Don't Be Surprised if Nationals Sign One of These Free Agent Bullpen Arms

It's clear the Washington Nationals are still searching for answers when it comes to their bullpen.

Ahead of their finale against the New York Mets on Thursday, they made another shuffle when they optioned left-hander PJ Poulin to Triple-A Rochester to clear a roster spot for right-hander Clayton Beeter, who was activated off the 15-day injured list.

Despite that unit performing well at times, they still entered the day ranked No. 26 in Major League Baseball with an ERA of 4.95. They also have a bit of an unorthodox bullpen, as they employ multiple long relievers in Brad Lord, Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez to piggyback off their weaker starters. And as the Nationals try to field the best possible group they can, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them sign either one of these two free agent relievers.

Matt Bowman

The first is right-hander Matt Bowman. As first reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Minnesota Twins granted Bowman his release on May 20. The 34-year-old last pitched in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles last season. He posted an ERA of 6.20 across 20 appearances, and he only struck out 18 batters with six walks in 24 2/3 innings pitched.

However, Bowman's performance in the minors this season has been strong, which is why Washington could opt to take a flier on the veteran. Across 14 outings (two starts) and 21 1/3 innings pitched, he has posted a 1.69 ERA with 25 strikeouts and six walks. In addition to those numbers, the righty has also induced ground balls at a 54.5% clip, which is a similar figure to what he put up during his best years in the majors when he had sub-4.00 ERAs in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

By inking Bowman to a minor league deal, that would improve Washington's depth and give them more options to choose from over the course of the long season.

Joe Ross

The second pitcher the Nationals could go after is a familiar face in Joe Ross. Per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the Arizona Diamondbacks released the right-hander after he was most recently with their Triple-A affiliate.

Signing Ross would be the definition of low-risk, high-reward. Coming off a season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024 when he posted an ERA of 3.77 in a swingman role across 25 total appearances (10 starts), he struggled with the Philadelphia Phillies last year with a 5.12 ERA that caused them to release Ross during the season. And now, the 2019 World Series champion is looking for his next team after getting released by the Diamondbacks following three outings in the bigs where he allowed eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

But similar to Bowman, it's been a solid showing in Triple-A for Ross. He has an ERA of 4.29 across 12 appearances (one start) in a hitter-friendly environment. While the 34-year-old has only struck out 12 batters in 21 innings pitched, he has a 47.8% ground ball rate and is inducing soft contact. Getting that to translate to the MLB is something Ross hasn't been able to accomplish for a couple of seasons, but he could still be someone Washington takes a chance on as a low-cost free agent.

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