The playoff hopes and dreams of the 2026 Washington Nationals are hanging on for dear life as we speak. While that is certainly not a sentence we expected to be uttering in the middle of August coming into this season, it is still a little bit disheartening given how well the team played to begin this year.
Simply put, almost nobody had high hopes for the Nationals entering this year, as Vegas had their win total set at just 65.5 games, but several publications had them winning even less. As of now, they sit at a record of 60-66, and with 36 games left to play, you'd have to assume that the Nationals somehow find a way to win more than 6 games to achieve their over on their wins line.
A big part of why Nationals fans are able to look back on this year so favorably has a lot to do with how their offseason moves have panned out. The MacKenzie Gore deal with the Rangers has already had great returns, and the Foster Griffin signing ended up being one of the best deals in all of sports. However, it was their last big signing that didn't exactly end up great, and is the topic of today's piece.
Zack Littell finding new role with Diamondbacks after Nationals DFA
That signing was to bring in righty Zack Littell, a reliable veteran starter who was expected to help anchor the Nationals' rotation for this year. Despite not having a spring training, Littell was seemingly thought of as a guy who could snap into things pretty quickly, but it just never quite clicked in Washington for the 30-year-old.
His numbers in Washington were among the worst of his career, but it still came as a slight surprise when he was designated for assignment by the Nationals earlier this month. We later came to find out that it was in large part because Miles Mikolas was so close to reaching 10 years of service time, which the team allowed him to get to before designating him for assignment as well last week to clear space for rookie lefty Jackson Kent.
Littell has since latched on with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his first appearance with them was a pretty big success. Pitching out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever following starter and fellow former National Michael Soroka, Littell tossed 4.2 shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out a pair of hitters.
He actually had been pitching somewhat decently when the Nationals decided to DFA him, and had just gotten his season ERA below 5.00. Still, with the Nationals wanting to get some younger blood some more looks and opportunities, it made a lot of sense for the team and Littell to part ways when they did. Here's to hoping for the best for Littell moving forward for the rest oof the season.
What kind of impact do you think Zack Littell will make for the Diamondbacks down the stretch? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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