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The Washington Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced their 2025 schedule on Thursday. Washington will open the 2025 season at home against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, March 27 – the earliest start to the season in Nationals history (2005-pres.). The three-game series against Philadelphia marks the first time the Nationals have hosted the Phillies on Opening Day since April 5, 2010.
Following the opening series, the Nationals will travel to Toronto to face the Blue Jays for three games before returning to Washington, D.C., for a six-game homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks (April 4-6) and Los Angeles Dodgers (April 7-9).
Washington will embark on the team’s two 10-day road trips before July. The first – from April 11 to 20 – will include matchups against the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. The second 10-day road trip (June 20-29) will take the club across Southern California, beginning in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, down to San Diego to face the Padres and back up to Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels.
The annual Beltway Series vs. the Baltimore Orioles expands to six games in 2024, renewing Tuesday through Thursday, April 22-24, at Nationals Park and in Baltimore from Friday through Sunday, May 16-18. The May series will be a part of “Rivalry Weekend” across Major League Baseball.
Memorial Day weekend will feature a visit from the San Francisco Giants, Friday through Sunday, May 23-25, while the Nationals will also be home over Labor Day weekend with a homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays (Aug. 29-31) and Miami Marlins (Sept. 1-3).
The Nationals will open next season at home against a familiar foe.
Major League Baseball unveiled its 2025 schedule this afternoon, with the Nats hosting the Phillies on Opening Day, which falls on March 27. This will be the third time they’ve faced Philadelphia to open a season, though the first time since 2010.
After the three-game series against their division rivals, the Nationals go north of the border for a quick trip to face the Blue Jays in Toronto before coming right back home for six games against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.
The Nats will embark on a pair of three-city trips, one of them crisscrossing the country, the other taking them to the three big league ballparks in Southern California. They make the unconventional Miami-Pittsburgh-Colorado trip from April 11-20, then have the more manageable Los Angeles-San Diego-Anaheim trio from June 20-29.
There are no three-series homestands on the schedule.
The All-Star Game has come and gone, but we’ve still got one more day left in the All-Star break. No baseball will be played today. Come back Friday evening for that, when the Nationals open of a six-game homestand against the Reds and Padres.
The halfway point of the season has already long since come and gone. The Nats have played 97 games, so remarkably there are only 65 left. But this will be the start of the ceremonial second half of the season, and there is plenty to still take place before the 2024 campaign is over.
Here’s a look at the top storylines the Nationals figure to face over the next 2 1/2 months …
HOW GOOD IS WOOD?
James Wood has now spent two weeks in the big leagues, and there was a big difference between those two weeks. Week 1 saw the top prospect take the world by storm, crushing balls well over 100 mph, drawing six walks with only seven strikeouts and producing a .320/.452/.480 slash line. Week 2 saw the league start to figure him out and saw Wood start to get out of his comfort zone, striking out 13 times without drawing a walk and slashing .179/.207/.179. It’s far too soon to draw any real conclusions, but 2 1/2 months from now, we should have a really good idea just how good Wood is. Can he make the necessary adjustments at the plate and start consistently squaring up the ball again? Can he start to look more comfortable in left field? Is he ready to be the face of this franchise, or is that process going to take a bit more time?
CAN THE YOUNG PITCHING HOLD UP?
There was so much to like about the Nationals’ young starting pitchers from April through June, but we started to see some cracks in the foundation the last two weeks. The question: Are these guys starting to wear down, and is that going to continue in the second half? It would not be surprising if that happens to the least experienced of the group, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz. But MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin have been through this before, and both should know how to right their ships and stay strong through September. It’s going to be a real test for these guys, but it’s going to inform us a lot about their long-term viability.
The All-Star break offers a time for reflection, a chance to hit the pause button and consider everything that’s happened over the last 3 1/2 months. It’s a lot easier to think about the big picture when you don’t have a game to worry about from the night before or another coming the following day.
And when you take a step back and consider the big picture, you find a lot to be pleased about the Nationals’ first half of the season. There were breakthrough performances, the arrival of several rookies including one of the top prospects in the sport and ultimately a better record (44-53) than at this same point one year ago (39-58).
Which isn’t to say everything went swimmingly in NatsTown. There were disappointing performances from a number of players, disruptive injuries and sloppy play at times. This is a team that felt at times like it could be good enough to win more games than it lost, but the record suggests there’s still a way to go before that feels plausible.
So before we move on to what could be a very entertaining – and newsworthy – second half, let’s look back at the things that went right for the Nationals in the first half and the things that went wrong …
RIGHT: THE YOUNG STARTING PITCHERS
Even the most optimistic club official or fan couldn’t have predicted how well the quartet of Jake Irvin, MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz would pitch. (Many wouldn’t have even predicted Parker and Herz would be in the big leagues to begin with.) But this turned into the most important story of the first half. Combine their stats, and those four young starters delivered a 3.91 ERA and 1.238 WHIP while issuing only 2.5 walks per nine innings and surrendered slightly more than one homer per nine innings. And those numbers looked even better a couple weeks ago, before all four labored in their final outings leading up to the break. If they can return refreshed and get back to what they did throughout April, May and June, the Nats will have the makings of a strong rotation for years to come.
The Washington Nationals selected 10 players on the third and final day of Major League Baseball’s 2024 First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the announcements.
The Nationals opened Day 3 with the selection of left-handed pitcher Merritt Beeker from Ball State (Ind.) University in the 11th round. The 2024 Mid-Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year, Beeker ranked tied for seventh in all of NCAA Division I with 128 strikeouts in 81.0 innings pitched. He went 9-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 15 starts during his junior season. Beeker spent two seasons at East Carolina University before transferring to Ball State.
In the 12th round, Washington selected right-handed pitcher Alexander Meckley from Coastal Carolina (S.C.) University. Meckley opened the season 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his first five starts and recorded a total 57 strikeouts in 52.2 innings on the season. He pitched in 21 games and made nine starts in 2024.
In the 13th round, the Nationals selected left-handed pitcher Bryant Olson from Mercer (Ga.) University. As a junior in 2024, he led the Southern Conference with eight saves while striking out 39 batters in 26.2 innings. Olson transferred from Gordon State (Ga.) College where he recorded 97 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched as a sophomore in 2023.
Washington selected right-handed pitcher Yoel Tejeda Jr. in the 14th round. Tejeda Jr. pitched one season for Florida State and went 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 12 games, making one start. He struck out 15 in 19.2 innings of work.
The Nationals conclude the 2024 MLB Draft today with 10 selections.
Through their first 11 picks, the Nats have selected three shortstops, two catchers, an outfielder, a third baseman and four pitchers (three righties and one lefty). Shortstop Luke Dickerson, the second-round pick, is the only high school player so far.
Just like yesterday, this post will be updated throughout the afternoon, so be sure to check back in to read up on the Nats’ 2024 draft class.
Update: With their 11th-round pick (No. 320 overall), the Nats selected left-hander Merritt Beeker from Ball State.
Beeker, 22, transferred from East Carolina before his junior year at Ball State. This season he went 9-3 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.222 WHIP, nine home runs, 32 walks and 128 strikeouts (4:1 K/BB ratio) over 15 starts. His 128 strikeouts over 81 innings were good enough to rank seventh in Division I baseball and for a 14.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate.
Eleven people have caught at least 100 games for the Nationals during their 20 seasons of existence in D.C., and that list includes a wide range of names and track records. There have been offensive-minded guys (Wilson Ramos, Kurt Suzuki). There have been defense-first guys (Jose Lobaton, Wil Nieves). There have been seasoned veterans who came here late in their careers (Ivan Rodriguez, Yan Gomes, Matt Wieters). There have been promising young players who came into their own here (Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams, Jesus Flores).
What there have not been, however, are any true homegrown catchers. Of those 11 players who caught at least 100 games for the Nationals, only Brian Schneider was homegrown, and he was drafted by the Expos way back in 1995, a decade before the franchise relocated.
The most games caught by someone who was initially signed by the Nats: 80, by Pedro Severino, signed as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. The most games caught by someone who was drafted by the Nats: 47, by Tres Barrera, their sixth round pick in 2016.
It’s not necessarily because the Nationals have done a bad job developing homegrown catchers. It’s because they’ve barely acquired any homegrown catchers in the first place. From 2005-23, they never used a first or second round pick on a catcher. They used only one third round pick (Jakson Reetz, 2014), two fourth round picks (Brady Lindsly, 2020; Derek Norris, 2007) and two fifth round picks (Spencer Kieboom, 2012; Adrian Nieto, 2008).
(Yes, technically speaking, Bryce Harper was a catcher when the Nats made him the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. But they immediately turned him into an outfielder and never once let him don the tools of ignorance during his eight seasons in the organization.)
The Washington Nationals selected eight players on the second day of Major League Baseball’s 2024 First-Year Player Draft on Monday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the announcements.
The Nationals kicked off Monday’s action by selecting catcher Kevin Bazzell from Texas Tech University in the third round. Bazzell is the No. 55 ranked prospect in the 2024 Draft, according to MLBPipeline.com. He combined to hit .330 with a .431 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage in 112 games across two seasons at Texas Tech, clubbing 37 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, 94 RBI and 92 runs scored along the way.
As a freshman in 2023, Bazzell was named Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, a NCBWA First-Team Freshman All-American, ABCA All-Region Second Team and First-Team All Big-12 after ranking 11th in NCAA Division 1 with 24 doubles and pacing his club with 87 hits. Bazzell joined Texas Tech in the spring of 2022 after spending his first collegiate fall season at Dallas Baptist University.
In the fourth round, Washington selected left-handed pitcher Jackson Kent from the University of Arizona. Kent earned First-Team Pac-12 honors as a sophomore in 2024 after he went 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 15 starts and helped Arizona to the Pac-12 Baseball championship. He pitched to a 2.41 ERA (18 ER / 67.1 IP) in his first 11 starts of the season and did not allow more than three runs in any of those games.
Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Kent went 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in six starts for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He struck out 27 in 25.0 innings of work.
Kyle Finnegan is an All-Star after all.
Finnegan was added to the National League’s squad late this afternoon, replacing Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley barely more than 24 hours before first pitch of the Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas, and after all the other players already held their media availabilities at Globe Life Field.
The right-hander, who fortunately makes his home in Texas, will join shortstop CJ Abrams in representing the Nationals during Tuesday night’s game, giving the team multiple All-Stars for the first time since 2021. Both are first-time All-Stars.
Finnegan had a strong case to be included on the roster all along. His 25 saves rank second (to Helsley’s 32) in the NL, and his 1.98 ERA when the initial selections were made ranked third among NL closers. (That number has since jumped to 2.45 after two rough outings last week.)
The NL players and coaches, who vote for All-Star pitchers, wound up selecting two Phillies relievers (Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm) and Padres closer Robert Suarez (22 saves, 1.67 ERA). Major League Baseball then added Helsley and Marlins closer Tanner Scott, ensuring both of their teams were represented in the game.
After a busy and exciting first day, the Nationals continue the 2024 MLB Draft with Rounds 3-10 this afternoon.
The Nats made three picks over the first two rounds last night: Shortstop Seaver King out of Wake Forest at No. 10 overall, catcher Caleb Lomavita out of Cal at No. 39 overall (the pick they received from the Royals as part of the Hunter Harvey trade) and shortstop Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls (N.J.) High School at No. 44 overall.
“We were able to meet with all three guys at the Combine,” said new assistant director and national crosschecker of amateur scouting Reed Dunn over Zoom last night. “We were able to speak with all three during the year. And we really felt that we weren’t just getting three really good players, we were getting three really good people.”
The search for more good players and people continues today. The Nats will make eight picks Tuesday, starting with No. 79 overall in the third round. After the new draft lottery rules meant they couldn’t pick in the top 10 in the first round, all subsequent rounds are back to the traditional order of worst-to-first. So the Nats will pick fifth in each round for the remainder of the Draft.
This post will be updated throughout the day with the Nationals’ selections, so be sure to check back in!
Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Kyle Finnegan has been added to the National League All-Star Team and joins shortstop CJ Abrams in representing the organization in the 2024 Major League All-Star Game in Dallas.
Finnegan, 32, ranks second in the National League and third in Major League Baseball with 25 saves. He’s pitched to a 2.45 ERA with 42 strikeouts, a 1.02 WHIP and a .190 opponents’ batting average in 41 games (40.1 IP) out of Washington’s bullpen so far this season.
Originally signed by Washington as a free agent in November 2019, Finnegan’s 75 career saves are tied for third-most in Nationals history (2005-pres.). He is the first Nationals reliever to be named an All-Star since Tyler Clippard (2014, 2011) and the first Nationals closer to make it since Matt Capps in 2010.
From April 3 to June 2, Finnegan pitched to a 0.42 ERA (1 ER/21.1 IP) with a .127 opponents’ batting average while converting 15 of 16 save opportunities. Opposing hitters went 9-for-71 with just one extra-base hit against him over that span. He followed that up with a stretch of 9.1 innings (36 PA) without issuing a walk from June 2 to June 19.
Finnegan tossed 11.0 no-hit innings from April 13 to May 8. Opposing batters went 0-for-32 with 11 strikeouts and three walks against him while converting all eight save opportunities during that stretch. It was the second-longest hitless streak for any pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) behind Max Scherzer's 16.0 inning streak, June, 14, 2015 to June 26, 2015.
Watch the video of Seaver King watching commissioner Rob Manfred announce him as the No. 10 pick in the MLB Draft, and you quickly understand how meaningful this moment was for the 21-year-old.
King, who only received an offer coming out Athens Christian High School in Georgia from Division II Wingate, then parlayed two dominant seasons there into one season at powerhouse Wake Forest, was now considered the 10th best player in the country, drafted by the Nationals on Sunday night.
Surrounded by friends and family cheering him on, King hugged his parents, then broke down for a moment and had to compose himself, perhaps not yet truly believing what happened.
“If you asked me three years ago if I would’ve been in the draft, period, I would’ve said probably not, let alone be a top-10 pick and be in an organization that values development as much as they do,” he said in a Zoom session with reporters a little while later. “I think it’s just surreal. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad I didn’t know it was going to happen, because it’s just kind of better that way.”
King wasn’t a name associated with the Nationals in the days leading up to the draft. He expected to be taken several spots lower in the first round. In the end, it shouldn’t have come as that much surprise, because he’s been defying the odds on the baseball field for some time now.
MILWAUKEE – Given the choice between drafting one of the best high school players in the country or a more experienced player from a top college program, the Nationals tonight went with experience, not to mention versatility.
The Nats selected Wake Forest’s Seaver King with the 10th overall pick in the MLB Draft, choosing a talented player who spent time at four different positions this season for the Demon Deacons after previously dominating at the Division II level.
They then used the pick they got Saturday night from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade on Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita before using their second-round pick on New Jersey high school shortstop Luke Dickerson.
In announcing the first-round pick live from the MLB All-Star Game in Texas, commissioner Rob Manfred called King a shortstop. The Nationals then announced him through their social media feeds as a third baseman/outfielder. Wherever he winds up playing in the field, he could find himself on a fast track to D.C.
King, 21, hit .308 with 16 homers, 64 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, a .377 on-base percentage and .954 OPS in 60 games at Wake Forest. A right-handed batter and thrower, he played 36 games at third base, 21 in center field, 10 at shortstop and two at second base.
The Washington Nationals selected collegiate catcher Caleb Lomavita out of the University of California, Berkeley, with the No. 39 overall pick and prep shortstop Luke Dickerson from Morris Knolls (N.J.) High School with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the announcements.
Lomavita, 21, hit .322 with 13 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 52 RBI, 12 walks, 12 stolen bases and 51 runs scored in 55 games in 2024. He posted a .395 on-base percentage, .586 slugging percentage and was one of eight catchers in NCAA Division I with 10 or more stolen bases and 10 or more home runs. His led his team with 133 total bases, which ranked fifth-most in the Pac-12.
The No. 18 draft prospect and top catching prospect according to Baseball America, Lomavita was a Dick Howser Trophy (top collegiate player) semifinalist, garnered First-Team All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honors, and was named a Perfect Game Third-Team All-American following his junior season.
The five-foot-11, 200-pound right-handed hitter batted .316 with 13 doubles, 16 home runs, 43 RBI, nine stolen bases, 12 walks and 47 runs scored in 48 games as a sophomore in 2023. He recorded 17 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI performances on his way to All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention recognition.
As a freshman in 2022, Lomavita was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was one of six true freshmen to earn a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team after he hit .272 with 10 doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 46 RBI, 22 walks, 15 stolen bases and 37 runs scored.
The Washington Nationals selected collegiate shortstop Seaver King out of Wake Forest University with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Vice President, Amateur Scouting Danny Haas, Senior Director, Amateur Scouting Brad Ciolek, and Assistant Director and National Crosschecker, Amateur Scouting Reed Dunn made the joint announcement.
King, 21, hit .308 with 14 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, 25 walks, 11 stolen bases and 59 runs scored in 60 games as he helped lead Wake Forest to the Greenville Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He posted a .377 on-base percentage, .577 slugging percentage and recorded a hit in 48 games, including 24 multi-hit performances. King recorded 21 multi-RBI games including eight games with three or more. He reached base safely in 31 straight games during the 2024 campaign (April 2-May 25), posting an 11-game hit streak (April 6-23) and a 16-game hit streak (April 27-May 24) during that span.
The No. 17 draft prospect according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com, King was a Dick Howser Trophy (top collegiate player) semifinalist and garnered Third-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after his junior season. Prior to the start of his junior campaign, he was named Preseason Third-Team All-America by D1Baseball.com.
Between his sophomore and junior seasons, King played for Harwich in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he slashed .424/.479/.542 with four doubles, one homer, nine RBI, five stolen bases, seven walks and 15 runs scored in 16 games.
Standing at six-foot, 195-pounds, King began his collegiate career at Wingate (N.C.) University, where he had a 47-game hitting streak as a sophomore in 2023, the third-longest hitting streak in Division II history. He went on to lead Wingate in batting average (.411), slugging (.699), on-base percentage (.457), runs (63), hits (90), RBI (53), doubles (20), triples (5), home runs (11), total bases (153) and stolen bases (13). Following the season, he was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate Team.
MILWAUKEE – In a first half packed with encouraging, unexpected performances from the Nationals’ young pitchers, Jake Irvin stood at the top of the pack.
More than anyone else on the staff, the 27-year-old took the kind of forward strides that forced any skeptics out there to reconsider how he might just fit into the long-term plan, looking far more like a frontline starter than a back-end innings-eater.
Two bad starts to close out the half – capped by today’s slog during a 9-3 loss to the Brewers – don’t diminish everything Irvin did the previous three months. But they will leave a bit of a sour taste in the right-hander’s mouth as he heads home for the All-Star break.
"Look at the big picture, and see that it was a good first half," he said. "But just let these last two starts be a reminder that there's still work to be done. And we're going to get better and move forward with this."
One of the National League’s most consistently effective starters so far this season, worthy of an All-Star selection even though he didn’t get one, Irvin was roughed up for seven runs (six earned) in only four innings this afternoon. That came on the heels of a six-run outing last week against the Mets, these two duds turning Irvin’s 2.80 ERA into a 3.49 ERA in short order.
MILWAUKEE – The jubilation of a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Brewers had the Nationals clubhouse thumping Saturday evening. So when the team’s relievers were summoned to Davey Martinez’s office about 30 minutes after the final out was recorded, everyone just assumed the manager was going to praise them for the job they did to churn out 8 1/3 scoreless innings after starter Mitchell Parker was pulled in the bottom of the first.
Martinez did praise them for that above-and-beyond effort, but he also had news to share with the group: Hunter Harvey had been traded to the Royals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and the 39th pick in tonight’s MLB Draft.
The room went silent, Harvey probably the most stunned of the entire group, his baseball life upended in a manner of seconds.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions yesterday, especially with the bullpen,” Martinez said this morning. “Those guys did so well yesterday in the game, and to have to break the news to them that one of their brothers was leaving us to go play somewhere else … they all get it. They understand what the reality is in this game; those things happen. I wish nothing but the best for Hunter. He’s a big part of the Nationals family.”
As it turned out, Harvey wasn’t among the five relievers who pitched Saturday and made an improbable win possible. In the moment, it was easy to assume he was unavailable after pitching the previous two days. After the fact, it was clear he was unavailable not for that reason but because the trade was in the works.
MILWAUKEE – It’s been an eventful weekend here, to say the least. Friday night’s win was solid. Saturday afternoon’s win was wild. And the postgame trade of Hunter Harvey threw an unexpected wrench into the proceedings. And at the end of all that, the Nationals now take the field this afternoon with a chance to sweep the first-place Brewers and go into the All-Star break on a decidedly high note.
The Nats will hope to keep the good offensive vibes going, this time against right-hander Colin Rae. The 34-year-old journeyman is enjoying a solid season, but he’s not a big strikeout guy and he has allowed 14 homers in 99 1/3 innings. If the Nationals can hit the ball in the air on a warm, muggy day here, they should have a chance to score some runs.
Jake Irvin gets the ball for the first-half finale, and it’s been a fantastic first half for the right-hander, aside from an ugly loss to the Mets last week. Irvin will hope to turn that around, pitch more like himself and go into the break on his own personal high note.
Update: The Brewers are actually not starting Rae today. Instead, it will be left-hander Rob Zastryzny opening a bullpen game.
Update II: The Nationals have recalled right-hander Amos Willingham from Triple-A Rochester to take Harvey's roster spot.
The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Amos Willingham from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Willingham, 25, joins the Nationals after not allowing an earned run across his last five appearances (6.0 IP) with Rochester and having surrendered just two hits with eight strikeouts and four walks along the way. Willingham is 2-3 with a 4.54 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32 relief outings (39.2 IP) for the Red Wings in 2024, having tossed more than 1.0 inning in 14 of his 32 appearances.
A 17th-round pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, Willingham made his Major League debut in 2023, appearing in 18 games across four Major League stints. He threw more than 1.0 inning in eight of his 18 outings, including 3.0 scoreless innings on Sept. 2 vs. Miami. At the Minor League level, he went 5-1 with five saves and a 2.02 ERA in 28 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester in 2023.
MILWAUKEE – Only minutes after one of their most rousing victories of the season, the Nationals made the first of what could be several deals that underscore the organization’s intention to keep focus on 2025 and beyond over the present.
The Nats traded top setup man Hunter Harvey to the Royals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace plus Kansas City’s Competitive Balance A pick, which just so happens to be the 39th overall pick in Sunday night’s MLB Draft.
The deal came shortly after the Nationals rallied from a five-run deficit in the first inning to beat the Brewers, 6-5, with a large number of the team’s pitchers summoned to manager Davey Martinez’s office for a closed-door meeting during which they appear to have been informed of the trade.
Harvey had become one of the Nats’ most reliably effective relievers over the last three seasons, the formerly injury-plagued right-hander with the Orioles finally keeping himself healthy for long stretches and realizing his full potential. Though he struggled recently and saw his ERA balloon to 4.20, that number was down to 2.08 in early June, and he enjoyed back-to-back impressive performances Thursday and Friday to allay any fears his slump would continue.
The 29-year-old wound up with a 3.17 ERA, 1.083 WHIP and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings across 138 appearances since he joined the Nationals in 2022. And because he remained under club control through the 2025 season, there was always the thought general manager Mike Rizzo might choose not to trade him and keep him and closer Kyle Finnegan (also under control through 2025) together as the organization attempts to return to contention next year.
