When teams are not in a strong position to contend, they need to take fliers on veteran players who may have bounce-back seasons. If the Nationals are not going to invest in high-level free agents, they have to look for lower-value players who may be diamonds in the rough.
Non-roster invitees are players who are not on a team’s 40-man roster, but they attend Major League spring training with a team, looking to earn a spot on the team’s roster. Usually, they are unheralded veterans. Here are three players that the Nationals could potentially target.
Stephen Nogosek
Nogosek has not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2023 with the Mets. That season, he had a 5.61 ERA in 25 and two-thirds innings pitched. Last year, the right-handed reliever was in AAA with the Royals, where he posted a 4.87 ERA in 57 and a third innings pitched. These are not numbers that most fans would get excited about. However, Nogosek has untapped potential. He has a fastball that is about league average velocity, and his primary offspeed offering is a sweeper with almost 20 inches of horizontal break. The right-hander has untapped potential that the new Nationals coaching staff could potentially make the most out of.
Jon Berti
The former Marlin has never been a great hitter. He has a career OPS of .690. However, he is a scrappy utility player that can help the Nationals. Berti has always been a disciplined hitter who avoids strikeouts. Moreover, he has always had elite speed, making him a stolen base threat, which the Nationals need. While Berti's sprint speed has decreased with age, his average sprint speed is still 28.3 feet per second, which is in the 74th percentile of qualified players. Berti is a bench piece who can raise the floor for the 2026 team.
Hunter Renfroe
The 33-year-old right fielder has declined in recent seasons. This past year, he had an OPS of .483. However, Renfroe still has a great average bat speed at 74.5 miles per hour and has cut his strikeout rate to below 20% in recent seasons. The slugger is worth taking a chance on. Moreover, he has a knack for hitting home runs in the DMV. He is considered one of the greatest players in the Cal Ripken Senior Collegiate Baseball League after setting the Bethesda Big Train’s single-season home run record in 2012 with 16.
These players have almost no risk attached to them, and the Nationals should take flyers on them for their potential upside.