted a 4.39 ERA across 20 starts, ending his 2025 campaign with a 3.81 ERA across 32 starts between the Rays and Reds.

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While it wasn’t the best ERA, he finished with 3.2 bWAR, the best mark of any season in his eight-year MLB career.

Littell is a career 3.88 ERA pitcher, and while he’s mostly been a reliever in his career, the last few seasons as a starter have gone very well. He’s put up 6.0 bWAR, a 3.73 ERA in 61 starts, and has an 18-18 record in the last two years.

While he wasn’t the top free-agent pitcher available this offseason, he’s a perfect free-agent pickup for the Nationals, as Littell will be a solid starter for Washington in 2026, and he could be traded mid-season once again if the right situation arises.

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