Nationals Could Decide to Change Role of Jake Irvin Heading Into Next Season
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Jake Irvin has been a staple in the Washington Nationals' rotation since 2023.
After he was called up for his major league debut on May 3 of that year, he had pitched every fifth day whenever he was available. Coming into this season, that meant he had made 90 starts across his three years in the bigs, which included 33 in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025.
But after he appeared to be a solid backend option for the Nationals with ERA+ figures at 92 in 2023 and 2024, he regressed in a major way last year. Owner of a 5.70 ERA that was the worst in the MLB, he appeared to be a non-tender candidate this past winter when the new regime was hired. They held onto him, though, yet he still struggled as a starting pitcher when he was healthy this season. Because of that, a role change could be coming for the 27-year-old ahead of the 2027 campaign.
Jake Irvin Might Get Moved Into Bullpen
With the pitching staff being a massive question mark, it seems like the decision makers for Washington are going to analyze everything before deciding how they are going to construct a unit that they hope can be league average next season.
Moving Irvin into the bullpen to be a long relief man could be one of their options.
After all 109 of his previous MLB appearances came as a starting pitcher, Irvin came out of the bullpen for the first time on Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Angels. While he wasn't dominant by any means -- three earned runs allowed across five innings pitched -- he did enough with six strikeouts and only two hits allowed to give Washington a chance to win.
The Nationals will likely be in search of relievers who can pitch multiple innings next year, as that was something they lacked this season. Irvin fits into that mold, and if he changes his focus to throwing a maximum of three great innings instead of trying to go deep into games, then that might get the best results out of him.
Coming into this year, the righty was not known as a strikeout artist. Across 488 2/3 innings, he had only recorded 379 K's. But under the direction of this new regime, he's had 96 strikeouts over 96 1/3 innings this season. That puts his K rate at a 22.5%, which is league average.
As Washington searches for ways they can improve their bullpen and starting rotation heading into next year, they just might look to convert Irvin into a reliever, which could actually be the best thing for his long-term career.
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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