8:20pm: Prior to this evenings’ game, manager Davey Martinez spoke to reporters (including Spencer Nausbaum of The Washington Post) about the Nationals’ decision to part ways with Lopez. According to Martinez, the Nationals decided that it was time to start focusing more on younger, internal bullpen arms and added that he didn’t think the organization was “the right fit” for Lopez.
Nausbaum goes on to reference an incident that occurred on May 29 where Martinez had to visit the mound to calm Lopez as he argued balls and strikes with the home plate umpire before allowing the game-tying runs in a game the Nationals would eventually lose. In reference to that situation, Martinez acknowledged his frustration but did not specifically connect it to the club’s decision to cut Lopez loose.
“It was tough,” Martinez said, as relayed by Nausbaum. “I can’t sit here and lie — I wasn’t happy about that whole situation. He needs to focus. He needs to understand that, in situations like that, he needs to get to that next pitch.”
5:16pm: The Nationals are designating right-hander Jorge Lopez for assignment, according to a report from TalkNats. Right-hander Eduardo Salazar will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester to fill Lopez’s spot on the active roster. The Nationals subsequently announced the moves. The report elaborates on the decision to DFA Lopez, suggesting that it was not for performance reasons despite the righty’s tough start to the 2025 season. The specifics of the situation leading to Lopez’s DFA are not currently known.
Lopez, 32, signed with the Nationals back in January on a $3MM guarantee. A veteran of ten big league seasons Lopez was a below-average starter and swing man for the Brewers, Royals, and Orioles from his debut in 2015 through the end of the 2021 season. The right-hander appeared in 102 games, made 58 starts, and threw 350 innings at the big league level over those years, but that volume was accompanied by an ugly 6.04 ERA and a 5.15 FIP. After years of trying to break into the majors on a consistent basis as a back-end starter without much success, Lopez and the Orioles decided to give a move to full-time relief a go in 2022.
The move to the bullpen hardly could’ve gone better. Lopez was an All-Star in his age-29 season, with a 2.54 ERA and 3.42 FIP across 71 innings of work between the Orioles and the Twins that year. That strong production was backed up by solid peripherals, including a 24.2% strikeout rate and a 57.8% groundball rate. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Lopez could have a future as a late-inning bullpen arm after that performance, but he took a big step back in 2023. While bouncing between the Twins, Marlins, and Orioles, the right-hander pitched to a 5.95 ERA with a 5.76 FIP in 59 innings of work. He elected free agency shortly before the end of the 2023 campaign, but bounced back with the Mets and Cubs last year to pitch to a 2.89 ERA with a 3.94 FIP across 53 innings of work.
That was enough to convince the Nats to give Lopez a $3MM contract and a shot at the closer role, though that job ultimately went back to Kyle Finnegan once he re-signed with the club following his non-tender earlier in the offseason. Lopez has delivered an ugly 6.57 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work so far this year for Washington, but his peripherals have actually been quite solid with a 3.44 FIP, a 46.8% grounder rate, and a career-low 6.6% walk rate. That and a unsustainable strand rate of 50.6% that’s all but guaranteed to improve are enough to easily imagine Lopez turning things around this year, and the Nationals will now have one week to either work out a trade involving Lopez or put him on waivers for any of the league’s other 29 teams to claim should they have interest.
Of course, reporting indicates that Lopez’s departure from the Nationals is not due to his performance. Details about the situations leading to his departure are not presently clear, but it’s not the first time Lopez has been cut loose from an organization due to something other than his performance; the Mets parted ways with the right-hander just last year after a controversy where he tossed his glove into the stands following a difficult outing and was believed to have said in an interview with reporters after the game that the Mets were “the worst team in probably the whole f***ing MLB.” Lopez later clarified that what he had been calling himself “the worst teammate in probably the whole f***ing MLB,” though reporting from the Mets beat later indicated that the club planned to DFA him due to his actions regardless of the confusion surrounding his exact wording.
Whether whatever caused the Nats to part ways with Lopez today will be overlooked by other clubs in the league or not remains to be seen. The Mets clearly viewed Lopez’s actions last year as unacceptable, after all, but that didn’t stop the Cubs from signing the right-hander just one week after his release from the Mets organization. Regardless, the Nationals will now turn to Salazar in their bullpen for the time being. The righty has a 9.77 ERA in 17 appearances for the club this year, though he had some success in the majors as recently as last season when he posted a 2.76 ERA between the Dodgers and Nationals.
Don’t think of it as a demotion, think of it as extra special training and long bus rides down in the minor leagues.
Did he throw his glove in the stands again?
Salazar has not exactly been nails. There may be something more than just performance going on here
Took the ball 26 times, gave up one HR, and has a 6-0 record. Pitched well last season. He’s going to find a job.
6-0 record as a reliever is almost completely meaningless..his stats help tell that story
The stats seem to say Washington wasn’t playing good defense behind him. One HR allowed, so he was keeping the ball in the yard. 17 strikeouts to 7 walks allowed so he wasn’t putting guys on. It’s the 25 hits helping to lead to 18 earned runs that sank him
RSox- His xWOBACON is .410. He’s giving up hard contact (91.9 MPH EV on average; 6th percentile with a 50.6% hard hit rate; 5th percentile). Combined with a 4th percentile whiff rate and 13th percentile K rate, that’s going to lead to some runs given up, as evidenced by his 5.34 xERA.
I don’t think it’s entirely accurate to look at his ERA/FIP margin and immediately blame the Nats’ D.
Well, we know that the W-L record is meaningless to MLBTR contributors. Some of us still like to know what a pitcher’s W-L record is. Lopez has good stuff and despite the high ERA had actually pitched as well as any Nats reliever not named Finnegan. He was in position to log the 6-0 record and pitched well in those outings. The incident with the umpire was typical balls-and-strikes frustration and it surprises me if that is the reason Davey doesn’t want him around. Lopez has a combative style, which may be the one thing the Nats’ bullpen needs most of all. Salazar is not an improvement.
One of the strangest stats lines I’ve seen
One more case for the argument that pitcher wins are meaningless – especially for relievers.
Elroy Face
Roger McDowell
Phil Regan
Mike Baumman. Won 10 games in short relief in 23. Pitched for 5 different teams in 24. Playing in Japan this year.
Only 2 players alltime have ever had a 6.50+ ERA with 6+ wins and no losses. Lopez this year and Bob Veale in 1971. So congrats Lopez for breaking a record that has stood for 54 seasons.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for pitchers who “know how to win.”
There’s definitely something to be said for pitchers who give up runs so they become the pitcher of record.
Sounds like the Nats are getting ready to pick up a pitcher who’s exercising an end-of-the-month opt out from his minor league contract.
Joe La Sorsa possibly?
Or Wade Miley
Craig Kimbrel?
Concur.
Playing for those morons would make anyone chirpy
A 6-0 W-L record out of the bullpen (before the end of May) with a -0.5 WAR is wild hahah
Makes sense. He has a 3.99 SIERA and the league average for RP is 3.73. Good call, Nationals.
When you yourself (Martinez) are always yelling towards the umpire over balls and strikes how can you get upset at your pitcher for doing the same when he is actually the one pitching and you are merely an observer? As the manager you set the example for the entire team. It’s kinda bias to not expect him to get mad if you get mad and aren’t even playing the game.
@ Rishi. The manager risks ejection so the players don’t have to. It’s rule No 1 in the unwritten rule book
I may be wrong but I always thought he has a tendency to fuss. Perhaps he is always protecting his players. I have seen that. I thought it was both
I have really seen two extremes from Cox to Snitker (last couple of years at least). Cox was always protecting his players but I now see that he is essentially giving them the impression that it’s okay to fuss at the umpire (although you don’t want to get your manager thrown out obviously unless you are Greg Maddux). Snit never says anything anymore and neither does anyone on the team. They may look upset but they never say anything. I personally think that’s how it should be most of the time. I remember how I, as a child, saw my favorite player throw a huge tantrum and that sort of half-consciously made me feel like it was okay for me to do the same (to a lesser degree-even if it was just slamming a bat or helmet).
Granted when Bobby Cox was managing there were umpires blowing calls an absurd amount of the time.
Many Nats fans feel that Martinez actually doesn’t buck the umps enough about their calls on balls and strikes. There’s been some anonymous reporting that at least one player has expressed frustration with Martinez in that regard.
Personally, I’m fine with not browbeating the umps. If it’s true that some players are upset about it, that might be a mild cause for concern, But I think it’s better that Martinez demonstrates class than finding fault with his supposed restraint from carping.
TalkNats is not a legitimate source, guys. He’s just a random idiot on the internet.
He’s a crybaby. If he pitched all the time like he did when he recorded his one save this season, he would be serviceable. His stuff and location were considerably better during that one appearance .
I wouldn’t mind a reunion in Baltimore. Jorge seemed most comfortable here, in part due to the resources he had in place for his son. Constantly dealing with a personal matter of that magnitude is an immeasurable factor.
given how bad the Nats bullpen performed, I am not sure if they can find a better internal fit for the team than Lopez.
Conversely, given how bad the Nats bullpen performed, I am not sure the internal options could be much worse.
Lopez actually was one of the better options based on advanced stats, though ERA looked bad.
Fair enough, and Davey over uses all his bullpen pieces. The pen has been markedly better since getting rid of Sims and Poche. One of the internal options looks like a future closer (Cole Henry), although, small sample size.