While the Washington Nationals did not play in a game on Monday, the team was busy making some much needed roster changes following an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. Sure, the Brewers are one of if not the best team in the league currently, but it was more so the way the Nationals lost that made us fans so embarrassed by their performance.
It was the fact that the team was not really competitive in any of the games, and getting outscored 38-14 in just 3 games is something that just makes you shake your head in disbelief. The Nationals also set a new club record, by allowing an absurd 25 hits in Friday's 16-9 loss. If things weren't bad enough, superstar slugger James Wood looks absolutely lost at the plate, as he is currently mired in one of the worst slumps I have ever seen a player of his caliber endure.
However, at least with Interim GM Mike DeBartolo at the helm of the club now, the team has shown that they will be a lot less patient with poor performance than they were under longtime GM Mike Rizzo, who of course was fired last month. With that being said, one of their former waiver claims, Ryan Loutos, was optioned to AAA Rochester following Sunday's loss, and we now know one of the guys who is set to replace him.
As I speculated when I wrote about the interesting waiver claim of PJ Poulin yesterday, it appears as if the 29-year-old lefty is set to join the Nationals for their upcoming series along with trade deadline acquisition Clayton Beeter, who had looked downright dominant for Rochester in his first handful of games in the Nationals organization.
Both of these pitchers have shown the ability to miss bats at the upper levels of the minors, and certainly can't be any worse than some of the arms the team has chosen to trot out on the mound recently...right?
Beeter, the Nationals' #24 prospect on MLB Pipeline, posted 7 strikeouts in just 4.0 innings for Rochester, but also allowed 4 walks and 3 earned runs in that same span as well. His fastball and slider combination should be good enough to earn him an extended look in the team's bullpen to finish out the season, especially considering the fact that at 26-years-old, he simply needs to get some big league innings under his belt.
Poulin, who as I mentioned was claimed off waivers on Sunday, is 29-years-old, but has also shown elite ability to miss bats, averaging 13.1 K/9 out of the bullpen for the Toledo Mud Hens, the AAA affiliate of the Tigers in 2025. Both of these guys should get an extended look to prove their worth, and I for one am excited to see some new arms for a change.
While we do not yet know the other corresponding move that the club will make as it looks to create room for both Beeter and Poulin, there is sure to be more roster shuffling this week as the team will need a new starter on Wednesday in place of the recently departed Michael Soroka. Additionally, Dylan Crews is nearing a return from his rehab assignment, so it will be interesting to see which outfielder inevitably draws the short end of the stick and gets sent back down between Daylen Lile, Robert Hassell III, and Jacob Young.
What do you think of the latest Nationals' roster moves? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.