Nationals Officially Return Rule 5 Draft Pick Griff McGarry Back to Phillies
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Well, it was a short-lived time with the Washington Nationals for Griff McGarry.
As their first-round pick of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft in December, it seemed like the Nationals got a steal when they poached the right-hander away from the Philadelphia Phillies. After all, McGarry had been a former top prospect of the Phillies and seemed like he could become a key part of this pitching staff during the next couple of seasons.
But ultimately, things didn't work out for the 26-year-old in the nation's capital. He was designated for assignment following the trade with the New York Yankees for infielder Jorbit Vivas. And now, Washington officially announced that McGarry was returned to Philadelphia.
Why Didn't Nationals Roll Dice on Griff McGarry?
When it was revealed that McGarry had been DFA'd, there was some head scratching going on amongst the fanbase and analysts regarding why the Nationals made that decision. Landing someone who was once a borderline top 100 prospect virtually for free in the Rule 5 Draft made a ton of sense for a franchise that is looking to add as much young talent as possible.
And there's no doubting the pure talent McGarry has. His "stuff" is above average, and he showed that this spring with Thomas Nestico of TJStats grading all three of his pitches above the 100 mark to put his TJStuff+ figure at 107. However, even with a whiff rate of 36.6% and a ground ball rate of 53.3% which screamed he should be getting a look in the bigs this year, the control issues he's had throughout his career were present once again with five walks across 5 2/3 innings pitched.
Because the Nationals would have had to carry the right-hander on their 26-man roster for the entire season or risk losing him to the Phillies anyway, the organization must have felt it was better to cut ties with him now to create a more flexible bullpen than committing to McGarry for the whole year.
This Decision Could Come Back to Haunt Nationals
It will be interesting to see what ultimately comes out of this down the road. If Washington had DFA'd McGarry to make room for someone who could be a true difference maker for this roster in 2026 and beyond, then this decision would make much more sense. Instead, it was to clear space for Vivas, who might not even be on the team this summer.
And with Philadelphia now getting back one of their former top prospects who looks like he might have turned the corner in his career a little bit, that could spell disaster for the Nationals since they were able to steal McGarry away from their NL East rivals this past winter and have him as part of their organization.
Of course, McGarry will have to live up to the hype and become an effective arm for the Phillies if anyone is going to look back upon this as a mistake. But there's a chance that could happen at some point down the line. And if it does and Vivas was not a factor in the nation's capital at any point, then this decision could be looked upon as the first big mistake of this new regime.
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