The Nationals have a crowded bullpen picture. Here’s how it could shake out.Golden of the WaPo.
Back end 5 looks like Finnegan, with Ferrer, Law, and Lopez the primary set up guys and Sims taking on a role as a hard thrower with some command issues as a bridge. At least initially, Lopez and Ferrer will split closing with Finnegan to prevent overwork.
Beyond that, it gets a bit crowded and complicated. Poche is likely to take Robert Garcia's role as 2d lefty.
If Martinez sticks with two lefties, everyone else would be fighting for two spots. That group includes Eduardo Salazar, whom the Nationals claimed off waivers last season. He had a 2.96 ERA in 25 appearances with Washington in 2024. At spring training, Salazar hasn’t allowed a run in 7⅔ innings of work. He’s not guaranteed to make the team, but has done nothing to show he shouldn’t.
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Evan Reifert, the Nationals’ Rule 5 pick, creates an interesting predicament. The Nationals have to keep him on the 40-man roster for the full season or send him back to the Rays. Reifert has two effective pitches — his fastball and slider, but he has struggled with his command. He’s walked seven hitters in six appearances. In one outing, he walked four of the five hitters he faced and threw just five of 24 pitches for strikes.
Discusses how Reifert has had problems and how the Nats may not be as tolerant of a Rule 5 as they were with Thad Ward. Mentions Rutledge and Lord as potential multi-inning guys, then digs into other candidates.
Clay Helvey and Orlando Ribalta are options, too — neither has allowed an earned run in camp. Helvey, though, has pitched one inning in all but one of his six appearances. Ribalta has pitched two innings in his last two appearances. Ribalta has turned heads, and Martinez has gone out of his way to praise the 6-foot-7 righty on multiple occasions. He debuted last year and struggled in his four appearances. This spring, he’s struck out 10 hitters and has looked like a different pitcher.
I will guess Poche, Salazar, and Helvey round things out and that Reifert is offered back to Tampa (or whatever team we got him from). No multi-inning reliever. Ribalta closes in AAA.
