It is no secret that the 2025 MLB season for the Washington Nationals has been an absolute nightmare. After a somewhat promising start that saw the team nearing the .500 mark after just over 60 games played, everything has gone completely downhill.
Between the firings of Dave Martinez and Mike Rizzo, another year selling at the deadline, or the prolonged slump that James Wood now finds himself in, things have not been great from a fan perspective. Admittedly, it has gotten a bit tougher to be locked in for every pitch while the Nationals continue to play bad baseball, and it really doesn't seem as if there will be any major changes until the offseason.
However, after Sunday's series finale loss against the Milwaukee Brewers, a brutal 3-game series that saw the team get outscored 38-14, yet another change has been made to the back end of the team's bullpen. Despite the game looking like a lopsided football score on a Sunday no less, struggling righty Ryan Loutos was optioned to AAA Rochester, but no corresponding move has been announced as of the time of writing.
That corresponding move could be the promotion of the newest Washington National, PJ Poulin, who was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, as announced by interim GM Mike DeBartolo. It is an interesting claim on the surface, as Poulin is 29-years-old and hasn't yet made his big league debut, but he does have some potential if his numbers in the minors are any indication.
This season for Detroit's AAA affiliate, he has a 7-1 record to go with a 3.38 ERA and 1.289 WHIP, but most impressively boasts a 13.1 K/9 mark, notching 62 strikeouts in just 42.2 innings. He is a guy that has legitimate stuff to be able to miss bats, but he had no place left to go in Detroit's system. Luckily for the Nationals, the team is always, and I mean always, in search of competent relief pitching, so hopefully Poulin makes the most of his inevitable opportunity whenever it presents itself.
After watching longtime closer Kyle Finnegan as well as newcomers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia get dealt at the deadline last week, the team needs enough serviceable arms to get to the finish line of this season. That is proving to be much easier said than done, and outside of watching the games to see the youth movement on full display, it's become a lot harder to watch Nationals relievers attempt to pitch at a big league level. Hopefully, Poulin can change that and earn himself a chance to be a guy in DC for a long time.
What do you think of the newest Washington National? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.