A Pair of Former Top Prospects Elect Free Agency Heading into Winter

After being outrighted by the Washington Nationals, former top prospects Michael Chavis and Blake Rutherford have elected free agency.

The Nationals needed space on the 40-man roster, so both players chose to go the free agent route.

#Nationals send three players through waivershttps://t.co/LVEu4TOQhW pic.twitter.com/xRwGvBs0D9
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) October 19, 2023

The 28-year-old Chavis is a former top prospect of the Red Sox. He made the Nationals roster out of spring training in 2023 but was used sparingly. He played in just 48 games, hitting .242 with two home runs and five RBI. A versatile infielder, he made his debut with the Red Sox in 2019, hitting 18 home runs.

After being in Boston for parts of three seasons, he was dealt to the Pirates in 2021 and played in 129 games.

As for Rutherford, the 26-year-old outfielder is a former first-round pick of the New York Yankees. He was taken out of the California ranks in 2016.

He made his major league debut with Washington this season, appearing in 16 games and hitting .171. It was a limited 35 at-bat sample. He did not homer and drove in two runs.

Given Rutherford's prospect pedigree and lifetime .279 batting average in the minors, it's probable that he gets another shot in another organization this offseason.

Chavis is also likely to garner a shot but strikeouts have been such a part of his game (34.4 percent strikeout rate this year), that there are clear deficiencies there.

The Nationals themselves finished last in the National League East again this season. Though they have several talented young players, the offseason roster churn continues.

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