Nats add lefty reliever Poche on minor league deal

The days leading up to and through pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach next week are likely to include more additions to the Nationals roster via minor league signings with big league camp invites.

That trend started this morning when the Nats announced they have agreed to terms with left-handed reliever Colin Poche on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.

Poche, 31, has spent his entire four-year major league career in Tampa Bay, going 22-12 with a 3.63 ERA, 1.099 WHIP, 12 saves, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.95 strikeouts per walk in 225 relief appearances. After making his debut in 2019, he missed all of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the 2021 campaign while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery (his first coming after his sophomore season at the University of Arkansas in 2014).

The Rays non-tendered the southpaw in November after he had a 3.86 ERA and 1.152 WHIP in 37 ⅓ innings over 43 appearances in 2024.

Part of his struggles last season came from his inability to get out left-handed hitters. Lefties hit .260 with an .811 OPS off Poche while he held righties to a .193 average and .592 OPS. That was a stark contrast from his career splits, in which he’s held lefties to a .197 average and .679 OPS while righties have hit .202 with a .630 OPS off him.

His rough year in 2024 also came on the heels of a 2023 campaign when he went 12-3 with a 2.23 ERA and 1.088 WHIP in 60 ⅔ innings over 66 appearances.

But aside from the two seasons lost to injury, Poche has at least been somewhat durable in his short career. He’s made at least 43 appearances in all four of his seasons, including two with 65 or more outings. He’s also pitched at least 51 innings in three of his four seasons.

Oddly enough, Poche has been tied to some former Nationals in his career.

Poche was a fifth-round pick out of high school by the Orioles in 2012, but did not sign and instead went to play collegiately at Arkansas. After transferring to Dallas Baptist University, he was a 14th-round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2016.

In May 2018, the Diamondbacks sent Poche to the Rays as a player to be named later to complete a trade from three months prior that had also sent Anthony Banda to Tampa Bay. The initial trade was part of a three-team deal that sent Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona.

Poche joins right-handers Daison Acosta, Joan Adon, Marquis Grissom Jr., Clay Helvey, Brad Lord, Jack Sinclair, Tyler Stuart and Jarlin Susana, and fellow left-hander Konnor Pilkington as the Nats’ pitching non-roster invitees to camp.

If he makes the team, he’ll join Jose A. Ferrer, the only other lefty in the Nats bullpen. Thus he would seem to fill the void left by Robert Garcia, who was traded in December to the Rangers for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.