Washington Nationals add pitching depth with Logan Verrett

The Washington Nationals have added to their pitching depth by signing Logan Verrett, a right-hander who last pitched in Major League Baseball in 2017.

What could the Logan Verrett signing mean for the Washington Nationals?

The 31-year-old Verrett has appeared in 57 games during a three-year career that stretched from 2015 through 2017. During that time, Verrett suited up for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles.

Of his 57 games, 49 came in a Mets uniform, logging 130.1 innings and posting a 4.56 ERA, 5.05 FIP, and 1.358 WHIP. He started 16 of those games while finishing 13 others.

Selected with the 13th overall pick by the Orioles in the 2014 MLB draft, Verrett spent the 2019 season battling through injuries while pitching for Double-A Midland in the Texas League. He saw action in just seven games, starting four of them, while posting a 3.93 ERA.

With the 2020 minor league season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Verrett didn’t pitch again until the 2021 campaign, when he was a part of the Seattle Mariners organization. Assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, Verrett started 19 games and went 11-4 with a 4.74 ERA. He surrendered 123 hits in 114.0 innings and opponents hit .272 against him.

Now as a member of the Washington Nationals organization, Verrett could provide an interesting option for the Nationals. Taking a look at Washington’s rotation depth chart, it’s clear that there could be a role for Verrett if he can show in spring training that he can perform and fill a need for the Nationals. Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin are expected to lead Washington’s rotation, but there are plenty of question marks after that.

Verrett could also conceivably convert to a long reliever if needed in that role for the Nationals, but has definitely trended toward being a starter with his recent minor league experience, as well as time in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2018 where he started 29 games for the NC Dinos.