Questionable Nationals Decision Making in Spotlight After Starter Gets Placed on IL

The Washington Nationals placed their offseason signing on the injured list, putting their decision making back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Nov 9, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo answers questions from the media during the MLB GM Meetings at The Conrad Las Vegas | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

It wasn't an active offseason for the Washington Nationals.

Despite the hope that the front office and ownership group would spend money on this roster during the winter after some high-priced contracts came off the books, the organization opted to continue down their rebuilding path instead of going after some notable free agents.

That decision makes sense.

While it would have been nice to overpay for an established ace or star position player, the timeline wouldn't have fit based on the ages of the other players on this team.

But, the Nationals did decide to make some upgrades.

They acquired first baseman Nathaniel Lowe in a trade with the Texas Rangers. Signed slugger Josh Bell, veteran infielders Amed Rosario and Paul DeJong. And reunited with pitchers Kyle Finnegan and Trevor Williams.

All solid moves for a team that still is evaluating their young players.

However, the questionable decision they made to hand Michael Soroka $9 million is back in the spotlight following his placement on the injured list, and it's the latest example of shaky choices the Nationals have made.

Everyone knew the risks surrounding the former first-round pick.

Soroka, who began his career in sizzling fashion with an NL Rookie of the Year runner-up finish and All-Star selection during the 2019 season, missed the entirety of the 2021 and 2022 campaigns due to injury.

Since he returned, he has not been the same, punctuated by the 6.39 ERA he recorded in nine starts as a starting pitcher with the Chicago White Sox last year that earned him a demotion to the bullpen.

Buying low on Soroka this offseason would have been one thing, but Washington decided to hand him the most lucrative deal on the team -- only Lowe is paid more ($10.3 million) due to arbitration.

It was a questionable decision at the time, and after one start, the highest-paid pitcher on the roster is now on the shelf after his first start of the year.

This isn't going to make or break the Nationals.

Soroka was only going to take the mound every fifth day when he healthy, and he is under contract for just 2025. But this points to a larger issue with the organization.

Poor decision making.