The Washington Nationals are going to look a lot different in certain areas of their club to begin the 2026 season than they did just a year ago at this time. While this is certainly a good thing in some respects, it also leads to a lot more questions than answers at this time.
As of now, we have no idea if the club will be able to produce more wins than they did last season, but with very few upgrades to the roster as a whole and a mostly rookie coaching staff, it certainly seems unlikely. There is a chance the Nationals end up surprising people, but honestly a surprise at this point would be getting above the 70-win mark that eluded them last season.
One of the main reasons why they were so abysmal last season was due to their terrible bullpen, which was among one of the worst units in MLB history, yet was somehow the second worst in the league last season behind the Los Angeles Angels. This is not new to Nationals fans, as the team has fielded awful bullpens for a long time.
It was a staple of the Mike Rizzo era, which is something that has clearly been identified by new leadership under Paul Toboni. That might be a big reason why the Nationals are continuing to throw darts at relievers either via small trades or even waiver wire additions that might still have some gas in the tank, as could be the case for their most recent signing.
The Nationals on Saturday agreed to terms with veteran lefty Cionel Perez on a minor league deal, with him having the potential to earn $1.9M if he makes the Nationals' roster, with an additional $700K that could be earned for him in incentives as well. Given his experience, it seems as if he should have a pretty good shot to make the Opening Day roster for the Nationals as well.
In his 8-year big league career, spanning across 257 games all out of the bullpen, Perez has amassed a 4.22 ERA and 1.481 WHIP for his career, with some very good years being sprinkled in throughout his past. While the surface numbers have decreased since his career-best 1.40 ERA and 1.162 WHIP season in 2022, the underlying numbers would show he has still been an effective pitcher.
Perez posted a 3.84 FIP in 2023 and a 3.30 FIP in 2024, both solid numbers, but regressed in 2025 with the Orioles as he struggled to just a 5.77 FIP. The Nationals clearly believe they can unlock something with Perez, and if they are able to get something out of him, there is even a chance he can emerge as the team's closer, as he has 6 career saves under his belt as well.
What do you think of the Nationals signing Cionel Perez? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.