Washington Nationals: Three free agents to target this offseason

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: The Washington Nationals logo on the scoreboard after a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: The Washington Nationals logo on the scoreboard after a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
3 of 4
Jose Quintana
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Some rotation help wouldn’t hurt the Washington Nationals.

If Stephen Strasburg is healthy, the Washington Nationals have one of the more formidable trios in the league at the top of their rotation, but there’s a big drop off after that.

As of early November, the top candidates to round out the rotation would be Austin Voth, Erick Fedde, and Joe Ross. Ross opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and while Voth and Fedde have shown promise, working deep into games and keeping runs of the board have been an issue for both.

With Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman accepting qualifying offers, two of the top pitching targets on the market are now gone, meaning more competition for the small handful of quality arms still available.

One option for the Washington Nationals could be former White Sox and Cubs starter, Jose Quintana. Quintana has been one of the more reliable starting pitchers over the last six seasons, putting together 3.0 or higher fWAR seasons in all but one season from 2013-2019.

Multiple injuries, including thumb surgery, limited Quintana to just 10 innings this season, but he did strike out 12 hitters.

As long as Quintana is healthy, he just might be able to be had for less than $10 million per season, and throw 170+ innings for you in 2021. He may not repeat his 2014 or 2016 season with the White Sox when he was worth 4.9 fWAR in each season, but as a backend starter for the Nationals, Quintana will be a notable upgrade over their current options and at a reasonable price.

If the Nationals really want to spend, Jake Odorizzi would also be a solid option here.