Insider Predicts Nationals' Rule 5 Draft Pick Will Head Back to Phillies
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Rewinding back to the Rule 5 Draft that took place on Dec. 10 of last year, there was a lot of excitement surrounding who the Washington Nationals selected.
With their first pick, the Nationals stole former top prospect Griff McGarry away from the Philadelphia Phillies when their NL East rivals weren't able to protect the right-hander. McGarry, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, peaked at No. 3 in the Phillies' pipeline after he reached Triple-A in his second full season of professional baseball. He looked like a future frontline starter in Philadelphia, so the fact Washington landed him was notable.
The only catch is that McGarry has to remain on the Nationals' 26-man roster throughout the 2026 season or they have to offer him back to the Phillies. And after it seemed like there was zero doubt McGarry wouldn't be part of the roster, there's now a chance he could wind up back in Philadelphia because of how crowded the bullpen picture is now.
Insider Believes Nationals Will Offer Griff McGarry Back to Phillies
In fact, Spencer Nusbuam of The Athletic (subscription required) believes that's going to happen when Washington finalizes their Opening Day roster, as the insider doesn't have McGarry as part of the 26-man group in his projection.
"Washington's relievers have pitched well this spring, complicating the decision for the brass. ... With it seeming more and more likely that Rule 5 pick Griff McGarry is headed back to Philadelphia, Washington should have plenty of choices over the course of the season," he wrote.
This new regime seems keen on having flexibility everywhere, and that likely includes a bullpen that's full of pitchers who have options remaining. With multiple veterans in the mix, too, it seems like the experienced relievers will start the year on the MLB roster and eventually get removed if they don't perform during the regular season.
That complicates things when it comes to McGarry. While there's no doubt he has tons of talent based on all three of his pitches being above the 100 mark this spring when it comes to Stuff+, per Thomas Nestico of TJStats, his lack of control was still an issue across six spring training starts with five walks issued in 5 2/3 innings pitched.
Losing Griff McGarry Could Hurt Nationals Long Term
The risk of keeping McGarry on the 26-man roster is if he isn't able to be successful in his bullpen role. That would not only limit what the Nationals could do from a flexibility standpoint, but reducing one of their arms to only low-leverage situations would hurt over the course of the 162-game season.
If Washington still has questions about McGarry's viability, then it makes sense why they would offer him back to Philadelphia so they can create the flexibility they want to have for this year. However, that could also hurt the Nationals in the long run if McGarry is able to be more consistent at finding the strike zone while also maintaining his high-end stuff.
It will be interesting to see what the final decision is going to be. But right now, there is some expectation that McGarry won't be in the nation's capital after all.
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