Nationals Acquire Top 30 Prospect From Rockies as They Continue to Boost Depth
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One thing that Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has made clear during his tenure is that he's not afraid to add players that he believes will improve their depth.
Throughout the offseason and during the spring, the executive continued to make minor league signings and waiver claims to ensure the Nationals had as many pitching options to choose from over the course of this long campaign. And now, he's brought another arm into the fold.
Per an announcement from the team, Washington revealed they acquired left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. They then optioned him to Triple-A Rochester and transferred right-handed pitcher Max Kranick to the 60-day injured list.
Nationals Add Another Top 30 Prospect to Their Organization
Palmquist was ranked No. 22 in the Rockies' farm system prior to the trade, according to MLB Pipeline. The 6-foot-3 lefty was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, and he made his major league debut last season.
It was not a good showing for Palmquist, though. Across nine outings (seven starts), he posted an ERA of 8.91. He also walked 25 batters across 34 1/3 innings pitched, while he only struck out 27. Still, there is some upside within the 25-year-old that the Nationals will attempt to tap into.
Prior to this Triple-A season, where Palmquist has an ERA of 7.20 across 12 appearances (five starts), he had been a strong pitcher in the minors. During the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, he posted sub-4.00 ERAs across 46 total starts. He also struck out 278 batters in 210 innings pitched, while he only walked 97. However, he started running into trouble when he reached the Triple-A level, so there are concerns if the soft-throwing lefty can be effective against high-caliber hitters.
Nationals Likely to Convert Carson Palmquist to Bullpen Arm
The role of Palmquist with Washington isn't clear. He came up the ranks as a starting pitcher, which is what Colorado primarily used him as during his stint in the majors last year. But at Triple-A in 2025 and 2026, the Rockies begun to deploy him out of the bullpen more often.
That could be how the Nationals view him, too. With a four-seam fastball that averages 91 mph, being an effective starter doesn't seem to be in the cards for him unless some major changes are made. But with a sweeper and a cutter that he uses as his secondary pitches behind his heater, he could become a primary lefty-on-lefty reliever if he gets his command issues under control.
How Washington begins to use him at Rochester will be interesting to see. But at the very least, they have given themselves an additional depth piece by acquiring another top 30 prospect.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai