The Nationals’ weekend swung from one extreme to the other, and Zack Littell sat right at the center of the mess.
One day after Washington blasted the Athletics 23-4 on Friday, the club was flattened 15-1 on Saturday. Littell started that game and got hit hard immediately, giving up five earned runs in the first inning before finishing with eight earned runs allowed over six innings. His season line now sits at a 5.43 ERA in 20 appearances, 13 of them starts, a number that falls well short of what Washington expected when it brought him in.
That disappointment matters now because Littell was never just supposed to be rotation depth. When the Nationals signed him to a one-year, $7 million deal in March of 2026, he was viewed as a possible upgrade and, if things went right, a trade chip before the deadline.
That idea made sense at the time. The Cincinnati Reds had paid a real price to get him from the Tampa Bay Rays last season, and he had posted back-to-back seasons with an ERA under 4.00.
But with the trade deadline set for Aug. 3 and only a couple of weeks left, the market picture looks very different. Teams are not likely to be lining up for a starter whose numbers have trended this far in the wrong direction.
The underlying metrics only make the case worse. Littell’s expected ERA is 6.43, higher than the 5.43 he has actually posted.
He has surrendered 25 home runs, the second most in the majors, while his 14.7% strikeout rate sits well below league average. His 7.2% walk rate is the highest since he became a starting pitcher, and his Stuff+ mark of 83 is the lowest of his career.
That combination leaves Washington in a bind. If the Nationals try to move him, the return would likely be minimal. If they keep him, they’re banking on a veteran starter who has not delivered the impact they were hoping for when they signed him.
There is still a path where Washington simply rides out the season with Littell. He has a mutual option for 2027, and based on how this year has gone, he would probably be inclined to pick it up. That would give the Nationals a full offseason to work with him and, in theory, try to rebuild his value for a future trade.
The problem is the price tag. That mutual option is for $12 million, and with Littell’s season going the way it has, it’s hard to imagine Washington wanting to commit to another year at that number.
For now, the Nationals are stuck between an unappealing trade market and a starter who hasn’t lived up to the deal. What happens next will play out over the coming weeks, but the signing has clearly not gone the way either side expected.
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