Marlins Lure Former Nationals Prospect to Organization on Minor League Deal
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The Miami Marlins have reportedly signed former Washington Nationals minor league reliever Samuel Vasquez to a contract, per MiLB Central on X (formerly Twitter).
MiLB Central also posted the news to its Instagram feed. Vasquez reposted that announcement and his Instagram bio notes that he is a Marlins reliever. Miami has made no formal announcement. Per MiLB Central, the deal also includes an invitation to Major League spring training.
Vasquez has not pitched in the Majors. He has pitched in the minor leagues since he signed as a professional in 2018 and spent the last two years with the Washington Nationals.
Samuel Vasquez’ Pro Career
The right-hander joined the Nationals’ organization before the 2024 season. Washington started him at Class-A Fredericksburg, and he earned a promotion four months later to High-A Wilmington. He finished the year with a 6-2 record and a 4.05 ERA. He had four holds and six saves in eight chances. He struck out 53, walked 41 and allowed batters to hit .234 against him.
He improved the strikeout-to-walk rate somewhat in 2025, which he split between Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. He lowered his ERA to 3.16 and finished with a 4-2 record. In 46 games, he struck out 49 and walked 29 in 57 innings, with six holds and five saves in five chances. He allowed batters to hit .236.
He’s logged 177 appearances in his minor league career with 24 starts. He is 17-22 with a 5.07 ERA. He has 258 strikeouts and 180 walks in 278.2 innings. He has allowed batters to hit .254 against him. His numbers have improved markedly the past three seasons and he’s a candidate to serve in the bullpen at Triple-A Jacksonville to start the 2026 season, with a chance that he could be on stand-by to join the Marlins based on performance.
Vasquez was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Cleveland Guardians in 2018. He played in the Dominican Summer League in 2018 with a team shared with the Toronto Blue Jays before he jumped stateside to play for the Guardians’ Arizona Complex League in 2019. He worked his way through the Guardians’ system, but he stalled at Class-A Lynchburg by the end of the 2023 season.
His final season in the Guardians’ system saw him go 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 35 relief appearances. He struck out 47 and walked 25, recorded five saves in eight chances and allowed batters to hit .218 against him.
The Guardians left him unprotected in the 2023 Rule 5 draft and the Nationals selected him.
