2024 Nationals: Threatening To Climb Out Of The Cellar

[JimRiceHOFer]

Updated roster/moves for the 2024 Nationals:

Starting Lineup (Projected):
C - Keibert Ruiz
1B - Juan Yepez
2B - Luis Garcia
SS - C.J. Abrams
3B - Ildemaro Vargas
LF - James Wood
CF - Jacob Young
RF - Alex Call
DH - Andres Chaparro

Bench: Jose Tena, Riley Adams, Nasim Nunez, Travis Blankenhorn

Starters:
SP - MacKenzie Gore
SP - Jake Irvin
SP - Mitchell Parker
SP - Patrick Corbin
SP - DJ Herz

Closer - Kyle Finnegan

Bullpen - Tanner Rainey, Robert Garcia, Derek Law, Jacob Barnes, Orlando Ribalta, Eduardo Salazar, Jose Ferrer

Coaching Staff:
Dave Martinez - Manager
Jim Hickey - Pitching Coach
Gerardo Parra - 1st Base Coach
Ricky Gutierrez - 3rd Base Coach
Miguel Cairo- Bench Coach
Darnell Coles - Hitting Coach
Henry Blanco - Catching & Strategy Coach
Ricky Bones - Bullpen Coach
Chris Johnson - Assistant Hitting Coach
Bill Mueller - Quality Control Coordinator
Sean Doolittle - Pitching Strategist

Minors Shuttle/Backups/DL:
SP - Cade Cavalli (IL-60), Josiah Gray (IL-60), Jackson Rutledge, Cole Henry, Jake Bennett, Zach Davies, Trevor Williams (IL-15), Joan Adon
RP - Mason Thompson (IL-60), Joe De La Sorsa, Zach Bryzkcy, Jarlin Susana, Matt Cronin, Evan Lee, Luke Ferrell, Stephen Nogosek, Adonis Medina, Richard
Bleier, Robert Gsellman, Spenser Watkins, Thad Ward, Luis Perdomo, Jordan Weems
OF - Stone Garrett, Dylan Crews, Jeremy De La Rosa, Robert Hassell III, Blake Rutherford, Elijah Green, Andrew Pinckney
IF - Joey Meneses, Trey Lipscomb, Harold Ramirez, Carter Kieboom, Jake Alu, Darren Baker, Jordy Barley, Brady House, Yohandy Morales, Joey Gallo (IL-10), Cayden Wallace
C - Drew Millas, Israel Pineda

 

[Chainsaw318]

Whither Joey Meneses, former Red Sox farmhand who had a 3 week or so span at the end of 2022 where he was the best hitter in baseball?

 

[Bread of Yaz]

Whither Joey Meneses, former Red Sox farmhand who had a 3 week or so span at the end of 2022 where he was the best hitter in baseball?

He's listed at 1B

 

[Chainsaw318]

He's listed at 1B

Ha. Missed that, as I expected him at OF or DH, hadn’t realized he was primarily a 1B.

Carry on.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Ha. Missed that, as I expected him at OF or DH, hadn’t realized he was primarily a 1B.

Carry on.

Meneses will probably rotate between 1B and DH, along with Riley Adams, unless the Nats sign a 1B this offseason

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats select Marlins SS Nasim Nuñez in Rule 5 Draft

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-select-speedy-nunez-in-rule-5-draft-sign-yepez-to-minors-deal?fbclid=IwAR1ynzsj05qWj9yEKxDX1r6RMUQgJxxPgO-mIvVK9hEvSRwh4QEB_OHX8nM

Nuñez, who was set to be rated Miami’s No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, is an “elite” defensive shortstop and baserunner who draws walks at a high rate but has yet to hit consistently in the minors. The Nationals understand he’s not ready to play regularly in the majors, but they believe he provides enough skills in specific areas to give him a shot to stay on the roster the entire 2024 season.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats agree to MiLB contract with Juan Yepez

Yepez, 25, hit .240/.286/.419 in 104 big-league games with St. Louis over the last two seasons but was non-tendered last month. A right-handed hitter, he has played first base, third base, left field and right field in the majors.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats sign Nick Senzel

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/source-nats-sign-senzel-after-candelario-goes-to-reds?fbclid=IwAR1pJQxH-NnnCUzPqMiMkg-O9HrSbGBDzKDQTNnIR4vbBI6hA8QjV-OOSsw

The Nats signed former Reds utilityman Nick Senzel for $2 million (plus $1 million in incentives) overnight, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. This came shortly after Cincinnati signed former Nats third baseman Jeimer Candelario for a reported three years and $45 million.

Senzel, 28, was non-tendered by the Reds last month after a second straight disappointing season, during which he batted .236/.297/.399 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games. His defensive versatility, though, remains a strength.

Senzel has played center field, third base, second base, left field and right field during his five-year career. The Nationals could use help at several of those positions in the short-term, so it’s possible they’ll have him move around the field depending on their needs on any given day.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats sign Dylan Floro, DFA Jeter Downs

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/why-floro-is-a-bounceback-candidate-and-why-downs-was-dfa?fbclid=IwAR3R2U08FtfFoAJueJmpQ3WdGnhFYu1r5GmavyPhOAHnp5lPaYmCx9M-llU

The Floro signing, though, really does achieve exactly what Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez were talking about last week at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. They didn’t need another option to close games (though Floro does have 32 big-league saves on his resume). But they did need another reliever with successful experience pitching late innings in close ballgames. And Floro absolutely fits that description.

Of the 334 innings he’s pitched in the majors, 100 2/3 of them have come in the eighth inning. Another 72 1/3 have come in the ninth inning. And another 59 2/3 of them have come in the seventh inning. His ERA across those innings is 3.60.

Downs hit only .236/.358/.379 in 51 games at Triple-A. The Nats promoted him only when they needed a healthy backup infielder, and even then, they barely played him.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

1st Baseman Lewin Diaz signed to a Minor League Deal

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/nationals-sign-lewin-diaz-to-minor-league-deal.html

Diaz spent the entire 2023 season in the minor leagues, where he slashed a solid .268/.362/.442 across 118 games. The solid season at Triple-A continued Diaz’s track record of solid work at the level; the lefty owns a slash line of .258/.341/.479 across 274 career games at that level.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Joey Gallo signs with the Nats, 1 year, $5 million

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/23/joey-gallo-nationals-contract/?fbclid=IwAR1o_xeYpCe4Aq2woL9EShs0MYA5xZvNOG2C8813DAMCBdaOgyRs-uzL1Ss

Gallo, an outfielder/first baseman who spent 2023 with the Minnesota Twins, has made a name for himself with majestic moonshots during a nine-year major league career: The 30-year-old has 198 home runs in 863 games. The knock on him is that he doesn’t connect consistently; he has a .197 career batting average, and he hit .177 with 21 homers in 111 games with the Twins while striking out 142 times.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nationals Sign RHP Luke Farrell To Minor League Deal

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/nationals-sign-luke-farrell-to-minor-league-deal.html

Farrell, 33 in June, spent last year in the White Sox’ system after signing a minor league deal. He tossed 55 innings over 37 appearances, including seven starts, for Triple-A Charlotte. He posted an earned run average of 5.56 in that time, along with a 20.1% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 39.7% ground ball rate.

Though he didn’t make it to the big leagues last year, he does have prior major league experience. From 2017 to 2022, he suited up for the Royals, Reds, Cubs, Rangers and Twins, with an even ERA of 5.00 in 102 2/3 innings. His 23.3% strikeout rate in that time was around league average but he paired it with an 11.7% walk rate.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats sign RP Derek Law to a minor league deal

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/law-is-latest-veteran-reliever-to-join-nats-on-minor-league-deal?fbclid=IwAR1fGrcYkJE5n6aAQhrUBFYAj2Ta8nmEM-IO5JHBa2L5Gp0bLGggPAJuLV4

Law, 33, owns a 4.08 ERA, 1.438 WHIP and 12 saves in 247 career games with the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers and Reds. He spent the entire 2023 season in Cincinnati’s bullpen, going 4-6 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.382 WHIP over 54 games.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Matt Barnes signs Minor League Contract with the Nationals

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/matt-barnes-hoping-for-nationals-bullpen-spot

Barnes pitched the first nine years of his career with the Red Sox, including winning the 2018 World Series and earning his first All-Star selection in 2021, during which he went 6-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 24 saves. The following season, though, he finished 0-4 with a 4.31 ERA and eight saves.

Boston traded Barnes to Miami for Richard Bleier -- who also is a non-roster invitee in Nats camp -- ahead of the 2023 season. After going 1-0 with a 5.48 ERA in 24 relief appearances, Barnes had season-ending surgery for a hip impingement last July.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nationals add Zach Davies on a Minor-League Contract

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/nationals-sign-zach-davies-to-minors-contract.html

Now entering his 10th Major League season, Davies is looking to rebound after a difficult 2023 campaign. The righty posted a 7.00 ERA over 82 1/3 innings in Arizona’s rotation, with subpar secondary metrics almost across the board. Injuries also limited Davies’ playing time, as separate IL stints for an oblique strain and back inflammation cost him roughly 10 weeks of action. The Diamondbacks designated Davies for assignment and then released him just before the end of the regular season, giving him an early jump on free agency.

Davies posted a 3.79 ERA over 683 2/3 innings and 123 starts with the Brewers and Padres from 2015-20, developing a reputation as a solid back-of-the-rotation type. Never a big strikeout pitcher or a hard thrower, Davies nevertheless found success with a formula of limited walks and hard contact, plus an outstanding changeup that was quietly one of the best pitches in baseball.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Jesse Winker added on a Minor-League Contract to OF/DH

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/nationals-sign-jesse-winker-to-minor-league-deal.html

Winker, 30, is not too far removed from being one of the better hitters in the league but he’s fallen on hard times recently as injuries have seemingly held him back. With the Reds from 2017 to 2021, he walked in 12% of his plate appearances while only going down on strikes 16.5% of the time. His .288/.385/.504 slash line in that time translates to a wRC+ of 132, indicating he was 32% better than league average in that five-year stretch. Among players with at least 1500 plate appearances over those years, only 24 had a higher wRC+.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats add Eddie Rosario on a minor league deal

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-add-outfielder-rosario-on-minor-league-deal?fbclid=IwAR0Ih975sKXnMBBcyCZIti1qd7WI9OgCSthI0LsHHZRJFIgj4gV81WFV8ik

The 31-year-old has primarily played left field, but has experience in all three outfield spots over the course of his nine-year career. He owns a career slash line of .268/.305/.460 with a .766 OPS with the Twins, Cleveland and the Braves.

In 142 games with the Braves last year, he slashed .255/.305/.450 with a .755 OPS, 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. He also had three Defensive Runs Saved in 130 games in left field, which would have been third-best among all Nats outfielders behind Alex Call (seven DRS in 124 games) and Stone Garrett (five DRS in 89 games).

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Who is Mitchell Parker?

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mitchell-parker-goes-7-scoreless-innings-as-nationals-shut-out-astros?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Washington's #21 Prospect beat s the Dodgers and the Astros in his 1st 2 starts.

Mitchell Parker had set the stage with his MLB debut, earning his first career win against the Dodgers -- who boast one of the most star-studded lineups in the Majors. He was asked once more to face a star-studded lineup for his home debut

Parker, Washington's No. 21 prospect per MLB Pipeline, blanked Houston for seven innings, allowing only three hits and no walks while striking out eight to earn his second career win. He dealt 73 pitches, 57 of which were strikes. He ended his day with a 1.50 career ERA in 12 innings.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Matt Barnes DFA'd for Assignment, Nats activate Robert Garcia

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/robert-garcia-activated-off-il-matt-barnes-designated-for-assignment

Robert Garcia was activated off the 15-day injured list, the club announced. The corresponding move: Matt Barnes was designated for assignment, likely ending his brief tenure with the organization.

That left Matt Barnes on the chopping block. The 33-year-old made the club out of spring training on a minor league deal and arrived with a track record of success as a high-leverage reliever for the Red Sox from 2014-22. But he couldn’t find a consistent groove here, finishing with a 6.75 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 14 games.

As a veteran, Barnes has the right to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers, so he most likely will end up a free agent hoping to catch on with another organization.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I would love to see the Sox pick him up if it meant Breslow/Bailey thought they could fix him

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

I would love to see the Sox pick him up if it meant Breslow/Bailey thought they could fix him

I agree in a vacuum: however IMO he'd better dominate in AAA before being sprung on the major league squad, because my god we know the killer B's of Cora binkies that he had continued to use well past their usefulness (Brasier and Barnes).

Fake edit: to address the thread title have the Nationals climbed out of the cellar, or have the Marlins pushed them out, locked the door down to the cellar and said 'Nah, we're good here'.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Victor Robles DFA'd

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/victor-robles-designated-for-assignment-by-nationals

With the Monday reinstatement of right fielder Lane Thomas from the 10-day injured list (left MCL sprain), the Nationals designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment in a corresponding move.
Robles, who was once a highly touted prospect whom MLB Pipeline ranked as highly as No. 4 overall, is the last remaining position player from the 2019 World Series championship team. Robles spent his entire career with the Nationals, making his Major League debut on Sept. 7, 2017.

But Robles has struggled at the plate this season, posting a .120/.281/.120 slash line with no extra-base hits in 33 plate appearances. His season has also been hindered by a left hamstring strain that had him away from the Major League team from April 4-May 7. In Robles’ 1,834 career MLB plate appearances, he has a line of .236/.311/.356. Robles has a career fielding percentage of .989 with 1,177 putouts.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Nats call up DJ Herz, Trevor Williams to the IL

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-place-trevor-williams-on-il-recall-dj-herz-from-triple-a-rochester?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2NM2elxmwdBVjj2gw5eFRqlr-uQflT7XmYlAiX9jG2slJFODiSM6mKnTI_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher DJ Herz from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to June 1) with a right flexor muscle strain on Tuesday. Herz will start and make his Major League debut tonight against the New York Mets at Nationals Park.

Herz, 23, is 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a .177 opponents’ batting average in nine starts for the Red Wings this season. Over his last four starts, Herz is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA (5 ER/18.0 IP), 25 strikeouts and a .148 average against. In his last start on May 30 vs. St. Paul (MIN), he struck out 10 and allowed one run on two hits and one walk in 5.1 innings.

 

[Petey Bienel]

James Wood has played back to back games Saturday and Sunday at Rochester as he comes back from a leg muscle pull in that kept him out after 5/23 until last week. There's been kind of a "the whole world wonders" speculation as to when he'll be called up. Next homestand is on 7/1 vs. Mets, so the speculation has started that could be the date.

I have tickets for 7/1 and 8/20, so I'm playing the Wood / Crews debuts lottery. I hit on Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg by accident, so would be nice.

 

[BigSoxFan]

James Wood has played back to back games Saturday and Sunday at Rochester as he comes back from a leg muscle pull in that kept him out after 5/23 until last week. There's been kind of a "the whole world wonders" speculation as to when he'll be called up. Next homestand is on 7/1 vs. Mets, so the speculation has started that could be the date.

I have tickets for 7/1 and 8/20, so I'm playing the Wood / Crews debuts lottery. I hit on Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg by accident, so would be nice.

Feels like Wood is really close. Crews is now on the doorstep but we’ll see how he does in AAA. Has 2 homers already but still hasn’t walked much this year at either level. Both of these guys should be up at some point this year, which is exciting for the future. Abrams hit a lull but is now back playing well so there is a lot to get excited about for this franchise.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Hunter Harvey Traded to Royals

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/royals-acquire-hunter-harvey-from-nationals.html

The Royals have bolstered their bullpen with the acquisition of right-hander Hunter Harvey, as the Nationals announced that Harvey will head to K.C. in exchange for third baseman Cayden Wallace and the Royals’ Competitive Balance Round A pick (39th overall) in the 2024 draft. With that pick from the Royals, the Nationals selected Caleb Lomavita, C, Junior from Cal.

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Trade Deadline Updates

The trade deadline has come and gone and, alas, we are still saddled with the carcass of Patrick Corbin for another 2 months until the end of the season...

Coming:
Caden Wallace, 3B
Caleb Lomavita, C
Andres Chaparro, 3B
Alex Clemmey, LHP
Rafael Ramirez Jr., SS
José Tena, SS
Tyler Stuart, RHP

Going:
Lane Thomas, OF
Hunter Harvey, RP
Jesse Winker, OF/DH
Dylan Floro, RP

 

[JimRiceHOFer]

Andres Chaparro has three doubles in MLB Debut

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/andres-chaparro-puts-up-three-doubles-in-mlb-debut

Chaparro became the third player in AL/NL history (since 1901) to hit three doubles in his debut in the Nats’ 9-3 win. He joined Nick Evans (May 24, 2008, NYM) and Ben Grieve (Sept. 3, 1997, OAK) to accomplish the feat.

 

[Petey Bienel]

Tonight Dylan Crews hit his 2nd homer since his call up Tuesday. Nice pull, 107 EV with a 24 degree launch angle. He looks very good in right. He seems to be better at consistently launching balls than Wood. Wood is a fabulous hitter but tends to hit more liners and grounders. Wood plate discipline is fun for a guy with < 2 months in MLB. The two are a source of hope.

Of the deadline guys, jose Tena has taken over 3rd and also has been hitting the ball hard. EV of 93.6 MPH. Had some problems adjusting to 3rd base with minimal exposure in Cleveland's system the past few years. Tena may allow the Nationals to let Brady House stay in the minors a bit into 2025. The position will not be conceded to House. Yepez and Chaparro seem to be in a battle for a spot as a first baseman or DH on the 2025 roster.

Oh, I caught Crews debut vs. the MFY. I've been to Jordan Zimmermann's debut (hey, he was good before he left the Nats), Strasmas, as well as Wood's and Crews's first games. If you follow the Nats, I highly recommend the TalkNats.com site run by Steven "Ghost" Mears. It's a blog set up, but he breaks news on his X account. Nationals Arm Race is a nice website run by Todd Boss that is good for minor league player info. District on Deck is another blog with articles without comment. Finally, there's still WNFF.net, a 20 year old message board that's had a big drop in its posts but which is still active (200K in 2012 -> 30-40K since 2020). It's has its own minor league player write ups section, player threads, and some customary griping about how the team is run, and an occasional insight.

 

[Sad Sam Jones]

Since the trade –
Jose Tena .333/.358/.471 in 51 at-bats
Lane Thomas .145/.233/.197 in 76 at-bats

Thomas has been an unmitigated disaster as a -1.0 bWAR player in one month... hopefully, Chase DeLauter stays healthy and Lane is battling for a spot on the bench next year. Cleveland should have just called Tena up and thrown him in center field as they've already done with infielders Tyler Freeman and Angel Martinez this year. The knock on Tena has always been that he's overly aggressive at the plate and that he'd move somewhere down the defensive spectrum from shortstop. I've followed him pretty closely for a few years now and saw him play a number of times in Hi-A and AA and he's been a darkhorse favorite of mine – he was always sort of lost in between the Arias/Rocchio/Freeman wave of prospects and the guys like Martinez and Brito who were right behind him.

Because of the complete stupidity of the archaic Rule 5 draft, Tena had to be rostered at age 20 though (just before the lockout that canceled that year's Rule 5 draft anyway), so he was already running out of options. He'll need to learn to lay off a few more pitches, but the way his power has developed, you can probably live with the K rate.