Predictably, the Nationals are off to a horrendous start to the 2025 season. There are many reasons as to why; a very quiet off-season, the bullpen getting significantly worse, a huge spike in strikeouts for the offense, the list goes on.
The brunt of the blame should go on Mark Lerner and Mike Rizzo for sitting on their hands the whole off-season, save for a couple of bargain bin signings, but they don't control how the players perform on the field. Some of these bargain bin signings have been horrendous and if they continue their poor performances, they may be unemployed soon. Here are three players who have been terrible to start the year and are on thin ice.
1. Colin Poche
The Nationals signed Colin Poche to a minor league deal in February with the hopes that he would be a reliable lefty out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, that has not been the case thus far. In Spring Training, Poche struggled mightily, posting a 6.35 ERA in 5.2 innings. He has been even worse in the regular season, allowing 6 runs in 1.1 innings (a 40.50 ERA) and walking 6 batters. He's been an absolute disaster in every game he's pitched in thus far, and if he doesn't right the ship quickly, he won't last long on the roster.
2. Lucas Sims
Second verse, same as the first. Similar to Poche, Lucas Sims was signed to a deal in February to provide a late inning arm for the bullpen. Also similar to Poche, Sims has been awful so far, although not quite as bad as Poche. In 4 games, Sims has thrown 1.2 innings and allowed 3 runs, including a game-tying homer to Bryce Harper on Opening Day. In his two most recent appearances, Sims has allowed just one hit over 1 inning, but has hit a batter and has not recorded a strikeout.
The most concerning aspect of Sims' performance thus far is his lack of strikeouts. Not counting 2022 (only pitched in 6 games due to injury), Sims has had a K/9 of at least 8.9 every season since 2018, including four seasons with a K/9 of 10.6 or higher. In Spring Training, Sims had a K/9 over 15, but was very ineffective (11.12 ERA in 5.2 innings), so it could be him just adjusting to the regular season, but it's hard to tell at this point. However, if he does not figure it out soon, he may be next to go.
3. Josh Bell
As sad as it is to say, Josh Bell has been abysmal to start the year. He has gone 2 for 22 with a home run and 3 walks. That's it. He's struck out 7 times and has looked slow at the plate, swinging at bad pitches and whiffing at pitches down the middle. It's safe to say that this isn't the Josh Bell that was playing for the Nationals in 2021 and 2022. Not that performing like he did in his last stint as a National was necessarily the expectation, but being this bad to start the year is not what the Nationals needed out of their everyday designated hitter. Bell is a notoriously slow starter, so he deserves some leeway, but if he doesn't get going within the next few weeks, the Nationals may have to look elsewhere for a DH.