The Washington Nationals have been on a bit of a roll recently. After making a trade with the Texas Rangers to acquire first baseman Nathaniel Lowe just before Christmas and reuniting with familiar friends in righty Trevor Williams and first baseman and designated hitter Josh Bell, the club was active in making a few more signings as well.
They made two separate big moves, but not big in the way you would expect. Maybe the better phrasing would be "tall" moves? That doesn't sound right either, but the point is, they signed two relievers who are both very tall in stature. The first signing was of 30-year-old righty Patrick Weigel, and the second signing was 23-year-old righty Junior Santos, both of whom are relievers that likely could have a chance to pitch their way on to the big league roster in Spring Training.
Weigel, standing at 6'6" and 240 pounds, has made MLB appearances for two clubs, but has not appeared in the big leagues since 2021. He was with the Atlanta Braves during the Covid-19 shortened regular season, but only made 1 appearance with them, which also happened to be his MLB Debut, before being shipped off following the season to the Brewers in the Orlando Arcia trade.
His 1 appearance with the Braves was not a good one, as he failed to make it through a full inning and walked 3 while allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs, retiring just 2 batters in the outing. After being dealt to the Brewers, he found a tad more success, with a 4.50 ERA in 3 appearances over 4.0 innings. The walks were still an issue, as in those innings he struck out 9 batters but also walked 4, leaving him with a 2.00 WHIP for that 2021 season.
He has been in the minors since, and has even bounced around to a couple of independent leagues as well. Weigel will likely have a better chance to make the MLB roster out of Spring Training due to his experience than the other guy who was signed today, in 6'7" righty Junior Santos.
Santos, a career minor-leaguer so far who has only known the New York Mets' organization, is likely expected to be more of a depth signing for the lower levels, but perhaps if he's able to bring down his 4,71 career ERA and also lower his 1.473 WHIP he might have a chance to crack the MLB bullpen at some point.
What do you think of these signings for the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.