Could Jack Flaherty or Walker Buehler be fits for the Washington Nationals?

Aside from a power bat, a veteran pitcher might be the most obvious need for the Washington Nationals this offseason. Both the starting rotation and the bullpen are filled with almost exclusively young arms.

There are numerous pitchers who were featured in the World Series who could be available this offseason. The Yankees have a handful of pitchers who will become free agents once the series ends, highlighted by Tommy Kahnle, Clay Holmes, Tim Hill and Jonathan Loaisiga.

The Dodgers have a trio of their best relievers that are set to hit the open market, including Joe Kelly, former Nationals project Blake Treinen, and 2019 World Series legend Daniel Hudson.

However, the most fascinating options appear to be a duo of starters for the Dodgers. Given their recent track records, neither will likely be extremely expensive to sign, but both have proven to be solid, and even dominant at times, and they could become veteran leaders of what is a very young starting staff in Washington.

Jack Flaherty

This 29-year-old right-handed starter's career has been a mixed bag, but he's been very reliable this season. Flaherty was a former star prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals. He got off to a hot start, with ERAs between 2.75 and 3.34 in three of his first four full seasons. In fact, the only blip on his resume at that point was a 9-start campaign in the shortened 2020 season, which is easy to excuse.

He struggled a bit more in 2022, spending most of the season on the injured list, and then posted an ERA of nearly 5.00 in 2023. However, he bounced back to his old form this season, which he split between the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers (with whom he arguably should have been able to represent in the All-Star Game).

This dichotomy makes Flaherty rather fascinating. Which version of him is the real version? Will this season drive his price towards the top of the market, or will the prior two years keep his range more moderate?

In either case, he seems like he'd be a welcome addition, especially since he's also pitched in the playoffs in four different seasons.

Walker Buehler

Many of the same ideas apply to Buehler. Although he's a year older, he's generally been more dominant. From his 2018 rookie season through 2020, he never posted an ERA higher than 3.44, and then he delivered a career-best 2.47 in 2022.

If that performance had continued, he would be viewed as one of the best pitchers in the league. Unfortunately, he has battled almost constant diversity ever since, struggling to stay available to take the mound at all.

A right forearm strain sent him to the injured list in early June 2022, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He eventually went under the knife, undergoing UCL reconstructive surgery. That essentially kept him sidelined until the start of this season, including all of 2023, and out of the major leagues until May 6 of this year. Then he missed two months during the middle of this season due to hip inflammation.

His two bookend months to the 2024 season were his most effective, and he improved upon his September showing once the postseason started. His NLDS appearance was rocky, but he tossed 10 shutout innings between the NLCS and World Series, capped off by a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the championship run in Game 5.

Buehler has always excelled when the lights are the brightest. In 35 postseason games, he has posted an ERA of 3.04, and a pristine mark of 0.48 across 19 innings in the 2020 and 2024 World Series.

Buehler in particular tickles at the imagination, and is also a reminder of better times for the Nationals, given his overall postseason dominance and his most recent appearance out of the bullpen. Remember when Washington's top trio was used similarly in 2019?

Flaherty and Buehler are only two of a long list of pitchers who will be available this offseason. However, their postseason pedigree would offer additional value to a franchise that is looking to get themselves back into October and currently has one of the youngest rosters in the majors.

I firmly believe a veteran with a solid resume should be added to help anchor the top portion of the starting rotation. So, should this duo be among the top targets for the Nationals this offseason? Who should they prioritize?