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Could the Braves end up signing pitcher Zack Littell?
Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is just a couple of weeks away, and while just about every free agent has landed a new organization, there are always a few players who have decided to sign very late in the process. The Washington Nationals made a notable signing on Sunday.
According to multiple reports, the Nationals are signing former Reds and Rays starter Zack Littell to a one-year MLB contract that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. The financials of the deal are yet to be released, but this story will be updated once that report surfaces. Washington will make room on its 40-man roster for Littell
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Nationals Sign Zack Littell
GettyWashington Nationals sign Zack Littell
Zack Littell is a quality starter option to pick up this late in the free agency cycle. He pitched 186.2 total innings in 2025 with the Reds and Rays. He was traded in July to the Cincinnati Reds, but over those 186.2 innings, Littell posted a 3.86 ERA.
After a rocky few seasons in MLB, Littell has emerged as a journeyman starter who can provide healthy innings for the back-end of any rotation, but joining the Nationals might be a good opportunity for Littell to become a featured starter. In 606.2 total innings over his eight-year MLB career, Littell has a 3.88 ERA and 496 total strikeouts.
Littell had a strong first half to the 2025 season, boasting a 3.58 ERA with the Rays over 133+ innings, but in 10 starts with the Reds, he was a little less effective.
Other names in the Nationals’ rotation include Brad Lord, Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin, and Cade Cavalli. It’s not the greatest rotation ever, and four of those five names are right-handers, but the Nationals are in an obvious rebuild and operating under a new front office.
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Nationals’ 2026 Season/Rotation Outlook
With the addition of Zack Littell, the Nationals are in a good position to be able to further develop their young arms.
There’s been some confusion as to what the Nats are really trying to accomplish with their offseason moves, which included trading away ace MacKenzie Gore; however, with several innings-eater starters, Washington should get a good feel of their future outlook after the season.
After winning the World Series in 2019, the Washington Nationals have not made the playoffs since. Will they this season? It’s unlikely, but the new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, is vying to do things differently.
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