Vargas signs with D-backs, Weems joins Braves

Two players the Nationals let go at season’s end found new homes Tuesday, with Ildemaro Vargas signing a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks and Jordan Weems getting his own minor league deal with the Braves.

Both Vargas and Weems were regular members of the Nats roster in 2023 and were expected to remain in their respective roles throughout the 2024 season, as well. Vargas did survive the full year but was dropped from the 40-man roster in November and elected to become a free agent. Weems was designated for assignment in August, and though he cleared waivers and finished the season at Triple-A Rochester, he became a free agent in October.

Neither is assured of a major league job in 2025, but each will get an opportunity to make a case for himself in the spring with invitations to big league camp.

Vargas, 33, has previous ties with the Diamondbacks, signing with them in 2015 and making his major league debut in 2017. The infielder spent parts of the next four seasons in Arizona, playing in 144 games while batting .247 with seven homers, 36 RBIs and a .648 OPS.

He bounced around after that, going from the Diamondbacks to the Twins to the Cubs to the Pirates and back to the Diamondbacks again in 2021. The Nationals then signed him to a minor league deal in May 2022, and when the need for a utility infielder arose in August following the trade of Ehire Adrianza to Atlanta, they called him up.

Vargas would go 4-for-4 in his D.C. debut and become an instant hit in the clubhouse, keeping teammates loose with his perpetually upbeat personality. A full-time member of the big league roster from the day he arrived through the final day of the 2024 season, he wound up playing 234 games for the Nats, batting .257 with eight homers, 80 RBIs and a .656 OPS while dazzling in the field (especially at third base).

Still under club control for one more year and due to earn a modest raise from his $1.1 million salary, Vargas instead was dropped from the 40-man roster in November and elected to become a free agent. The Nationals may proceed with either Jose Tena or Nasim Nunez as their utility infielder to begin 2025, or they could still acquire a more experienced player for that role this offseason.

Weems, a Georgia native, will now get an opportunity to pitch his way onto the Braves’ roster with a strong spring. The 32-year-old joined the Nats on a minor league deal in 2022, made 32 appearances that season and then took off in 2023, going 5-1 with a 3.62 ERA in 51 games out of the bullpen.

The right-hander regressed this year, though, his ERA ballooning to 6.70 in 41 games. Out of options, he managed to hang around into August before the club decided to designate him for assignment. After clearing waivers, he reported to Rochester and had a 4.15 ERA in 12 games down the stretch.

Vargas and Weems join three other former Nationals who have signed minor league contracts with new organizations so far this winter: Joey Meneses (Mets), Tanner Rainey (Pirates) and Carter Kieboom (Angels).