It’s no secret that the Washington Nationals need help. The Nats 5.59 the bullpen ERA was comfortably the worst in baseball. However, most of the top free agent relievers have already found new homes. To improve the bullpen, Paul Toboni will have to find diamonds in the rough instead of signing proven commodities. Here are five potential hidden gems he could discover.
The first name I want to explore is a guy Nationals fans should know. Ironically, that’s because the Nats seem to have a lot of success when facing this pitcher. That would be Ryne Stanek, who spent last season with the Mets. At first glance, Stanek’s numbers don’t seem impressive, but I think he would be a worthwhile project.
In each of the past three seasons, Stanek has done that posted an ERA over 4. At age 34, Stanek had his worst season in 2025, with an ERA of 5.30. So why would he be an interesting option for the Nats? Well, his stuff is still very good and there are a few adjustments that could be made.
Last season, Stanek threw his fastball more than 57% of the time, despite the fact that a lot of damage had been caused on the field. His fastball is high quality, averaging 98.5 MPH with good life. However, the field became overlit and batters could sit on it. Stanek has a good slider and splitter, he just didn’t throw them enough.
The Nats could do what the Tigers did with Kyle Finnegan and just have him throw fewer fastballs. Stanek’s slider was by far his best throw last year, but he only threw it 21% of the time. He should throw it a lot more, especially to right-handed hitters. With that adjustment, Stanek could be a valuable member of a Nats bullpen. He has experience in high leverage roles and has been very durable in his career at least 55 appearances in every non-COVID season since 2018.
The next pitcher I want to talk about is also a former Met in Drew Smith. He is a player that fans may have forgotten about as he missed most of the last two seasons after Tommy John Surgery. However, from 2021 to 2023, Smith was a reliable option out of the Mets bullpen. He also pitched well in 2024 before getting injured.
Reports indicate that Smith should be ready to go into 2026. Paul Toboni will have to do his due diligence on how Smith looks post-surgery, but if things haven’t subsided, he’s an interesting option. Before he was hurt, Smith had a strong fastball, cutter and slider combination. He generates many scents in all those places.
However, Smith has his shortcomings. His control can be suspect and when he does allow contact, it is often hard contact. However, his swing and miss stuff gives him a home in a major league bullpen. He has one career 3.48 ERA and if he can bring those results to DC, Nats fans will be happy.
Since Paul Toboni was from Boston, it’s only natural that I include a former Red Sox team on this list. That arm would be Josh Winckowski. At 27, Winckowski is comfortably the youngest player on this list. He also has a history of big league success.
Winckowski was fantastic in 2023, post an ERA of 2.88 in 60 appearances spread over 84.1 innings. He took a step back in 2024 but was still decent, posting a 4.14 ERA in 76 innings. Last year was an injury-riddled season for Winckowski, who dealt with elbow problems. He should be ready for Spring Training, but it is unclear. Toboni is from Boston and should be very aware of what Winckowski’s timeline looks like.
As a pitcher, Winckowski is a versatile arm who relies on getting ground balls. He has posted groundball has scored over 50% every year of his career. In Boston he was mainly used as a long reliever. However, he also has the ability to start games.
He throws a 4-seamer and a sinker, both of which travel about 95 MPH. Winckowski’s secondary offering consists of a cutter, a slider and a changeup. The cutter is probably his best secondary pitch, but they’re all decent.
If Winckowski is healthy, I consider him an option. He can fill multiple roles, is young and has proven MLB success. You can argue he’s a bit redundant with guys like Brad Lord, but you can never have enough pitching. At just 27 years old, Winckowski is a very intriguing option.
The next arm we will discuss played for the Red Sox’ archrival, the New York Yankees. Ian Hamilton was a solid reliever in the Bronx the past three seasons, but was never the star of the show. His best season came in 2023, when he posted an ERA of 2.64 in 58 innings.
The last few seasons have been so-so and plagued by injuries. However, Hamilton’s ERA numbers of 3.82 and 4.28 would be helpful for the Nats bullpen. There’s also a chance he can recapture his 2023 form at just 30 years old. His two-seam fastball is nasty and at best is a thing of beauty.
While the 2-seamer is his most visually appealing throw, Hamilton’s slider is his throwout. Last season he let hitters sniff his slider 50% of the time. He has generated each of the last three years sniff rates more than 40% on the field.
Hamilton does have control issues, with walk rates above 10% in two of the past three seasons. But he did knocked out also at least 25% of hitters over the past three seasons. Hamilton would be a clear upgrade for a Nats bullpen in need of help.
The last arm I want to talk about is Dauri Moreta. After one strong In the 2023 season, Moreta missed all of 2024 as he recovered from Tommy John Surgery. He came back in the second half of last season and showed he was still the same man. Moreta posted a 3.24 ERA in 18 games last year.
Moreta’s signature pitch is his slider, which has an unusual movement. Instead of turning away from right-handed hitters, it almost has a kind of action. This throws hitters off and causes a lot of swings and misses.
Even though he throws the slider more than half the time, he still generates smells at a clip of about 40% on the field. Although the slider is his main throw, he’s not quite a one-trick pony. At 95 MPH, Moreta has enough heat on his fastball to keep hitters honest.
He’s entering his age-30 season, so Moreta should have plenty of solid years ahead of him. It was a surprise that the Pirates DFA him considering he looked strong in his return. This should be an opportunity that Paul Toboni explores.
While these aren’t the biggest names and probably won’t close games for you, all five of these guys are solid options. They will also all be quite cheap considering their flaws or lack of experience. However, all five of these names have a good chance to be upgrades in the Nats bullpen.
If Paul Toboni and his player development team can make some adjustments to these players, they can reach new heights as well. The big name relievers may be off the market, but there are still quality options that are affordable too.
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