Remember when September meant roster expansion? Obviously, 2020 is not a regular year, and Sept. 1 didn’t bring a wave of new players to get their feet wet on non-contenders, or to just soak up some experience on teams trying to win now.
Despite being in last place in the National League East, the Nationals maintain they are still trying to win this year. And with 16 playoff spots, they – along with nearly every other club – are still just one good week away from being back in the thick of things. Still, there is already a lot of emphasis for the defending world champs on 2021, which will be magnified if they can’t stop backsliding.
Already we’ve seen many big-league debuts around baseball, including D.C.’s touted second base prospect, Luis Garcia. So, who could we see in the next few weeks?
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Roster reminder
This season’s original plan for rosters was to start at 30 players and go down to 28 and then 26. But MLB and the players’ association changed that and agreed last month to keep the rosters at 28 and increase taxi squads from three to five players. (The rest of the taxi squad players are part of the 60-play pool at the alternate site in Fredericksburg.)
The Nationals have a full 40-man roster right now, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any flexibility. They could designate a player for assignment to take him off the roster and could also move pitcher Seth Romero (broken hand) to the 60-day IL if they don’t think he’ll return in time.
On the radar
The Nationals’ current taxi squad looks like this: right-handed pitchers James Bourque and Wil Crowe, outfielder Yadiel Hernandez and Andrew Stevenson, and catcher Raudy Read. These are the easiest additions to make to the active roster; the taxi squad, new this year, travels with the team, and all but Hernandez are already on the 40-man roster and wouldn’t require a corresponding move.
Crowe made his big league debut Aug. 22 and is starting the second game of Friday’s doubleheader in Atlanta, as the extra 29th man. Bourque would seem to be the next guy up in the bullpen if the Nats need another righty (after adding righty Kyle McGowin to take Javy Guerra’s spot on Wednesday.) The recent signing of versatile Brock Holt keeps them covered if needed if there’s an infield injury situation. I’m surprised Stevenson hasn’t gotten more of a look (he’s played in just three games), but I’d guess he’s ahead of Hernandez because of his roster status.
Left-handed pitching prospect Ben Braymer is another guy who debuted this year, who has been back and forth on the 40-man and who we could certainly see again along with third baseman Carter Kieboom – who manager Davey Martinez mentioned Wednesday was having better at-bats at the alternate site. The hope is Kieboom earns his spot back up with the Nats before the season is through, but there’s no guarantee.
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Where are Aaron Barrett and Jake Noll?
Barrett is the lone pitcher on the 40-man roster, and Noll the lone position player, who have yet to make their season debuts. Both are at the alternate site and healthy. So, what gives? It’s impossible to evaluate how a guy is doing at the alternate site. There’s no video, media aren’t allowed and there are no stats. Largely, it’s a front-office decision, often pre-determined, and they don’t have much to change it other than feedback from coaches and on-site personnel. Given the Nats’ struggles, you’d think everyone imaginable would get a look, but there could be other factors at play.
Barrett, for example, has two years and 170 days of service time, according to FanGraphs. A full year of service time is 172 days, meaning he’s on the cusp of obtaining a third year to make him arbitration-eligible this winter. It would also mean he’d reach free agency quicker. The 26-year-old Noll has just 17 days of service time and would still be deemed a rookie as he has fewer than 50 career at-bats. He’s obviously a ways off from being arbitration-eligible and has two minor league options remaining. His case is even more puzzling as he was sort-of a feel-good story last spring as one of the final roster cuts, and the Nats’ lineup has struggled. Maybe they’re both struggling at the alternate site. Maybe they’ll both get a shot in the final three weeks. The Nats have never really played the arbitration game before —most notably calling up Juan’s Soto — but it’s interesting to note.
Austen Williams, another pitcher who could have gotten a shot this year from the alternate site, underwent Tommy Johny surgery in early August. The Nats also released righty Kevin Quackenbush, who was in Fredericksburg on Tuesday. Sterling Sharp, who was added to their 60-player pool, already debuted this season as a Rule 5 pick from the Marlins and could get another shot.
Coming soon?
Lefty Tim Cate is an intriguing arm and has one of the best curveballs in the Nats system. He’s undersized for a starter and sat around 89-90 last year, but he did hold up for 143 2/3 innings and 26 starts just a year after an injury-abbreviated junior season at UConn. While he projects as mostly a relief option, Cate could factor into the Nats plan in 2021, making him a prime candidate for a potential promotion down the stretch. The Athletic ranks him as the Nats sixth-best prospect.
No. 11 Matt Cronin is a reliever all the way and is also a lefty that could factor into D.C.’s plans as early as next year. Cronin was the Nats’ fourth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2019, a low-spin fastball guy who’s up to 98 and uses the pitch almost exclusively, mixing in a power curveball the Nats would like to see more of.
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Recent top picks
I’d love to see Cade Cavalli (this year’s 22nd overall pick) or Jackson Rutledge, the club’s first-rounder in 2019, up this year, but it seems like a long shot to see either right-handed pitcher. Yes, there is technically no downside to adding young players, as we’re past the point in the season where they’d collect enough service time to get credit for the year. The only real difference for most of these guys would be the significant bump in pay. But neither Cavalli nor Rutledge are on the 40-man roster right now, and neither of them figures to factor in the team’s plans for 2021. You don’t want to get into a spot where you feel like you’re rushing them. There’s also the caveat that if a guy sees the majors now and gets hurt in March next year after a certain date, he has to go on the Major League injured list, where players collect service time. The better idea for them seems to be for them to continue working at the alternate site in Fredericksburg and have them come over to big league camp, officially or not, to get some experience next year.
Rutledge is 21, Cavalli is 22, and they are the Nats’ top two pitching prospects. While it would be a blast to watch them in what’s been mostly a down year, patience is probably the best avenue here for their long-term development.
International signing Jeremy De La Rosa, who the Nats added to their 60-man player pool with Sharp, is only 18 and is another guy who doesn’t factor into immediate plans. However, keep an eye on him in the future. He can play three outfield spots and is the organization’s top outfield prospect now that Juan Soto and Victor Robles have graduated.
Playing for a top draft pick? Not so fast.
A reminder that there’s no silver lining to the Nationals being bad, yet. As part of the agreement with the 60-game season, commissioner Rob Manfred can dictate how the draft order will be decided. Manfred has yet to make up his mind – or at least inform teams – so there’s a chance that more than just teams’ 2020 regular-season records could determine the 2021 draft order.
(Top photo: Andrew Stevenson. By Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)