Star Reliever Calls Out Free Agency Snub As Washington Nationals Bullpen Flounders
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It is no secret that the Washington Nationals currently have the worst bullpen in all of MLB.
A team with a young, exciting lineup full of burgeoning star hitters and a rotation featuring an emerging ace like MacKenzie Gore and better-than-expected performances all the way around has lost several games solely due to poor performances from its relief pitchers.
In the off-season the team traded a solid reliever in Robert Garcia to the Texas Rangers to acquire Nathaniel Lowe. The move addressed a longstanding need at first base, but created another issue in the relief corps.
The front office also failed to bring in adequate outside reinforcements.
They could still right this wrong with David Robertson on the market, but one of the most overlooked relievers in free agency is reminding teams what they missed out on.
Phil Maton has been a revelation for the St. Louis Cardinals since joining the team on a one-year, $2 million contract that he signed in March.
In an interview with The New York Post (subscription required), Maton told Mark W. Sanchez that he is taking what happened this winter personally and is seeking revenge on the 29 teams who overlooked him while he was available.
"So ridiculous Maton was virtually ignored in free agency (likely due to velocity)," the outlet's Jon Heyman posted on X in response.
Maton spent 2024 between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets, the latter of which he felt particularly spurned by after posting a 2.51 ERA for them in 31 appearances.
Maton has made 10 appearances for the Cardinals, holding opponents scoreless over 9.1 innings of work in which he's allowed just four hits and struck out 11 batters.
Those numbers would look great in Washington right about now.
Instead, manager Dave Martinez has struggled to find any rhythm among his current stable of relief options.
Star closer Kyle Finnegan boasts a 1.17 ERA, but veteran acquisition Colin Poche has been hit to the tune of a 16.62 ERA while Lucas Sims has an 11.05 and Jorge Lopez owns a 10.57.
Three oft-used bullpen options with ERAs over 10 is simply disastrous, and the Nationals need to figure out this situation in a hurry.
Otherwise, they risk backsliding from a 71-91 record in 2024 that, while inadequate, did provide some hope that a return to being competitive could be on the horizon.
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Kyle Morton has covered various sports from amateur to professional level athletics. A graduate of Fordham University, Kyle specializes in MLB and NHL coverage while having previous bylines with SB Nation, The Hockey Writers, HighSchoolOT, and Sports World News. He spent time working the beat for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and is an avid fan of the NHL, MLB, NFL and college basketball. Enjoys the outdoors and hiking in his free time away from sports.