Former Washington Nationals Pitcher Lands Deal With New National League Team
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A former Washington Nationals reliever has inked a deal with a new National League organization.
As first reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC2, left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa has come to terms with the Cincinnati Reds on a minor league deal which includes an invitation to spring training. The split contract sees La Sorsa land a pro-rated $780,000 salary for any time he spends on the MLB side and $180,000 in the minor leagues.
The Nationals claimed La Sorsa off waivers in June of 2023 after he was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. After several appearances with Triple-A Rochester, he was elevated to the MLB roster.
La Sorsa would make 23 relief appearances that first season with the team and posted a 4.76 ERA, striking out 25 batters in 28.1 innings. Beginning the following season this past year in Triple-A, he actually posted some very nice numbers for Rochester with a 2.25 ERA in 42 appearances with a WHIP of just 1.000.
For Washington, La Sorsa would make 16 appearances in 2024 out of the bullpen and posted a 4.58 ERA, pitching 17.2 innings with a MLB career best 1.245 WHIP.
Despite the encouraging numbers across both leagues this season, La Sorsa was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Nationals after the team signed Japanese pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara from the Chunichi Dragons of the NPB.
Originally drafted by the Rays in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft after playing his college ball at St. John's University in New York, he made his big league debut in 2023 with Tampa Bay and appeared in just two games, giving up three hits and just one earned run in his 4.1 innings pitched before winding up in Washington's organization.
His numbers at all levels of the minor leagues have been intriguing enough for teams to be willing to take a chance on him, and there's certainly a significant chance La Sorsa is able to contribute at the MLB level for the Reds in 2025.
Whether or not he ever becomes an actual impact reliever for a Major League team is an entirely different question, but still at just 26 years old, there's reason to believe he may be able to develop into a solid bullpen piece given more chances to improve his game.
Nationals fans will surely follow La Sorsa's career closely moving forward to see if letting him go turns out to have been a mistake.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.