Nats purchase Poche's contract, leaving two more bullpen slots to fill

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Colin Poche has made the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen, the club purchased the left-hander’s contract this morning to officially put him on the club.

Poche signed a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp in early February, but given his track record, he always looked like a safe bet to make the team.

The 31-year-old has 225 games of major league experience, all with the Rays, and last season delivered a 3.86 ERA and 1.152 WHIP in 43 appearances. He was a 12-game winner with a 2.23 ERA in 66 games (all out of the bullpen) in 2023.

With Jose A. Ferrer the only other left-hander in the Nats bullpen, Poche was in good position all along to head north with the team, provided good health. His spring got off to a rough start when he surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks Feb. 25 against the Marlins, but he rebounded after that. In four appearances since, he has allowed just one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Poche joins Ferrer, closer Kyle Finnegan and right-handers Jorge Lopez, Derek Law and Lucas Sims to fill out six of the eight slots in the Nationals bullpen. The final two remain up for grabs this weekend, with two traditional relievers and two young starters in the mix.

Eduardo Salazar and Orlando Ribalta each pitched in relief for the team late last season, with Salazar posting a 2.96 ERA and 1.573 WHIP in 25 games and Ribalta struggling in four September appearances. Both have pitched well this spring, though, with Salazar boasting a 0.00 ERA and a 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 10 2/3 innings and Ribalta owning a 2.03 ERA a 14-to-4 strikeout-to-walk rate over 13 1/3 innings.

Ribalta has been pitching two innings at a time in recent appearances, but manager Davey Martinez has expressed a desire to carry at least one reliever capable of going more than that. That has opened the door for either Brad Lord or Jackson Rutledge – or, in theory, both of them – to make the team.

Lord, one of the organization’s top starting prospects after going 10-4 with a 2.43 ERA over 129 2/3 innings last season, has emerged as an intriguing bullpen option this spring. The 25-year-old has a 6.08 ERA, but eight of the nine runs he’s been charged with came in one appearance that included multiple defensive mistakes that cost him. He has come through with three scoreless outings since, including the first back-to-back appearances of his professional career.

Rutledge, the team’s first-round pick in 2019, was informed at the start of camp he was being converted to a full-time reliever and has embraced the change. In nine spring games totaling 14 innings, he has a 3.21 ERA and 1.286 WHIP.

With Poche’s contract purchased today, the Nationals’ 40-man roster is now full. That means if they decide to put Lord on the Opening Day roster, they would need to clear a spot for him.

They also would need to clear a 40-man spot if they elect to keep veteran Andrew Knizner as their backup catcher. But that would probably coincide with Riley Adams being designated for assignment, which would take care of that issue.