Former A's Pitcher a Great Fit with the Washington Nationals
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The Washington Nationals may be the perfect place for former A's left-hander Ken Waldichuk to land. The 28-year-old left hander was claimed by the Nationals off the waiver wire on Thursday morning, marking his fourth club since late December, when the Athletics designated him for assignment just before the holidays.
Since that DFA, Waldichuk has been claimed by the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, and now the Nationals in 2026. Each club has been attempting to pass the former top prospect through waivers while holding onto him without using a 40-man spot.
He has the tools to be an effective pitcher, but he also hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2023, dealing with injuries the past two seasons. He decided upon the rest and rehab approach to his injury following the 2023 campaign, and by the end of camp in 2024 he needed Tommy John surgery, which cost him the 2025 campaign as well.
Waldichuk did begin pitching in the minors last season on his road to recovery, beginning in late June. He was thrust into Triple-A quickly, and the results over the rest of the season weren't great. He held an 8.65 ERA across 16 appearances (15 starts) with a 2.06 WHIP.
The main issues were that his command wasn't where it needed to be, as he was walking 16.6% of the batters he faced—by far a career high—while his velocity was also down overall. There were outings that he'd have his velo where he wanted it for the first inning or two, but then it would drop off by a couple of ticks as his outing continued along.
How that velocity is looking will be a big data point to watch this spring for Nationals fans. That said, Turner Givens of Tread Athletics had some positive data on Waldichuk from this winter.
Whoever picks up @Ken_Waldichuk is getting an absolute steal.
— Turner Givens (@TurnerGivens) February 3, 2026
Hardest avg and top FB velocity since pre TJ (and it was a bullpen).
Shapes are coming together. Big year ahead for him as he returns to his former self 🐐@TreadHQ https://t.co/KkDaJxhtBZ pic.twitter.com/Ql0bblWB5s
The one caveat here is that the sample that Givens is using is still just a 26-pitch sample with 12 fastballs. While the velo has looked good, we'll have to see how it holds up as that pitch count continues to rise.
Waldichuk's connection to Washington, why he's a good fit
The Athletics acquired Waldichuk back in August of 2022 in the Frankie Montas trade with the New York Yankees, and a month later he was making his MLB debut in Washington D.C. against the Nationals. He ended up going 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits, one earned run, walked four and struck out six.
That game ended in the 10th inning when one-time Nationals legend Joey Meneses hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Nats a 7-5 win in Waldichuk's debut. In a fun twist, Meneses signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics this winter and will be a depth option for the green and gold.
The Nationals picking up Waldichuk could be the best-case scenario for the left-hander, assuming that they don't try to pass him through waivers themselves. He'd be joining former A's lefty Sean Doolittle (and his yet-to-be-determined title), who has been responsible for the improvements of a number of pitchers in recent years.
Washington could start him off in the minors to get a grasp on what they have with him, but once he's ready, they're the type of team that could give him some runway to get back to his former self.
While Waldichuk holds a career 5.28 ERA, he was also on the best stretch of his career during the final two months of the '23 campaign, holding a 3.54 ERA (4.47 FIP) across 61 innings of work. That streak began on July 25, and went through the end of the season. If his velocity is back where it needs to be, could this be the type of pitcher Washington could be landing?
This is a good pickup for the Nationals, who could use some pitching with upside, and it's a great fit for the lefty, who could use a chance to show what he can do after missing a couple of seasons.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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