On Thursday morning, right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams confirmed via Zoom meeting that he will be part of the 2025 Nationals rotation. Williams becomes the 10th starting pitcher on the 40-man roster, and the Nationals will need to decide where they will all begin the season. RHP Andry Lara will be a minor leaguer for the entire season. Joan Adon and Jackson Rutledge will be MLB bullpen pieces or starters at AAA. That leaves Mackenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, DJ Herz, and Michael Soroka as other starters to utilize in some aspect in 2025. That also doesn't include RHP Tyler Stuart and Brad Lord, as well as RHP Cade Cavalli, who is destined to return from injury at some point.
Based on the Stats, it would make the most sense for Davey Martinez to use RHP Mike Soroka as a reliever. Soroka was terrible in 2024 as a starter, while as a reliever, Soroka found a groove on the mound. That would leave Gore, Irvin, Parker, Herz, and Williams as the 5-man rotation for 2025. There have also been talks of either Mitchell Parker or DJ Herz moving to the bullpen. Parker brings longer innings as a starter, but Herz has better numbers. Most starts that DJ Herz has made as a starter between MLB and AAA have only lasted 4ish innings, with a few 5+ sprinkled in. It would be easy to choose Herz as a bullpen candidate, but Parker would provide better numbers.
If the Nationals plan on utilizing Soroka as a starter (at least to begin the 2025 season) it would be beneficial to use a 6-man rotation. A 6-man rotation would lessen the workload for DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, and Jake Irvin, who all ran out of gas by the end of the 2024 season. Now, of course, things will get very interesting when Cavalli is ready to return, or Brad Lord/Tyler Stuart are given the starting opportunity. If/when Cavalli returns, look to see Soroka and Parker/Herz added to the bullpen. Trevor Williams could be a bullpen option too, if his numbers as a starter are outperformed by others.
While unlikely, the Nationals could also still add a starting pitcher in the offseason. Names like Spencer Turnbull and Jack Flaherty are still out there. It would be interesting to see if the Nationals even add another big-league-ready starter this offseason. But if they do, that would move yet another starter to the bullpen, or even possible trade bait.
While the Nationals don't have the flashiest of options, they still have options. 2025 is going to be a big year for multiple starters, while some have roster spots "locked," pitchers like Jackson Rutledge and Joan Adon are entering their final "prove it" years. While Rutledge is a former 1st round pick, the right-hander hasn't been able to consistently perform at any organizational level. Adon, while decent at AAA, hasn't had a great MLB start since his first start on the final game of 2021. Adon and Rutledge will need to perform well not only in the spring, but throughout the season, or they will be victims of a DFA or trade.