Nationals Have a Serious Zack Littell Issue at Worst Possible Time

One day after the Washington Nationals had one of their largest wins in franchise history with a 23-4 victory over the Athletics on Friday, they turned around and suffered one of their worst defeats with a 15-1 loss on Saturday.

Much of the blame for the blowout loss can be put on right-handed pitcher Zack Littell, who started Saturday's contest. He was tagged for five earned runs in the first inning and ended his outing with eight earned runs allowed across six innings pitched. He now sits with a 5.43 ERA across 20 appearances (13 starts), as he's underperformed compared to what was expected from him.

Because of that, the Nationals have a major issue on their hands when it comes to Littell.

No Longer Valuable Trade Asset

Washington Nationals pitcher Zack Littell | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Washington inked Littell to a one-year, $7 million contract in March of 2026, not only was he seen as an upgrade for this rotation, but he was also circled as being a possible trade asset for the franchise if they were to deal him ahead of the deadline.

There was little reason to doubt that Littell would be valued by teams around the league as a deadline acquisition. After all, the Cincinnati Reds sent two players to the Tampa Bay Rays last season to land him, and he was coming off two straight years where he finished with an ERA below the 4.00 mark. Unfortunately, with only a couple of weeks to go before this season's trade deadline on Aug. 3, it doesn't seem like teams are going to be knocking down the door to get him from the Nationals.

Litell's underlying metrics paint an even worse picture than his actual numbers, as his expected ERA is 6.43 compared to the figure of 5.43 that he has. Add in the 25 home runs he's given up -- which is the second most in the majors -- his 14.7% K rate -- which is well below the league average -- his 7.2% walk rate -- which is the highest since he's become a starting pitcher -- and a Stuff+ number of 83 -- which is easily the lowest of his career -- and the arrow appears to be pointing down on Littell.

Because of that, it's going to be difficult for Washington to find a trade partner for Littell. And even if they do, the return they'd get would likely be pennies on the dollar.

The Nationals don't have to trade him, though. They could decide to hold onto the veteran starter for the rest of the season since he has a mutual option for 2027 that he would probably opt into based on how he's performed this year. Washington could then spend an entire offseason working with him in preparation for next year's campaign, which ideally would turn him into a desirable trade asset once again while he's still part of their roster.

However, that mutual option is for $12 million. And due to Littell's performance this season, it seems highly unlikely that the Nationals would sign up for another year of this when all signs are pointing to the fact that the 30-year-old's best days are behind him.

Washington is in a tough spot when it comes to Littell. His poor season has reduced the number of teams who might be interested in trading for him, and if the Nationals decide to keep him on their roster, he has not been the plus addition they envisioned when they signed him. What happens with the veteran arm for the rest of the year will be determined in the coming weeks, but it's clear that this has not been the signing that either side envisioned.

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