Nationals Make Signing of Zack Littell Official, DFA Veteran Reliever
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The Washington Nationals have officially signed their biggest splash of the offseason.
After it was reported on Sunday that they had agreed to a deal with right-handed starting pitcher Zack Littell, things were made official on Tuesday when he was added to their roster. As a corresponding move, veteran reliever Richard Lovelady was designated for assignment.
Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the Nationals signed Littell to a one-year, $7 million contract that can get up to $9.5 million with innings incentives. They also agreed to a mutual option for the 2027 season that would pay him $12 million with a $4 million buyout.
Nationals Get Major Steal With This Zack Littell Deal
Now that the finances are official, it's hard not to be impressed with the bargain Washington got for someone who has been an effective MLB starting pitching for the past two-and-a-half years. Since moving into the rotation with the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2023, he has an ERA of 3.67 ERA across 75 starts and is coming off a campaign where he posted a 3.81 ERA across 32 starts.
Considering the Cincinnati Reds traded for Littell ahead of the deadline last season to be part of their playoff push, it was surprising to see his market not be robust as one of the middle tier pitchers. So after being considered a fit for the righty throughout the offseason, the Nationals waited things out and got their man on a huge bargain.
Nusbaum added that Littell will receive $100,000 each for reaching the 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 innings threshold, $250,000 each for 150 and 160 innings pitched and $500k each for getting up to 170, 180 and 190 innings. Considering he threw 186 2/3 frames last year, Washington could be paying the upper amount of this agreed upon contract. But that's something they would certainly take if the veteran can be an effective innings eater for them.
Richard Lovelady Gets DFA'd Once Again
Lovelady was the roster casualty of Littell's addition. Claimed off waivers at the end of January, there was a thought Lovelady might be able to make Washington's MLB roster just based on how bleak the outlook in the bullpen was at the time. But as more talent was added ahead of spring training, the competition became much stiffer for the lefty to make the team.
Getting designated for assignment wasn't necessarily performance based, either. Lovelady has had a good showing this spring with just one earned run allowed on four hits across four outings. He's also struck out seven batters in four innings while issuing three walks. However, with PJ Poulin and Cionel Perez looking like they could be the two main lefties used out of the bullpen, the Nationals decided to DFA Lovelady to make room for Littell.
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