The Nationals ranked last in bullpen ERA by a significant margin in 2025. The team was 0.4 runs worse than the next team (Colorado). Washington has been able to rely on this Kyle Finnegan from the past seasons. The right-hander indicated he was capable of keeping the job while not being talented enough to leave via trade or free agency. He fell back into the Nats’ fold in late February after generating minimal interest on the open market. Washington moved him to Detroit at the trade deadline.
The Finnegan trade led to the emergence of Ferrer, who earned 11 saves in the final two months of the season. The hard-throwing southpaw’s overall numbers weren’t great, but a SIERA of 3.24 and an xFIP of 3.43 suggested the best was yet to come. Ferrer will now join Seattle’s elite bullpen.
Washington has a new general manager and a new skipper. It’s the perfect time to pull out a stud reliever from a motley mix of arms. So who could be the closest waiting?
Cole Henry
After several years as one of the organization’s top pitchers, Henry moved to a relief role in 2025. Lingering injury issues prevented the 2020 second-round pick from putting everything together as a starter. Henry opened the season in the minors, but was quickly promoted to the big league club. He slowly worked his way up to a high-leverage role. The right ended the season with 10 positions, which was behind only Ferrer. He also recorded a few saves.
Henry has the fastball to be closer. The 26-year-old’s four-seam sits in the mid-90s with well-above-average arm movement. The pitch held batters to a .191 batting average and recorded a run value of +4. Henry’s curveball is a good addition, with its strong scent and tight shape. As a former starter, Henry unsurprisingly used a deep pitch mix, but his sinker, cutter and changeup were unremarkable. The key will be limiting an arsenal he can deploy on offense. Henry had a 13.3% walk rate, which ranked in the second percentile. He posted a miserable 85 Location+.
Clayton Beeter
If the season started today, Beeter would likely tie the assignment in the 9th inning. He finished just behind Henry with nine holds and also scored a save. Beeter finished the season with one save and five stops over his last seven appearances. Interim manager Miguel Cairo leaned on him as Ferrer staggered down the stretch. He is also a former starter who recently made the move to the bullpen.
Beeter has the strikeout numbers of an elite reliever. After multiple minor league seasons with a strikeout rate over 35%, he continued to strike out hitters in the majors. Beeter has a 31.9% strikeout rate over 29 MLB innings over the past two years. It’s a simple repertoire, just an upper 90s fastball and a hard slider. Beeter’s slider had a huge 49.1% scent rate last season. It was responsible for 29 of his 33 strikeouts. Beeter had an xFIP of 2.97 with the Nats, so his 2.49 ERA seems somewhat legit. If there’s an in-house option that can rack up 15 saves and hit the road at the end of July, it’s probably Beeter.
PJ Poulin or Connor Pilkington
Washington only has two left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster, so while Poulin and Pilkington are locked into MLB roles, neither will likely be reserved for the 9th inning. A free agent addition of the left-handed variety would likely be the only way for either of them to step into the gig. If that happens, there will be a route towards Poulin or Pilkington competing for the job.
Poulin would be a non-traditional pick, even if lefties do. His heater barely reaches 90 miles per hour, and he lets out too many hitters for a soft pitch. But he did compile a 2.10 ERA for Double-A and Triple-A in Detroit’s system in 2024. He had multiple stops with big strikeout numbers, including a 33.7% strikeout rate at Triple-A Toledo before being claimed by the Nats.
Pilkington’s velocity increased in the Nats’ bullpen compared to his days as a starter with the Guardians. This past year he was above 94 mph as a reliever. Pilkington missed bats above average, but ran too much and was shot at too often.
Marquis Grissom Jr.
Grissom has steadily worked his way up through Washington’s system, reaching Triple-A last season. Although he stumbled with Rochester, there is enough minor league track record to believe Grissom could make an impact with the major league club. He posted a 2.21 ERA at two minor league levels in 2024. That earned Grissom an invite to MLB Spring Training in 2025. He also played in the Futures Game this past year, where he competed against his father (who managed the AL team). Grissom has totaled 27 saves in the minors over the last three seasons. Not being on the 40-man roster hurts his chances, but the club doesn’t have many obvious impact relievers in the minors.
Brad Lord
A team without reliable starters outside MacKenzie Gore He probably can’t afford to keep Lord in the bullpen, even though his stuff there is enticing. Lord took seven positions last season in a hybrid role. As a reliever, he was at 96 mph at times. Lord put together a two-month stretch from mid-May to mid-July with a 2.70 ERA and a 23.5% strikeout rate over 26 relief appearances. He doesn’t have a clear answer for lefties (which will be an issue as a starter), but the fastball/sinker/slider combo could play with the velocity bump out of the bullpen.
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