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The Nationals are bringing in another controllable reliever, one with a track record for pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen.
The club claimed Paxton Schultz off waivers from the Blue Jays on Friday, picking up the 28-year-old right-hander five days after he was designated for assignment when Toronto needed to clear a 40-man roster spot to sign Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto.
Schultz has 13 games of major league experience, all of them coming last season when he posted a 4.38 ERA and 1.419 WHIP. He made two starts, but both were abbreviated outings in which he was held to 40-45 pitches.
A starter through most of his minor league career, Schultz moved to the bullpen in 2024 and earned his way to the big leagues the following year with his ability to throw multiple innings in relief. He totaled two or more innings in six of his 13 outings and threw 40 or more pitches in seven of them, including an April 20 debut against the Mariners in which he tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out eight.
Schultz wound up striking out 28 batters in 24 2/3 MLB innings, walking only eight. Those numbers were better than he showed in 25 games with Triple-A Buffalo during the season, when he delivered a 3.31 ERA and 1.102 WHIP but struck out fewer batters (46) than innings pitched (49) while walking 17.
