The Orioles have made the following roster move:
- Agreed to terms on a 2025 minor league contract with INF Vimael Machin.
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Most of the attention this time of year – and, really, most of the offseason – is on big names. Sluggers. Starting pitchers. Free agents seeking multi-year deals, hopefully helping transform franchises in the process.
But there’s never been a Hot Stove League that ultimately wasn’t filled with dozens of relievers joining new clubs. And very often, those seemingly lower-profile moves prove to be just as important as the big-ticket ones.
The Nationals almost always are involved in this market, and there’s every reason to believe they once again will be involved this winter. (Or, perhaps, this spring.)
Mike Rizzo added a host of experienced relievers prior to the 2024 season, and many of those guys were signed not in November, December or January, but rather in February, even after pitchers and catchers reported for camp. Only one bullpen arm was signed prior to Feb. 1: Dylan Floro, who also got the only major league contract of the eventual bunch, for a modest $2.25 million.
Then came a flurry of minor league signings as camp was beginning. Richard Bleier and Robert Gsellman on Feb. 2. Luis Perdomo on Feb. 8. Jacob Barnes on Feb. 16. Derek Law on Feb. 22. Matt Barnes on Feb. 27.
If there’s only one player the Nationals are likely to pursue this winter, it’s an established slugger, preferably one who can play first base.
If there’s a No. 2 item on general manager Mike Rizzo’s wish list, it’s probably an experienced starting pitcher, one who could help lead an otherwise young rotation to better days.
This isn’t earth-shattering news. The next time Rizzo says he’s not looking for starting pitching will be the first time. It’s always a priority.
But the evidence suggests it’s been more of a priority certain years compared to others. Yeah, the Nationals pursued starters last winter. The only one they landed was Zach Davies, who got a minor league contract and then lost a spring training battle for the No. 5 spot in the rotation to Trevor Williams and was cut loose before camp ended.
At the other end of the spectrum, of course, were the major signings of Max Scherzer in 2015 and Patrick Corbin in 2019 to nine-figure deals.
It doesn’t take tremendous insight to figure out the Nationals’ No. 1 need this winter. They need to add power to a lineup that simply hasn’t had enough of that in recent years.
The Nats ranked 29th in the majors in home runs each of the last two seasons, and their total actually went down from 2023 (151) to 2024 (135). In today’s game, that simply won’t cut it. Six of baseball’s top-seven home run-hitting clubs made the playoffs this year, and none of the bottom six did.
Club officials do have hope for an increase in power production from several key young players, especially James Wood and Dylan Crews as they embark on their first full big league seasons. And if Brady House arrives as expected, the 2021 first round pick should provide some much needed slugging potential as well.
But make no mistake, the Nationals also have to acquire power from outside the organization this offseason. And that has to come from someone closer to the prime of his career than Joey Gallo, Eddie Rosario or Jesse Winker was upon their bargain-basement acquisitions last offseason.
If Mike Rizzo truly has the green light from ownership to pursue bigger name free agents, it stands to reason the longtime general manager will be making his pitch to a number of prominent sluggers seeking employment. And in a perfect world, the slugger the Nats wind up getting would play first base.
The Nationals envision three of their recent first-round picks playing a significant role on their major league roster next season, with Dylan Crews leading the way, Cade Cavalli poised to make his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery and Brady House on track to get called up from Triple-A Rochester at some point.
They need major contributions from top draft picks like that after a string of disappointments, something that was underscored this week when two prior first-rounders left the organization for good.
Carter Kieboom and Mason Denaburg were among a host of minor league players who became free agents, joining a list that also included former prospects Israel Pineda and Tim Cate, plus a pair of prospects acquired at the frantic 2021 trade deadline: Aldo Ramirez and Richard Guasch.
Kieboom, the 28th overall pick in the 2016 draft, was supposed to help provide a bridge from the Nationals’ 2019 championship roster to the future, tabbed as Anthony Rendon’s heir apparent at third base. But he never did produce at the big league level, finishing with a .199 batting average, .297 on-base percentage and .301 slugging percentage from 2019-23. He never mastered the third base position, either, after shifting from shortstop, with minus-5 career Defensive Runs Saved and 11 errors in 117 games at the hot corner.
Tommy John surgery also threw a wrench into Kieboom’s career, knocking him out the entire 2022 season. He made it back to the majors late in 2023 and got one final chance to play regularly but did little with that opportunity. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in March and spent his entire season at Triple-A, batting .265 with seven homers, 42 RBIs and a .751 OPS while ultimately giving way to House at third base.
The first official week of the offseason didn't include any acquisitions - it rarely does - but it did include some notable departures, as well as some other news. With four open spots now on the 40-man roster, the Nationals are positioned to add. The question, of course, is how prominent (read: expensive) those additions might end up being.
It'll probably be a while longer before we know the answer to that all-important question. In the meantime, there's plenty to anticipate and speculate about as we gear up for the Hot Stove League.
If you've got something you'd like to ask, please leave it in the comments section below. Then check back throughout the morning for my replies ...
The Washington Nationals today announced the first pitch times for the team’s 2025 home games. The team will open its 20th Anniversary Season at home with a three-game set against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies, beginning with a 4:05 p.m. Opening Day matchup on Thursday, March 27. It marks the second time the Nationals have hosted the Phillies to open the season and will be the earliest start to a season in Nationals history.
The club’s home game times will remain the same during the upcoming season, with evening games beginning at 6:45 p.m., Saturday afternoon games starting at 4:05 p.m., Sunday games at 1:35 p.m., and most weekday afternoon games at 12:05 or 1:05 p.m.
For the 13th consecutive season, the Nationals will kickstart MLB’s slate of Fourth of July games, hosting the Red Sox for a special 11:05 a.m. game in the nation’s capital. The Nationals’ July Fourth gameday experience will once again extend to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, for the third edition of Nats on Base Abroad. Members of the Nationals front office and special guests will travel to the air base to host a number of events leading up to a watch party for the July Fourth game, including a full program of pregame activations and activities.
Click HERE to view the full schedule.
Nationals Parks gates will continue to open 75 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch for all games, unless otherwise noted. All gate and game times are subject to change. The full 2025 schedule, including start times for home games, is attached. Games, times and other information is subject to change.
In a free agent class loaded with big names, one name clearly stands above the rest. Juan Soto was always going to be the prize of the 2024-25 offseason, and the now-26-year-old star ultimately positioned himself as well as he possibly could to get whatever he wants, from wherever he wants it, this winter.
Are the Nationals part of that conversation? The optimist would say absolutely they are, with plenty of available money to spend and their prior relationship with their former World Series hero. The pessimist would say there’s no chance of a reunion, not with the Yankees and Mets at the top of the list of suitors and not with the Nats’ lack of participation in legitimate free agency for several years now.
The realist would say there is a chance, but it’s a pretty small chance. By all accounts, Soto loved his first season with the Yankees, who loved him back and who now really need him to try to get back to and then win the World Series. If he somehow doesn’t re-sign with the Yanks, then the Mets are probably going to offer comparable money in the same city. And then there are other big-market suitors like the Phillies and Red Sox, maybe the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs as well if he’s willing to leave the East Coast.
Soto would have to really want to come back to the Nationals, and the Nationals would have to really want to bring him back to make this happen. It’s not impossible, but it’s probably improbable.
Here’s an interesting question, though, that must have crossed a few minds in the last week or two: If the Nats had never traded Soto, would they have a better chance of re-signing him now?
There’s already been a good amount of roster turnover for the Nationals since season’s end, with multiple veterans becoming free agents and several other notable players dropped from the 40-man roster earlier this week.
As the offseason gets underway, there are now four open slots on that 40-man roster, slots that could go to free agent acquisitions or in-house prospects ready for promotion. And if more slots are needed, there are a handful of current players who could still be dropped to create space.
What do the Nats currently have? What do they still need? Let’s take a look at the organizational depth chart as currently constructed to get a better idea of the state of things, going position by position. Players on the 40-man roster are listed first, with some minor leaguers not yet on the 40-man listed below them with an asterisk next to their names …
CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Drew Millas
Riley Adams
Brady Lindsly*
Onix Vega*
Caleb Lomavita*
Kevin Bazzell*
Comment: Ruiz was deemed the Nationals’ long-term answer behind the plate two years ago when he signed his $50 million extension, but there will be pressure on him to show real improvement after a disappointing season. Millas and Adams were on the D.C.-to-Rochester-and-back shuttle all year, neither seizing the job. And now that he’s arbitration-eligible, Adams could be a non-tender candidate later this month. For the first time in club history, the Nats used high draft picks on catchers this summer, selecting both Lomavita and Bazzell. Neither is going to be big league ready in 2025, but both are worth keeping an eye on.
Ildemaro Vargas and Joey Meneses arrived in Washington one day apart from each other, Vargas getting the call up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 1, 2022, to replace the traded Ehire Adrianza and Meneses called up the following afternoon to replace the traded Juan Soto.
Neither was a household name upon donning a Nationals uniform for the first time, but each made an immediate name for himself with an electric debut performance, Vargas going 4-for-4 and Meneses homering in his first major league game.
Thus did these two journeymen in their 30s become something of cult heroes on South Capitol Street, maybe the perfect encapsulation of the Nats during one of the lowest points in club history.
That 2022 team not only traded Soto, it proceeded to lose 107 games. And yet amid the disaster that was August and September of that season, there were genuine bright spots, individuals who made the most of the opportunity they were given and became fan favorites in the process.
Meneses was an out-of-nowhere revelation, a 30-year-old rookie who toiled for a decade in the minors, never getting a chance to prove he could hit major league pitchers. All he did during those final two months in 2022 was bat .324 with 13 homers, 34 RBIs and a .930 OPS that trailed only Manny Machado among all National League hitters during that span.
The Nationals made a flurry of transactions to clear up space on their 40-man roster this evening, parting ways with a couple of well-known veterans in the process.
Joey Meneses and Ildemaro Vargas both cleared outright waivers and chose to become free agents rather than remain in the organization. The same was true of Triple-A right-hander Michael Rucker, who declared for free agency after clearing waivers. Pitcher Thaddeus Ward, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles and has thus seen his time with the Nats come to an end.
Those moves, along with the activation of four players off the 60-day injured list (Joan Adon, Cade Cavalli, Josiah Gray, Mason Thompson) wrapped up an eventful first official day of the offseason, leaving the Nationals with 36 players on their 40-man roster as they prepare for what could be a far more active winter than they’ve experienced since embarking on their franchise rebuild in 2021.
The decision to part ways with Meneses and Vargas, while somewhat surprising in the latter’s case, underscores the organization’s desire to move on from veterans who helped the team get through these recent lean years and perhaps signals an intention to more aggressively attempt to field a winner in 2025.
Meneses, 32, became one of the unexpected cult heroes of the rebuild when the career minor leaguer was called up from Triple-A on the same day superstar Juan Soto was traded to the Padres. He proceeded to homer in his major league debut and finished with 13 home runs and a .930 OPS in 56 games to close out the 2022 season. He remained a productive hitter in 2023, though experienced a drop in power and finished those same 13 homers and a .722 OPS despite playing in three times as many games.
The Orioles have picked up 2025 contract options on first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, lefty reliever Cionel Pérez and righty reliever Seranthony Domínguez. But in a surprise move, they declined the $4 million 2025 contract option on lefty reliever Danny Coulombe.
The club today also made the procedural move of reinstating pitchers Félix Bautista, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells and infielder Jorge Mateo from the 60-day injured list.
Coulombe has been a dependable reliever for the club since they acquired him just ahead of Opening Day 2023 from the Twins for cash considerations. But now he officially becomes a free agent where he could re-sign with the Orioles or sign with any other club.
Perhaps the team has injury concerns here as Coulombe was on the injured list last year from June 11-Sept. 20 as he underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow.
But he finished the year throwing 3 2/3 scoreless over four games and pitched 0.2 innings scoreless in the playoffs.
Halloween has come and gone. The leaves have changed colors and are beginning to fall to the ground. Daylight Saving Time is finished for the year, leaving us with the oh-so-depressing 5 p.m. sunset for the next few months.
And the 2024 Major League Baseball season has ended. The Dodgers wrapped up the World Series five nights ago, which means the offseason officially begins today. Free agents are free to negotiate with all 30 clubs. Contract options must be picked up or declined. Rosters must be set. And teams can begin making changes they hope will lead to better results in 2025.
This offseason has long loomed as the Nationals’ most consequential one in several years. There’s nothing really left to tear down from the old roster. Many of the key young players acquired in the rebuild are now big leaguers, with more to come soon. It feels like it’s time for these guys to start adding real free agents to the young core at last.
While technically permitted beginning today, those kind of major acquisitions aren’t expected to occur until later this winter. You never really know how the offseason market is going to play out, but recent history suggests there will be little movement of consequence until at least early December at the Winter Meetings, and quite possibly not until after New Year’s.
But there will be some news nonetheless this month. Here’s a Nats primer for November to help get you into Hot Stove mode. …
Jacob Young’s rookie season for the Nationals, while stellar in the field, was not ultimately deemed golden.
Despite holding a statistical advantage over his fellow nominees, Young lost out to Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle, who earned his second straight Gold Glove Award tonight.
Doyle beat out Young and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins in balloting, which was determined by a combination of an end-of-season vote by National League managers and coaches and a statistical component that accounted for 25 percent of the final tally.
Young had a particularly strong case for the award.
According to Baseball Savant, the 25-year-old finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019.
The Orioles made one decision today regarding club options for 2025 and it was the easiest to forecast.
The team announced that it declined the $16.5 million option on Eloy Jiménez’s contract, which puts him on the free agent market. His deal with the White Sox included a $3 million buyout.
Jiménez wasn’t staying with the Orioles after batting .232/.270/.316 with five doubles and a home run in 33 games. And after going 1-for-24 with eight strikeouts in September.
He also couldn't play in the field while recovering from a left hamstring strain that slowed him on the basepaths.
The Orioles carried 12 position players on the Wild Card roster and Jiménez wasn’t among them. They optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk on Sept. 24 while activating first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list, but he was brought back to Camden Yards as an extra in case of an injury.
The 2024 baseball season ended Wednesday night, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 7-6 to win the World Series four games to one.
Last year the World Series was a matchup of wild card teams with No. 5 seed Texas beating No. 6 seed Arizona for the WS championship.
In 2023, there were three teams that won 100 games or more. The Atlanta Braves won 104, the Orioles won 101 and the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100.
None of those teams won a single playoff series. In fact between the three teams, they won one playoff game. The O’s and Dodgers were swept in the Division Series.
Fans were wondering if winning your division and getting a five-day layoff, was working against those teams. This year, teams had no such problems.
PLAYER REVIEW: JACOB BARNES
Age on Opening Day 2025: 34
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, February 2024
MLB service time: 6 years, 91 days
2024 salary: $740,000
Let’s dive into the first post-World Series mailbag while the offseason heats up.
You ask again, I answer again, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.
This is a politics-free mailbag. Let’s consider it practice for next week.
It’s also an editing-free mailbag. Let your clarity, length and style shine.
An important reminder here that my mailbag gets lots of candy on Halloween and your mailbag gets a toothbrush and dental floss.
PLAYER REVIEW: ROBERT GARCIA
Age on Opening Day 2025: 28
How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Marlins, August 2023
MLB service time: 1 year, 86 days
2024 salary: $742,800
Eight players elect free agency
The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder DAZ CAMERON from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.
Cameron, 27, slashed .200/.258/.329 (34-for-170) with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 runs scored, 15 RBI, 13 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and five stolen bases in 66 games with the A’s last season. He opened the season with Triple-A Las Vegas and batted .307/.424/.577 (42-for-137) with 15 doubles, two triples, six homers, 32 runs scored, 27 RBI, 27 walks (1 IBB), one hit-by-pitch, and eight stolen bases in 41 games for the Aviators before having his contract selected on May 23. In his Athletics debut that same day against Colorado, Cameron launched a game-tying solo home run leading off the ninth inning as the A’s rallied for a 10-9 victory in 11 innings. He earned Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the period April 29-May 5 with Las Vegas.
Cameron was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training with Baltimore in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on November 9, 2022, and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on December 2. He spent the entire 2023 season with the Tides, helping the team win the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship. Cameron was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the Competitive Balance Round A (No. 37 overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (GA). The Astros traded him to the Tigers as part of a five-player deal that involved Justin Verlander going to Houston on August 31, 2017.
He’s the son of 2001 American League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner Mike Cameron.
