Trevor Williams’ time with the Nationals ended quickly after Washington decided to move on from the veteran right-hander on Aug. 30, and he has already landed with a new club.
The Texas Rangers announced they signed Williams to an MLB deal, and with rosters expanding from 26 to 28 men on Sept. 1, he was able to join their active roster right away. Texas is hoping he can help in the final month as the club pushes for a wild card spot.
Williams returned from an internal brace procedure and worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen for Washington after spending most of his career as a starter. In eight outings with the Nationals, he posted a 2.65 ERA, struck out 22 and walked six over 17 innings.
That production came with a striking number attached: a 31% strikeout rate, the best of his career in the limited sample. It’s unclear exactly how Texas plans to use him, but that kind of swing-and-miss ability suggests the Rangers may see more relief value than starting potential.
Washington’s decision also comes with the financial reality that often follows these moves. As was the case when the Nationals designated Zack Littell for assignment and later released him earlier in the season, they will be responsible for most of Williams’ salary for the rest of the year, while Texas only has to pay the prorated league minimum for the time he spends on the big league roster.
The Nationals accepted that arrangement because they believed the open roster spot in their pitching staff mattered more than keeping Williams around.
Now the focus shifts to Texas, which entered Tuesday two games under .500 but still sat just 1.5 games out of the final American League wild card spot. If Williams keeps pitching the way he did in Washington, he could wind up mattering in a hurry.
In Other News...
Nationals Give Jared Simpson His Shot As Roster Change Turns Costly
September call-ups always bring a little roster churn, and this one came with a familiar bit of late-season bad luck for Washington. The Nationals selected the contracts of pitcher Jared Simpson and Yohandy Morales, giving both players a path to the big leagues as the organization starts to take a longer look at some younger pieces. To make room, the club had to clear a 40-man spot, and the move came at the expense of Drew Millas, whose season has been interrupted by injury.
Simpsons arrival is the more immediate baseball story for Washington. The 26-year-old has moved between Double-A and Triple-A this season while showing the kind of strikeout and ground-ball numbers that can get a pitcher noticed, and now he gets his first major league opportunity. For the Nationals, it is a chance to see whether his performance can translate in the majors, even if the first assignment figures to be in relief and the bigger question is how he fits into the bullpen picture going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Win Put One Growing Standard Front And Center
A win can cover a lot of ground for a young club, but the Nationals still walked away with a reminder that standards matter as much as the scoreboard. Blake Butera has been reinforcing that message since taking over, and it showed up in a recent game when a mistake on a routine pop-up led to a quick benching. For a team trying to build habits as much as results, the point was hard to miss: effort and discipline are part of the expectation every night.
The backdrop made the lesson even clearer because Daylen Lile is starting to look more like the player Washington hoped he could be after working through a slump. His bat gave the lineup a real lift, and his recent progress has been one of the more encouraging signs for the Nationals. In that sense, the night offered both sides of the same coin for Buteras group, a glimpse of the upside when things are going well and a firm reminder that the margin for lapses is still thin. [Read more 🡒]
Yohandy Morales Just Gave Nationals Fans Another Young Bat To Watch
Yohandy Morales arrived in the majors and wasted little time giving Nationals fans a reason to keep watching. In his MLB debut, the young infielder announced himself with a home run for his first major league hit, joining a rare bit of club history in a 9-5 Washington win.
Morales became the eighth player in Nationals history to homer for his first career hit, and the second to do it this season, which only adds to the sense that the organization may have found another bat worth tracking closely. He also came up a triple shy of the cycle, leaving just enough unfinished business to make his next few starts feel a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]