The Washington Nationals are set to begin a long homestand in which the team will be looking to rebound in a major way. After a pretty brutal stretch of road games in which the Nationals capped it off by being swept in Miami over the weekend, the team is surely looking forward to getting back home to try and right the ship.
Unfortunately for the Nationals, their playoff hopes are virtually nonexistent, but that doesn't mean that the club can't continue to play for pride as the team looks to turn this month around. A lot has changed in the 3 weeks since the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, not only with the performance on the field, but also on the player personnel side of things as well.
While the club certainly has not been perfect by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps the front office can feel a little bit vindicated watching one of their failed offseason signings get released again by another club.
Former National Zack Littell released by Diamondbacks on Sunday
As much as the last few weeks have been a roller coaster for the Nationals, I can only imagine just how wild things have been for veteran righty Zack Littell. Of course, you probably remember this name from his handful of months spent in the Nationals' rotation, before he was designated for assignment by the club at the beginning of August right after the deadline.
Shortly thereafter, Littell had latched on with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he had actually impressed in his first appearance with his new club as a bulk reliever. He followed another former National in Michael Soroka, and earned a victory in his first outing with the Diamondbacks.
However, that would be the highlight of his tenure in Arizona, as after that initial shutout appearance, Littell was rocked for 6 earned runs on 11 hits against the Red Sox, and then shelled again for 4 earned runs on 8 hits in just 3.2 innings a few days later against the Reds. It was a very short-lived tenure in Arizona for Littell, who was DFA'd by Arizona on Sunday, and whose MLB career now hangs in doubt.
At the very least, given that he was released by a club competing for a playoff spot, the front office of the Nationals can be validated that they made the correct decision. Of course, most of the confusion when the move first happened was because Littell was sent packing before Miles Mikolas, who met a similar fate just a few days later after crossing the 10-year service mark.
What do you think the future holds for Zack Littell as it pertains to his MLB career? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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