Out of all areas on the Washington Nationals with regard to their big league roster, there might not be a single weaker unit than their starting rotation. After trading 2025 All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers, the team lost arguably their only one of their high-upside arms.
To replace his spot in the rotation, the Nationals signed veteran righty Miles Mikolas to a 1-year deal, but thinking that him and Gore are anywhere close to the same pitcher would just be completely wrong. Mikolas is close to the end of his career, whereas Gore is likely going to be fully entering his prime under better coaching with the Rangers.
Outside of Mikolas, the Nationals have a bit of a ragtag rotation, but there are some familiar names that will likely find their way into the equation. Jake Irvin and Josiah Gray should be returning, and new free agent addition Foster Griffin might also have a spot locked down. With those 3 plus Mikolas holding down 4 spots already, who is the forgotten man?
That would be Cade Cavalli, who was once a Top 100 prospect in all of baseball and a very high-upside arm even still. Injuries have plagued his career since he made his debut in the majors back in 2022, but his return to the show in 2025 proved he still has some intriguing upside at this stage of his career.
He could be slated for an Opening Day start for the Nationals, and according to new skipper Blake Butera, "His stuff is already better than it's been, ever," indicating that perhaps the time is now for Cavalli to take that next step. With him already being 27-years-old and only having 53.0 major league innings under his belt, the rest of the league likely still doesn't have the book on how to beat him.
Which is exactly why he might be a popular breakout candidate among Nationals fans for the 2026 season, and could finally become the ace he was supposed to be years ago. Cavalli's stuff returning to its previous form will be the key in him going from an average starter to an elite, top of the rotation arm, and hopefully for the sake of the team he is able to take a leap in his first full season.
Do you think Cade Cavalli can reach his full ace potential at this point of his career? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.