The Washington Nationals announced their 2024 Opening Day roster and corresponding moves on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
Selected the contracts of right-handed pitchers Matt Barnes and Derek Law as well as outfielders Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker.
- Placed right-handed pitchers Cade Cavalli (Tommy John Surgery), Mason Thompson (Tommy John Surgery) and Stephen Strasburg (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) as well as left-handed pitcher Jose A. Ferrer (left lat strain) on the 60-day Injured List.
- Placed outfielder Stone Garrett (recovery from left ankle reconstruction surgery) on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to March 25).
Barnes, 33, joins the Nationals after a strong Spring Training in which he retired 14 of the 15 batters he faced across five outings. He struck out five batters without issuing a walk along the way. Barnes has converted 47 saves and struck out 11.44 batters per 9.0 innings across 453 Major League appearances. Prior to his 2023 season in Miami, Barnes spent nine seasons (2014-22) with the Boston Red Sox where he was an American League All-Star in 2021 and key member of their bullpen en route to winning the 2018 World Series. His five seasons (2016-19, 2021) of at least 60 appearances are the most in Boston Red Sox history. During that 2021 All-Star season, he recorded a career-high 24 saves and struck out 84 batters in 54.2 innings pitched.
Law, 33, is coming off a strong 2023 season in which he Led the National League and ranked third in Major League Baseball by allowing only 7.7% of inherited runners to score (2-for-26) in his first full season with the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched to a 3.60 ERA – his best since his rookie year in 2016 (2.13) – in 54 games. Law struck out 12 batters, allowed just three hits (.100 opp. AVG) and did not allow an earned run in in 9.1 innings during Spring Training.
Rosario, 32, is a veteran of nine Major League seasons and spent the last three seasons (2021-23) with the Atlanta Braves. He hit 21 home runs for the Braves in 2023, his most since he hit a career-high 32 in 2019. Rosario was the Most Valuable Player of the 2021 National League Championship Series and appeared in all 16 games during Atlanta’s run to the 2021 World Series title. For his career, 139 of his 159 home runs have come against right-handed pitching and he boasts a a .482 career slugging percentage against righties.
Winker, 30, was a National League All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds in 2021. From 2017 to 2021, he hit .288/.385/504 with 79 doubles, 66 home runs and 190 RBI in 413 games. In 2022 he ranked third in the American League with 84 walks. Winker appeared in 61 Major League games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. He started 46 games, all as the designated hitter.