The Nationals announced that outfielder Stone Garrett has cleared outright waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Rochester. He had been designated for assignment last week. He’ll remain with the Nats but will no longer take up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Garrett, 29, has shown some flashes of offensive potential in his career. That made him a somewhat surprising DFA recipient when the Nats officially re-signed Kyle Finnegan last week and many fans expected him to be quickly snatched up by some other club. However, there are also some downsides in his profile that make it understandable why teams balked at grabbing him off waivers.
It is true that Garrett has a career batting line of .276/.341/.492 in the big leagues, which translates to a 125 wRC+. However, that came in a somewhat small sample size of 361 plate appearances spread across three separate seasons. His .369 batting average on balls in play is heavily to the lucky side, with typical league average usually being in the .290-.300 range. He also struck out in 30.2% of those plate appearances.
His minor league production has been more modest. Over the past four years, he has a .271/.331/.488 slash line and 107 wRC+ on the farm. His 7.5% walk rate and 26.2% strikeout rate in that sample are both subpar numbers.
Major league clubs likely considered his big league production to be at least partly a mirage and unlikely to be sustained. That was likely true before a significant injury and lackluster return. In August of 2023, Garrett suffered a scary injury when he leaped in attempt to catch a DJ LeMahieu home run at Yankee Stadium. In colliding with the wall, he hurt his leg and needed to be carted off the field. It was later announced that he had a fractured left fibula. Garrett was back on the field in 2024 but hit just .247/.338/.336 for a WRC+ of 82 in his 71 Triple-A games.
Put together, Garrett was likely viewed as a decent hitter but one whose results outpaced his actual talents. Factor in the notable leg injury and tepid numbers in his return last year, and his stock was a bit down. That nudged him off Washington’s roster and none of the other 29 clubs were willing to give him a spot.
Since he has less than three years of service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency. The Nats will go into the season with a projected outfield of James Wood, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young in starting roles, with Alex Call likely on the bench. Robert Hassell III is also on the 40-man while Franchy Cordero is an experienced major leaguer who is in the system on a minor league deal. If Garrett is added back to the roster at any point, he still has options remaining.
“Nationals openly pelt Garrett with rocks.”
Surprised he went unclaimed and/or the Nats couldn’t find a trade partner.
Surprised that no one took this guy.
Not that surprised. Any team that adds him has to outright one of their own players. 3 weeks into Spring Training, most teams don’t have an open slot on the 40 man roster.
His first name is actually Gregory. Don’t know why he uses his middle name. So many people use their middle names as first names these days. Willard Romney and Rafael Cruz come to mind.
“My dad’s nickname was Rock. … He says they called him Rock because his brothers were older, and he was the tough kid playing football in the street with the older kids. So they were like, ‘This dude’s a rock.’ That’s how I got Stone. We used to have a dog named Pebbles, a cocker spaniel. So Gregory Stone Garrett, but the second I was born, it’s always been Stone. My mom wanted to name me after my dad — that’s where Gregory came from — and my dad wanted me to be Stone.”
Per MLB.com
No one calls you Stone or your dad rock. Cool story though.
George Thomas Seaver.
George Kenneth Griffey Jr.
William Roger Clemens
He always has his Pearl Jam guitarist gig to fallback on.
In other words, he dropped like a rock.
A rock is a large mass of minerals, while a stone is a piece of rock that has been broken off. Rocks are found in the earth’s crust, while stones are often used as building materials. I wonder if there is a big difference in the way they ‘drop.”?
Glad Stone remains in the Nats organization, although I am concerned for him that he is not all that highly regarded anywhere. Hopefully he’ll do well enough to keep going somewhere.
The days of teams taking fliers on players with flashy surface numbers but weak peripherals are fading fast. Garrett isn’t just an outrighted player—he’s proof that front offices are getting sharper and less sentimental in their roster decisions.
This is nonsense. Garrett, already a late bloomer, hasn’t had enough opportunity to provide sustained numbers. He was on his way in ’23, but the injury screwed him over. His biggest enemy now is his age, 29. His best bet might be heading to Asia. Failing that, he has a chance to reestablish some numbers in Rochester. Likeable guy, tough story. Rooting for him.
As much as I respect Alex Call’s spunkiness, I’d’ve taken a healthy Garrett’s power potential over him any day. As it is, I am hoping Hassell claims the #4 OF spot. Call is the type of player you have on your team because you just don’t have anyone better than him.