Nationals Listed as Potential Candidate To Sign Former All-Star Relief Pitcher

Will the Washington Nationals seek to improve their bullpen, and if so will it be his well-heeled veteran who used to pitch for a rival?

Sep 29, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) pitches during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

With the Washington Nationals starting to heat up a bit, the team could afford to address an area of weakness. 

After a slow start to the campaign, the Nationals are playing much better baseball of late. The lineup has finally started to come alive a little bit, with the young core finding their groove. 

Even though this isn’t likely a team that is going to be contending for a playoff spot, it is one that wants to see some improvements this year in the win column. 

Over the last two seasons, Washington has won 71 games in each of them. With the talent on the roster this campaign, improving on that number should be a realistic possibility. 

The front office did a nice job adding some veterans, especially to the batting order, to help support the young core. Now, it’s time to start really seeing what these young players can do moving forward. 

However, while the lineup looks good on paper and is breaking out of an early funk, the team still does have some areas that they can improve. 

One of those areas is the bullpen. Coming into the season, this unit was one that didn’t appear to be great on paper. Fortunately, the late re-signing of Kyle Finnegan has paid dividends, with the veteran right-hander off to a strong start. 

However, if the Nationals are looking to strengthen the unit, there is a great option still available in free agency. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote about Washington as a potential candidate to land relief pitcher David Robertson in free agency. 

After a strong campaign, it’s surprising to see Robertson still on the market. The right-hander declined a $7 million option with the Texas Rangers to test free agency, but remains unsigned. 

At 40 years old, the right-hander still appears to have plenty left in the tank, but ultimately nobody has likely gotten to the number that he values himself at. 

Now, with the Nationals starting to play a bit better and a clear need for some help in middle relief to get the ball to Finnegan, Robertson makes sense. 

Furthermore, even if Washington falls out of contention, relief pitchers provide a ton of value at the trade deadline and the team could simply flip him to a contender. 

It is certainly strange that the right-hander hasn’t signed yet, considering how valuable he could be to numerous teams. 

For the Nationals, the former All-Star makes a lot of sense to pursue.