Another Potential Nationals Relief Target Gets Scooped Up in Free Agency

Bullpen options are dwindling for the Washington Nationals.

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As the Washington Nationals continue to navigate their first offseason under the leadership of new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, it will be interesting to see what ultimately gets done this winter.

Rumors were flying at the beginning of free agency surrounding a possible MacKenzie Gore trade. And after it seemed like something was almost guaranteed to get done, he's still on the roster and might be heading up the 2026 rotation after all.

The Nationals did land potential catcher of the future in Harry Ford after shipping out Jose A. Ferrer. But the already-weak bullpen unit was depleted further to get that done, and the front office has not been too aggressive to make upgrades outside of claiming Paxton Schultz off waivers.

Pierce Johnson Agrees to $6.5 Million Deal With Cincinnati Reds

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Now, another potential relief option Washington could have pursued is off the market, as Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Pierce Johnson agreed to a deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com later added that it's a one-year, $6.5 million contract.

For the Nationals to not be involved at that price is head-scratching. While they were never going to break the bank for high-profile free agents this winter, adding a proven veteran on a relatively cheap deal to bolster what was the worst bullpen staff in the majors last season seems like something this regime would have wanted to do.

Don’t sleep on the Reds offseason! RP Pierce Johnson in ‘25: 59 IP, 9.00 K/9, 3.05 ERA. pic.twitter.com/3soj65CTwu

— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) January 11, 2026

The 34-year-old has been really good for the Atlanta Braves the past two-and-a-half seasons. Acquired ahead of the trade deadline in 2023, he finished that campaign for the Braves with an impressive 0.76 ERA across 24 appearances.

Johnson wasn't quite as lights out during the past two years, but he still finished each season with an ERA below the 4.00 mark. And across his 147 total outings for Atlanta, he posted a 2.97 ERA and an ERA+ of 144 that was 44 points above the league average.

That's why not pursuing the right-hander is so strange. There is no doubt that Johnson would have been a major upgrade for Washington if they would have landed him. And considering his market value -- estimated by Spotrac -- was in the $8.3 million range, signing the veteran for this price would have been a huge steal for the Nationals.

Now that Johnson is off the board, it will be interesting to see how Toboni and his front office go about piecing together a bullpen they hope will be improved in 2026 compared to 2025. But not adding the established reliever could be a major mistake when it comes to that plan.