Washington Nationals Veteran Pitcher Poised for Massive Breakout Campaign
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The Washington Nationals’ approach to handling business this offseason was one that many people were surprised by.
Some were under the belief that the team could open up their wallets and spend some money, looking to push the franchise further out of the rebuild they have been mired in since winning the World Series in 2019.
While no major splash was made, the roster has been improved with the addition of several veterans who will address the needs that existed.
One of the areas general manager Mike Rizzo sought to improve was the starting pitching depth.
With veterans Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams hitting the market, MacKenzie Gore, who has 372.2 career innings on his resume, was the most experienced starter left.
Looking to change that, the team re-signed Williams to a two-year, $14 million deal.
He wasn’t the only addition, as the Nationals went overseas to land international pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara out of Japan by inking him to a two-year, $3.5 million deal.
The largest commitment the team made was to another MLB veteran, Michael Soroka.
The two sides agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal that looks like it has the potential to be one of the biggest steals of the offseason.
Talent has never been the issue for the 2015 first-round pick out of Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Health has been his biggest obstacle.
In 2020 he made only three appearances following his NL Rookie of the Year runner-up campaign in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves. Soroka missed the following two seasons and has made only 32 appearances the last two years.
For the first time in a while, he finally looks healthy, as he is performing at a high level with the Nationals in spring training.
That has him in line to remind everyone of just how talented he is, poised to break out in 2025 with a role in the starting rotation locked down.
“I've long been a fan of Soroka's from when I worked with the Braves during his rise, believing he'd break out again as soon as was healthy. After a strong relief run in the second half last year for the White Sox -- with a spot in the Washington rotation and a strong start to the spring -- it looks like we're all systems go,” wrote Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, who selected Soroka as Washington’s breakout candidate for the year.
Given how the starting pitching market boomed this past winter, locking down a middle of the rotation arm for under $10 million presents excellent value for the Nationals.
Soroka has been excellent thus far in spring training, working 7.0 innings and allowing only four hits and one walk for one earned run with nine strikeouts.
He has accomplished that against solid competition, with Baseball-Reference’s opponent quality coming in at an 8.2 out of 10.
Looking more like the version of himself from early in his career, it would not be shocking to see him cement himself as one of the best starters on the Washington staff this year.
