Struggling Washington Nationals' Reliever Hits Free Agency after Clearing Waivers

This former Washington Nationals' reliever has decided to test the free agent waters instead of being sent back down to Triple-A.

Feb 18, 2025; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Colin Poche (41) warms-up before pitching live batting practice at spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are parting ways with struggling reliever Colin Poche, as the veteran lefty has opted to hit free agency in lieu of being reassigned to Triple-A Rochester.

This comes after Poche, who was DFA by the Nationals this past Thursday, cleared waivers on Sunday. Per the current MLBPA collective bargaining agreement, any big league player with more than five years of service time may choose to hit free agency instead of being reassigned to the minor leagues if they clear waivers.

Poche fits these criteria, and as such has decided to exercise his right to test the current open market.

The now 31-year-old joined the Nationals this spring after being non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024. A decent showing in Spring Camp led to him being named to the Opening Day roster, but things quickly went downhill from there.

Across his 13 appearances in 2025 for Washington, Poche was absolutely torched by opposing batters. As of this writing, he currently holds a 11.42 ERA and 2.538 WHIP across just 8.2 innings of work.

This was obviously not the outcome either side was hoping for, and it appears that both parties have decided that parting ways is best for everyone involved. Now Poche will be searching for a new team to hopefully give him another shot at the big leagues.

Colin Poche cleared outright waivers, and we have assigned him outright to Triple-A Rochester. 

As a player with at least 5 years of Major League Service, he had the option to declare free agency in lieu of accepting the assignment. 

Poche has declared free agency.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) May 5, 2025

Poche may have been the weakest link, but that doesn't mean he was the only underachiever coming out of the pen. The unit has been Washington's biggest weakness so far, and the team is continuing to scramble for potential answers.

According to Covers, Washington's relievers rank second-to-last in the entire league in ERA (6.55), WHIP (1.66), and have given up and absurd 63 walks across the teams first 37 contests.

Coupled with a starting rotation that is already shaky at best, it's become very difficult for a young Nationals' offense to score enough runs to keep games competitive.

It will be interesting to see what moves the Nationals decide to make moving forward, as they continue to try and find the right pieces to fix their faltering Pen. It will also be interesting to see where Poche ends up, and if his new team has enough faith to add him to their MLB roster.