Nationals Land Potentially High-Impact Arm Griff McGarry With Rule 5 Draft Pick
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It was known the Washington Nationals were going to make a selection in the Rule 5 Draft that took place on Dec. 10.
With roster questions all over the place and a need for pitching, it seemed obvious that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni would use this opportunity to add an arm that could make an impact for them in the immediate or short-term future.
That happened on Wednesday. With the third overall pick in the draft, the Nationals selected right-handed pitcher Griff McGarry from the Philadelphia Phillies. This gives them a ready-made MLB arm who could slot into the rotation at some point if he's not moved into the bullpen full-time.
welcome, griff pic.twitter.com/XxXhey8paq
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) December 10, 2025
The ceiling for the 26-year-old isn't quite clear. Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by the Phillies, McGarry showed great promise early in his minor league career when he posted a 3.71 ERA across 27 outings (19 starts) with 130 total strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings pitched at the High-A, Double-A and then Triple-A levels during the 2022 season.
But after that, he ran into some troubles with his command. As a starter in 2023, he walked 50 batters in 60 innings pitched. He still recorded 81 K's, but his ERA finished at 6.00 on the season. Philadelphia tried to convert him into a bullpen arm in 2024. Across 30 outings and 31 2/3 innings pitched, he walked 36 hitters compared to recording only 42 strikeouts.
Still, there's no doubting the talent and stuff McGarry has. And that was on full display this past season when he was moved back into a starting role. He finished with a 3.44 ERA across 21 starts and he also rung up 124 batters in 83 2/3 innings pitched, while he only walked 49.
How Griff McGarry Fits Into Nationals' Plans Going Forward
Coming off that showing in 2025, which earned him the Phillies' Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award, it was almost a no-brainer to take a chance on McGarry considering his upside and that it potentially weakens a division rival.
Of course, Washington is hoping it works out with their new pitcher so they don't have to return him to Philadelphia like they did with last year's Rule 5 pick Evan Reifert from the Tampa Bay Rays. And ensuring he has success will start with what role they envision for him.
As it stands right now, McGarry has gotten the majority of his experience as a starting pitcher. However, it seems like he profiles more as a high-strikeout reliever going forward if he can get his command issues under control based on the elite stuff he has. And because the Nationals have a clear need in their bullpen, there is an immediate path to an impactful arm right away.
Few pitchers in the minors have stuff on the level of Griff McGarry.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) December 2, 2025
The Phillies righthander blows up our Stuff+ models with a 121 overall score.
And he's available in the Rule 5 draft 👀 pic.twitter.com/K3xSsNXRAm
How Washington approaches this situation will be interesting to monitor, though. While the bullpen is a clear weakness and is in need of high-upside arms like McGarry following the Jose A. Ferrer trade, this starting rotation doesn't have a ton of high-end pitchers, either.
Perhaps a swingman role is in McGarry's future at some point if they don't want to just pigeonhole him into being a one-inning reliever at this stage of his career. But the Nationals have to make sure he's ready for whatever they throw at him since he has to remain on the 26-man roster or injured list for the entire 2026 season.
No matter what happens with McGarry, though, this is a swing that was worth taking by Toboni in the Rule 5 Draft this year.
