Nationals: List of minor league free agents lacks potency

At the end of baseball season, a bunch of minor leaguers hit free agency. The 2020 crop from the Washington Nationals system lacks fire power.

Why are we taking time to look at these transactions? Minor league players who hit free agency this time of year are usually lifetime minor leaguers trying to achieve the dream of playing in the majors, or veteran players trying to make it back to the bigs for one last hurrah. For every team, including the Washington Nationals, these players do more than provide depth, they may find themselves playing in meaningful games at some point during the year.

Just like Paolo Espino this year, and Moises Sierra in 2018, these depth guys may be called upon at any moment to produce for the major league team. Having respectable players in the minors to call upon is important.

I always think back to the 2009 season, when the Nationals had a plethora of injuries at the catching position, and rather than giving the reins to a young Jhanaton Solono or Luke Montz, the team traded for veteran Jaime Burke, to get them through the waning weeks of a lost season. Had the team had a more reliable veteran catcher in the minors, he would surely have gotten the call.

A year ago the crop of free agents let go was a little more fruitful. Infielders Jose Marmalejos and Brandon Snyder were both coming off stellar minor league campaigns. Snyder hit 33 home runs at AAA and Marmalejos hit a combined .315 with 18 jacks between AA-AAA. Snyder would return to the Nationals on a minor league contract while Marmalejos would catch on with the Seattle Mariners and hit six home runs in just over 100 at-bats.

A third round pick in Drew Ward and fourth round pick in Chuck Taylor were also set free. Greg Holland and Sam Freeman were two veteran arms who were put on the open market. Holland appears on mlbtraderumors.com top 50 free agent list this offseason.

On the 2020 list of minor league free agents, Welington Castillo was the veteran of the bunch, and he opted out of the season. His contributions to this franchise still null.

Rafael Bautista and James Bourque saw limited time in the majors, though didn’t do anything notable. The fact Bourque shaved his stellar mustache was more noteworthy than his pitching. Pitcher Austen Williams also saw some time in parts of two seasons, leaving the 2019 campaign with an ERA of 162.00.

Some of these guys will be re-signed to minor league contracts, and if they are lucky will get an invitation to spring training with an outside chance of making the roster. They are organizational depth, however.

The focus is on the major league team when it comes to signing free agents, though signing capable minor league free agents does have benefits over the course of a grueling 162 game season.