Nationals Claim Veteran Left-Hander Off Waivers as 40-Man Roster Shuffle Continues
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It feels like the rest of the Washington Nationals' offseason prior to spring training arriving is going to be filled with roster shuffling.
They signed journeyman infielder Sergio Alcantara to a minor league deal on Wednesday. That followed the outright assignments of catcher Riley Adams and right-handed pitcher Andry Lara to Triple-A Rochester after they were both DFA'd following separate waiver claims.
Well, one of the players the Nationals previously claimed off waivers -- utility man Mickey Gasper -- has now been designated for assignment following the team's decision to claim left-handed pitcher Richard Lovelady off waivers from the New York Mets.
we've claimed LHP Richard Lovelady off waivers pic.twitter.com/ARryBYzqPB
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 29, 2026
Gasper, who was seen as someone who might be able to hold a bench spot for Washington this year, will now be put through waivers once again where a team will have the opportunity to claim him. If that's the case, then the Nationals will lose a player with tons of defensive versatility, even if his bat has never been there at the big league level.
The addition of Lovelady is an interesting one. At 30 years old, he has turned into a journeyman the past two seasons, playing for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and, most recently, the Mets.
What Richard Lovelady Could Bring to Nationals
The first thing that stands out -- if Lovelady is able to stick with the team and make the Opening Day roster -- is the fact that he's left handed. Right now, there are only three projected lefties in the bullpen for Washington. And one of them -- Mitchell Parker -- was a starter last season.
Spring training will likely determine a lot when it comes to who is going to be on this relief staff. But there's no doubt the Nationals need left-handed pitchers to face lefty batters whenever those matchups arrive.
Lovelady doesn't have incredible statistics. He has a career 5.35 ERA and 82 ERA+ across 118 major league appearances. But his expected ERA of 4.08 suggests he's been wildly unlucky over the course of his time in the bigs.
Richard Lovelady retires Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end the 6th! pic.twitter.com/9hhcYpMGW5
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2025
The best thing Lovelady provides is an elite ground ball rate. He has induced a ground ball 51.4% of the time in his career, a figure that is well above the league average mark of 42.2%. A lot of that can be attributed to his sinker. He really found something with that pitch ahead of 2024, as his Stuff+ figures have been 116 and 108, respectively, even if he only made 10 appearances in the bigs last year.
It's not a guarantee Lovelady will be with Washington for the long haul in 2026. But if he's able to survive the merry-go-round that has been this 40-man roster shuffle and puts together a good spring, then he could be a left-handed option for them out of the bullpen.
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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