The Washington Nationals have already been hard at work to kick off the 2025 MLB offseason. While there are certainly still some very big fish to fry, especially if the club looks to deal one of their young stars like MacKenzie Gore or even CJ Abrams, there are a lot of smaller transactions that could also help the club for 2026 and beyond.
I wrote an article yesterday about the possibility that the Nationals pursue a proven big league catcher to pair with Keibert Ruiz, and I identified Jonah Heim as being a potential fit. A lot of that was due to his connection with Bobby Wilson, who just came over from Heim's previous organization, the Texas Rangers, but there were other factors involved. But what about another former Ranger?
The Nationals should bring Josh Sborz back to the DMV
This name should ring a bell to many baseball fans, but especially to those who follow high school baseball around the DMV area. For those of you who don't know, Northern Virginia actually has a fun connection to the man who recorded the final outs of the 2023 World Series for the Texas Rangers, Josh Sborz.
Sborz, a righty reliever formerly of the Rangers organization, played his prep baseball for McLean High School, before finding his way over the University of Virginia for his collegiate days. Besides attending an inferior high school unlike his older brother Jay (I went to Langley, Hail Saxons!), Sborz has a chance to atone for that previous mistake by signing with the Nationals this offseason.
As we all know, the Nationals have had issues for years in being able to field a competent bullpen, and with Sborz recently being non-tendered from the Rangers along with Heim and a couple other players, he is looking for an opportunity to rebuild his value. In recent years, the Nationals have had some mixed results on pitchers looking to rebound, but Sborz might just be a worthwhile dart throw.
Obviously the familiarity with the area would make a ton of sense for Sborz, as would the team's need for competent relief pitching. Of course, Sborz is coming off some major injury concerns as he did not appear in a single game in 2025 following shoulder debridement surgery back in late 2024. That does present the Nationals with a little bit of risk, but it might just be worth it if they can bring back a guy who was pretty lights-out during the Rangers' World Series run.
His numbers in the 2023 Postseason were ridiculous, as he went 4-0 in 10 appearances, pitching to a 0.75 ERA and 0.667 WHIP with a 13:4 K:BB ratio in 12.0 innings pitched. Additionally, his 2.09 FIP was absolutely elite throughout that run, even topping his 3.75 mark in 2023 and 2.61 mark in 2024, both of which are more solid indicators of the talent he possesses, not as much his regular season numbers.
Do you want to see the Nationals sign Josh Sborz? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.