Nats Add Two to 40-Man Roster
After adding ten men to the 40-man over the past two Novembers, the Nationals reverted to the mean and added just two: Robert Hassell and Andry Lara.
Now before folks get too excited and think that these two will follow in the footsteps of DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker, Mr. Boss has already written the reality check.
That’s not to say that we can’t dream about an outfield of Crews, Wood, and Hassell in 2025 or 2026, but that that outcome might represent the best-case scenario, one in which everything falls into place and there are no injuries.
[Pause for laughter]
What this does represent is the Nationals playing it safe with the two most viable candidates. This is also a factor of being a last-place team, as the Nats can (and did) cut guys they could easily replace to make room for whomever they were going to add.
I’m in DC day for my work today so I have sign off now. Please feel free to discuss in the comments.
It will be interesting to see if another team sees something in Andrew Alvarez. After a slow start to his professional career, where he was used mostly in long relief, he’s quietly been very good since 2023, when the Nats permanently shifted him to the rotation. In 261 IP, he’s sporting a 3.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, and inducing a good amount of ground balls (52.5%) across a three level raise (A+ to AAA). All in all, he might remind readers of Sterling Sharp, who the Marlins ended up borrowing from us via the Rule 5 draft a few years ago. I think Alvarez could even be more desirable given his experience in long relief, where a team might stash him like we did Thad Ward. But even if there’s a small but unlikely chance Alvarez gets picked, I really struggle to see how he’d make a whole year on a major league roster. But then again, I’d never have expected Jake Irvin or Mitchell Parker to have done that either, so let’s see. Still, it feels like a risk worth taking.
I’ll be curious to see who other teams left unprotected, because the Nats have now successfully stolen two players via the R5 draft in successive seasons, though Ward is already gone from the org.