New Executive Played Important Role in Drew Smith Signing With Nationals

Drew Smith signed with the Washington Nationals because of his familiarity with the team's new executive.

Drew Smith of the New York Mets | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

After a winter where it seemed like the Washington Nationals weren't going to address their bullpen that much, the front office added multiple veteran options during the spring and after camp began.

One of those arms is Drew Smith, the former New York Mets reliever who has been effective during his time in the majors with a career 3.48 ERA and ERA+ that's 15 points above the league average across 191 appearances (one start).

Coming off his second Tommy John surgery where he was limited to just 19 outings in 2024 and missed all of this past season, it seemed like teams were leery of signing Smith. However, he insists he's healthy after throwing live bullpen sessions throughout the winter. And he could be an under-the-radar signing who has a major impact for his new team.

Director of Pitching Grayson Crawford Played Role in Signing Drew Smith

Drew Smith of the New York Mets | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The right-hander agreed to a minor league deal with the Nationals on Feb. 16. He'll earn $1.7 million if he makes Washington's MLB roster. And there's a good chance that happens if he has a strong showing during spring training.

Smith said he had options outside of the Nationals to choose from, but it was his relationship with new director of pitching Grayson Crawford that caused him to select Washington as his next team.

"Grayson was talking about the staff and the vibes and the guys," Smith stated, per MLB.com. "I had a couple other places that I was looking at, but ended up choosing here. I'm excited to be here, happy to be here."

Drew Smith, Elevated ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/WS3nwc3qdb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2023

Crawford was previously with the Mets as their assistant pitching coordinator. He was hired by the Nationals to become their new director of pitching during early-December, and that decision has already had an impact before he has even really gotten his day-to-day pitching development responsibilities underway.

Again, Smith has to perform if he's going to make the Opening Day roster. Since he signed a minor league deal, it will be easy to cut him loose prior to the season opener if that's not the case. But if he's truly healthy like he says, then he has a real shot of being part of this bullpen.

That would be a huge plus for Washington. Only three of their relievers -- Andrew Chafin, Clayton Beeter and PJ Poulin -- had ERA+ marks over the league average of 100 last year. And Chafin is no longer with the team. So if Smith can find his past form and be effective for the Nationals, then they have added a much-needed weapon to their relief staff.