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Nationals Place MacKenzie Gore On 15-Day IL

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The Nationals placed left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the 15-day injured list earlier today with finger blisters. Fellow lefty Joe La Sorsa was recalled in the corresponding move. As relayed by MLB.com, manager Dave Martinez told reporters this afternoon that Gore is likely done for the season as a result of the injury, though he added that he wasn’t going to rule anything out “right now.”

2023 was Gore’s first full season with the Nationals after coming over from the Padres as a part of the deal that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. Overall, Gore looked like a solid, rotation-caliber arm in 27 starts this season, though his 4.42 ERA clocked in right around league average (96 ERA+) and his peripherals (4.90 FIP, 5.08 xERA) hardly looked like those one would expect from an arm who was once considered the top pitching prospect in all of baseball.

That being said, Gore did post a solid 25.9% strikeout rate along with a perfectly manageable walk rate of 9.8% this year. Most of Gore’s struggles this season stemmed from problems with the long ball; a whopping 18.4% of Gore’s fly balls left the yard for home runs this season, double the 9.2% rate he experienced in 2022 as a member of the Padres.

Digging a little deeper into Gore’s numbers, it seems the 24-year-old hurler may have worn down during his first wire-to-wire big league season as the year went on. Gore made sixteen starts in the first three months of the season, and looked like a quality mid-rotation arm during that time. Despite hitters managing an elevated .341 BABIP against him, Gore posted a 3.89 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 85 2/3 innings of work, with a fantastic 28.5% strikeout rate.

In his final eleven starts of the season from the start of July onward, Gore looked like a completely different pitcher. Despite his BABIP misfortunes from earlier in the season turning around in his favor (.261), he posted a 5.33 ERA and 6.30 FIP across his final 50 2/3 innings of work this year while striking out just 21.7% of batters faced. His home run rate also ballooned, as he allowed more dingers (14) in those final 50-plus innings than he did in the entire first half (13).

Given this downturn in production as the season wore on, it’s hardly surprising that the Nationals would consider pulling the plug on Gore’s season with three weeks left to go. At the same time, it could provide some reason for optimism for Nationals fans as they look to the future, as Gore is sure to be a member of the 2024 rotation alongside the likes of Josiah Gray and Jake Irvin. If Gore’s late-season struggles were a product of working beyond what Martinez indicated the club expected his innings limit to be coming into the year, it’s possible his 2024 season could wind up looking more like his impressive first-half numbers.

As for La Sorsa, the 25-year-old lefty made his MLB debut for the Rays earlier this season. In 23 2/3 innings of work at the big league level this season between the Tampa and Washington bullpens, the lefty sports a 6.08 ERA and 4.74 FIP. Despite those ugly numbers, he’ll nonetheless provide the Nats with an additional lefty out of the bullpen to pair with Jose Ferrer.

Stephen Strasburg’s Retirement Press Conference Canceled

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September 8: Nationals owner Mark Lerner released a statement on the situation this afternoon (via Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic). Lerner confirmed that the sides had discussed a potential retirement presser internally but added that “no such event was ever confirmed by the team.” Lerner said that reports had “mischaracterized” the situation.

At the same time, the owner’s statement implied that a formal retirement was not imminent. He concluded by saying the team “(looks) forward to seeing Stephen when (they) report to Spring Training.” It seems they plan to carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter.

September 7: Two weeks ago, the Washington Post reported that Stephen Strasburg was retiring. While the three-time All-Star didn’t make a public announcement, the Nationals scheduled a press conference for September 9 to honor his career and retire his #37.

That is unexpectedly off, reports Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic (Twitter links). Ghiroli suggests that’s because of a disagreement between Strasburg and the organization on the player’s contract. According to Ghiroli, the team initially proposed that Strasburg would be paid in full before backtracking and seeking to change the terms of his retirement.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that the Nats informed Strasburg and his representatives at the Boras Corporation on Thursday afternoon that they didn’t want to honor the retirement agreement. According to Nightengale, the team didn’t provide Strasburg with an explanation for their change of heart.

The Nationals have not commented on the matter. On the surface, their about-face seems a baffling course of action. Strasburg’s planned retirement was driven by an ongoing battle with thoracic outlet syndrome, which has kept him to eight MLB appearances in the last four years (only one since the start of 2022). Reports have indicated that Strasburg’s TOS has interfered with basic tasks such as opening doors and holding his young children, so there’s no public indication he’s in any better position to pitch at the major league level than he would have been a few weeks ago.

That makes it a puzzling choice for the organization to attempt to renegotiate the retirement terms. Washington ownership surely isn’t thrilled with the notion of paying $35MM annual salaries from 2024-26 to a player who won’t appear for them at the MLB level. (Strasburg is also due $80MM in deferred salaries, which’ll be paid out from 2028-30.) Yet Strasburg would be guaranteed all of that money if he spends the next three seasons on the injured list as well. If the Nats felt he would never be in position to pitch again a few weeks ago, it’s unclear why they believe the situation has changed.

Strasburg isn’t counting against the Nats’ roster in-season, as he’s on the 60-day IL. If he doesn’t formally retire, however, Washington would need to carry him on their 40-man roster over the offseason. (The Nats could release him to remove him from the roster, though they’d still be on the hook for the contract, so that wouldn’t be any different to the team than if Strasburg simply retired.) Keeping him on the roster seems a suboptimal situation for everyone involved unless team brass is holding out hope that Strasburg will be able to pitch again someday.

As Nightengale points out, the Strasburg reversal comes at a time when the Nationals appear to be trying to cut costs in other areas. Assistant general manager Johnny DiPuglia resigned over the weekend, which Nightengale reports was in response to the organization seeking to reduce his salary.

The franchise has also made a swath of cuts to their scouting staff. Ken Rosenthal and Ghiroli reported yesterday (on Twitter) that the organization was letting go of a number of special assistants and a pro scout. Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reported (Twitter link) that four members of the international scouting department were not being renewed as well.

All this comes at a time of some overall uncertainty. The Lerner family looked into selling the franchise last year, but those talks reportedly hit a snag because of the club’s TV rights fees dispute. Meanwhile, general manager Mike Rizzo remains without a contract beyond this season. Rizzo and the club had been in extension negotiations for at least the past few weeks. As the Talk Nats blog first reported yesterday, those talks have been held up by Rizzo’s desire for a longer-term contract than the organization has thus far been willing to provide.

Nationals’ Riley Adams Diagnosed With Hamate Fracture

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Nationals catcher Riley Adams has been placed on the injured list due to a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist, the team announced. The move is retroactive to Sept. 7. The Nats didn’t announce whether Adams would undergo surgery — as is common with hamate fractures — but with under four weeks remaining on the regular season schedule, the injury will surely bring his season to a close.

Adams, 27, served as the primary backup to Keibert Ruiz in 2023 and enjoyed a strong year at the plate. In 44 games and 158 plate appearances, he logged a .273/.331/.476 batting line with four home runs, 13 doubles and a pair of triples. The 2017 third-round pick walked at a 7% clip and fanned at a 28.5% rate. Adams drew poor framing grades behind the plate but also posted a 22% caught-stealing rate that’s higher than this season’s 19% average, and Statcast grades him as above-average when it comes to blocking pitches in the dirt.

Acquired in the 2021 trade that sent lefty Brad Hand to the Blue Jays, Adams has now appeared in parts of three big league seasons. He’s a .224/.308/.391 hitter in that time. The Nationals can control Adams for another four seasons, and he won’t reach arbitration eligibility until the completion of the 2024 campaign.

Ruiz, who signed an eight-year contract extension over the winter and has swatted a career-high 16 home runs in 2023, is locked in as Washington’s starter for the foreseeable future. Adams has the inside track on continuing to serve as Ruiz’s backup, but the Nats also have catchers Drew Millas and Israel Pineda as alternatives on the 40-man roster. The 25-year-old Millas, who was recently promoted for his MLB debut, figures to fill that backup role in the season’s final few weeks now.

Nationals Sign Rico Garcia To Two-Year Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have signed right-hander Rico Garcia to a minor league contract that runs through the 2024 season, The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reports (via X).  Garcia was became a free agent yesterday after being released by Washington, but he’ll now quickly rejoin the Nats.

Biceps tendinitis has kept Garcia from pitching at either the major or minor league level since July 28, and that same injury probably resulted in Garcia’s brief foray in the free agent market.  Injured players can only be placed on release waivers rather than outright waivers, but it seems quite possible that there might have been a handshake deal in place for Garcia to re-sign with D.C. once the transactional red tape was cleared.

The two-year nature of the contract also seems to hint that Garcia might need more time to recover from his injury, though details are scarce on his health status.  Reports from early August indicated that Garcia was starting some rehab work at the Nationals’ spring camp, but Garcia had yet to appear in any rehab games.

The 29-year-old Garcia has appeared in four of the last five MLB seasons, suiting up for five different teams.  The A’s designated Garcia for assignment in July but he rejected the outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency, and he then landed with the Nationals on a minors deal.  Garcia has a 9.26 ERA over 11 2/3 combined innings with Oakland and Washington this season, and a 7.32 ERA over his 35 2/3 career frames of big league work.

Tommy John surgery wiped out all of Garcia’s 2021 season, but he returned as essentially a full-time relief pitcher, and he has posted some good numbers at the Triple-A level over the last two years.  His 2.93 ERA over 27 2/3 Triple-A innings this season was marred by some uncharacteristic control problems, but Garcia posted a 29.51% strikeout rate.

Nationals Release Rico Garcia

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TODAY: Garcia is now a free agent after clearing release waivers, the Nationals announced.

SEPTEMBER 1: The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, a move that was reported on yesterday. They also recalled right-hander Amos Willingham, with he and Blankenhorn taking the two extra spots on the expanded roster. To make room on the 40-man for Blankenhorn, the club has requested unconditional release waivers on righty Rico Garcia.

Garcia, 29, began the year with the A’s on a minor league deal, getting selected to the major league club in May. He was designated for assignment in July, cleared waivers and elected free agency. He then signed a minor league deal with the Nats and was added to their roster in mid-July. Between the two clubs, he has an earned run average of 9.26 in 11 2/3 major league innings this year. But in 27 2/3 Triple-A innings, he has an ERA of 2.93, striking out 29.5% of hitters though also walking 17.2%. He was placed on the injured list July 30 due to biceps tendinitis.

Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reported in early August that Garcia was headed to Florida to rehab. He hasn’t appeared in a rehab game yet but was perhaps nearing a return in the coming weeks. The Nats could have transferred him to the 60-day IL, but doing so would have effectively ended his season. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so the Nats have placed him on release waivers instead.

Nationals Assistant GM Johnny DiPuglia Resigns

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Nationals assistant GM and international scouting director Johnny DiPuglia has resigned from his position, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.  DiPuglia had run the club’s international scouting operations since 2009, and was promoted to assistant GM and a VP role in the wake of the Nats’ World Series title in 2019.

Neither DiPuglia or the team publicly commented on the news, though Dougherty notes that “DiPuglia was one of [GM Mike] Rizzo’s closest confidants in the organization.”  It isn’t known if DiPuglia’s status might be related to Rizzo’s own ongoing negotiations about a contract extension, though reports from a couple of weeks ago suggested that Rizzo and the Nationals were pretty close to a new agreement.

DiPuglia’s departure could also be part of Rizzo’s ongoing efforts to overhaul the player development staff which began in earnest during the 2021-22 offseason.  While the 2019 championship was the peak of a successful decade for the franchise, the fall has been precipitous, as Washington is on pace for its fourth consecutive losing season.  The rebuild has been apparent with the on-field product, and Rizzo has also been taking measures to improve how the Nationals operate behind the scenes, particularly in the scouting and development of its young prospects.  To this end, the international scouting division has also faced difficulties in recent years, as Dougherty notes that the Nats haven’t gotten a lot of great returns from recent int’l signings.

It may be that DiPuglia’s resignation prior to the end of the season gives him more time to seek out his next job, and he’ll hit the open market with a strong resume.  As Dougherty put it, DiPuglia “had to basically start from scratch” in reviving the Nats’ international department in 2009, and he “has often been credited with rebuilding the Nationals’ Latin American presence from the ashes.”  The signing of Juan Soto was the crown jewel of DiPuglia’s era, as Soto’s immediate rise to superstar status was a huge reason for Washington’s breakthrough title in 2019.  Before coming to the Nationals, DiPuglia’s work as the Red Sox scouting director for Latin America produced such notable players as Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez, and Anibal Sanchez.

Nationals To Select Travis Blankenhorn

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The Nationals are selecting first baseman/corner outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link). He’ll take one of the extra spots on the September active roster. The club’s 40-man roster is at capacity, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move tomorrow.

Blankenhorn, 27, has spent the season with Triple-A Rochester after signing an offseason minor league deal. He’s had a productive year, hitting .264/.363/.521 with 23 longballs. The left-handed hitter has walked at a strong 11.3% clip and hit for enough power to offset a slightly elevated 24.3% strikeout rate.

A former third-round pick of the Twins, Blankenhorn has gotten cups of coffee with Minnesota and the Mets at the big league level. He has 26 games of MLB experience between 2020-22. The Pennsylvania native has shown well against upper minors pitching, carrying a .262/.354/.487 line in a little more than 1000 career Triple-A plate appearances.

Blankenhorn is limited defensively but offers a bat-first option for manager Dave Martinez down the stretch. He’ll look to impress the front office enough over the next five weeks to stake a claim to a 40-man spot over the winter.

Nationals Release Luis Cessa

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The Nationals have released veteran right-hander Luis Cessa, who’d been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’s now a free agent.

Cessa, 31, opened the year in the Reds’ rotation but was bounced from the starting staff after just six appearances, during which time he was tagged for 26 runs in 25 innings. He made one appearance out of the bullpen before being designated for assignment and subsequently released.

While he’s since latched on with both the Rockies and Nationals on a pair of minor league deals, he hasn’t fared well in either organization. Cessa pitched 21 1/3 innings with the Rockies’ top affiliate and 20 2/3 innings with the Nats’ Triple-A club, yielding an ERA north of 8.00 during both stints. He’s battled uncharacteristic command issues in both the big leagues and minors this year, and he’s been extremely homer-prone in Triple-A, serving up an average of 1.93 round-trippers per nine innings pitched.

Prior to the 2023 season, Cessa had found success in the bullpen, primarily serving as a long reliever with the Yankees, who traded him to the Reds at the 2021 deadline. From 2019-22, the righty logged 248 innings of 3.77 ERA ball, striking out 19.8% of his opponents against a solid 8.2% walk rate and inducing grounders at an above-average 48.2% clip. The Reds moved him to the rotation late last year and gave him 10 starts, during which he posted a respectable 4.30 ERA with more concerning secondary marks that pointed to some regression (albeit not to anywhere near this extent).

Cessa could still catch on with another team on a minor league deal between now and season’s end. However, given the extent of his struggles, he’d have a difficult time pitching his way back to the big leagues on a postseason contender — and non-contenders may prefer to give those innings to younger options. If that’s it for his 2023 season, Cessa will head back to the market this winter in search of a minor league deal, hoping for an opportunity to put a forgettable ’23 season behind him and get back to his 2019-22 form.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Ohtani’s Torn UCL, Free Agent Power Rankings and Stephen Strasburg to Retire

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • Would the Brewers be a good fit for Pete Alonso? (21:10)
  • What will the Cubs do at first base next year and could Alonso be a fit? (24:50)
  • Could Alonso fit on the Twins? (26:35)

Check out our past episodes!

  • The White Sox Fire Their Front Office, Injured Rays and Prospect Promotion Time – listen here
  • Pete Alonso’s Future, Yankees’ Rotation Troubles and Should the Trade Deadline Be Pushed Back? – listen here
  • The Streaking Mariners, the Struggling Angels and Injured Aces – listen here

Nationals Sign Junior Fernandez To Minor League Contract

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The Nationals have signed reliever Junior Fernández to a minor league deal, as announced by their Triple-A affiliate. He’ll join their top farm team in Rochester.

Fernández had spent the 2023 campaign in the Blue Jays’ system. Toronto claimed the hard-throwing righty off waivers over the winter before successfully passing him through waivers in January. The 26-year-old played the year with their top affiliate in Buffalo, posting a 5.69 ERA in 42 games before being released last week.

As has been the case throughout his career, inconsistent strike-throwing was an issue for Fernández with the Bisons. He walked 11.3% of opposing hitters while striking batters out at a below-average 19.9% clip. He kept the ball on the ground at a quality 51.6% rate but saw nearly a quarter of the fly balls he did allow clear the fence.

Fernández’s arsenal is headlined by an upper-90s sinker. The pitch averaged 98.7 MPH during an MLB stint between the Cardinals and Pirates a season ago. It’s not conducive to missing as many bats as the raw velocity might suggest, but it has enabled him to run a quality 49.4% grounder percentage over 54 career MLB innings. He’s pitched in parts of four big league seasons overall, mostly with St. Louis, working to a 5.17 ERA. He owns a 4.70 mark through four years at the Triple-A level.

The Nationals will give him a change of scenery look for the stretch run. Fernández would return to the open market at the start of the offseason if Washington doesn’t call him up before year’s end. They could keep him around beyond this season if they add him to the 40-man roster, though doing so would require them to keep him in the MLB bullpen since he’s out of minor league options.

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