Nationals agree to terms with right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramírez

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramírez on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Ramírez, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 60 games for the Nationals in 2022 on his way to being named Nationals Pitcher of the Year by the Washington D.C. media. He ranked among National League relievers in innings pitched (1st, 80.1) and inherited runners scored (5th, 27.3%). He led Washington’s bullpen with a 2.46 ERA in 58 relief appearances. Ramírez made two starts last season, both against Atlanta, on June 13 and July 17. Ramírez pitched 2.0 or more innings in relief in 16 games during the 2022 season. He had a 1.43 ERA over 37.2 innings in those games.

Ramírez posted team-best scoreless innings streaks of 18.0 (Aug. 12 – Sept. 11) and 16.0 (July 17 – Aug. 9) last season. His 18.0 scoreless innings streak was the eighth-longest by a National League reliever in 2022.

Over his final 28 relief appearances last season, Ramírez went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA (7 ER/42.0 IP), 28 strikeouts, five walks and a .189 opponents’ batting average. He allowed just three of 17 inherited runners to score over that stretch (17.6%).

A veteran of 11 Major League seasons, Ramírez is 37-42 with a 4.21 ERA in 276 career games (94 starts) with Seattle (2012-14, 2017-18), Tampa Bay (2015-17), Boston (2019), New York-NL (2020), Detroit (2021) and Washington (2022).

To make room for Ramírez on the 40-man roster, RHP Gerardo Carrillo was designated for assignment.