By Mike Patt
Hello sports fans, and welcome back to the IE Sports Radio Blog. The 2024 MLB trade deadline has come and gone. There was a flurry of moves on the final day, but we did not see significant movement for the major names said to be available. The Nationals were one team that did not sit back and watch. They had begun their activity by trading Hunter Harvey a couple of weeks before the deadline. Washington would go on to trade RP Dylan Floro and OFs Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas for a reasonable prospect haul. The team decided to keep closer Kyle Finnegan, who seemed to be the only other player available. Their focus seemed to be on pitching, as the two best prospects received in these trades were pitchers Tyler Stuart and Alex Clemmey.
Along with the deadline, MLB.com updated their top 30 prospect rankings for each team. This, combined with the addition of the aforementioned Stuart and Clemmey, resulted in the Nationals having 13 pitchers among their top 30. Coincidentally, the standard pitching staff in today’s MLB has 13 players. It is a talented group with a variety of ages, styles, and pitch combinations. You can legitimately create a proper pitching staff with the arms the team has available. Let’s take a look at who these guys are, what role they could end up having, and what kind of timeline we are looking at for this to come to fruition.
Older Starter Options: Cade Cavali, Jake Bennett, Brad Lord
Older is a strange adjective, but this group is not exactly teenagers. All are at least 23 years old, which is not bad for a prospect, but it does put them closer to the upper age limit. Cavali would be with the team now if not for injury. He has a great pitch mix with good control, and likely locks down a mid-rotation spot this time next year. Bennett was doing very well in 2023 before getting hurt. He has the size, durability, and control to be a fourth or fifth starter that doesn’t blow people away, but can eat innings. Lord does not have a singular great pitch, but he gets outs and gets every ounce out of his arsenal. It would not surprise me if he get’s a big league look this season. Bennett is behind the others, but all three will be in the rotation conversation by the end of 2025.
Older Reliever Options: Zack Brzykcy, Marquis Grissom, Orlando Ribalta
This might be my favorite group on this list. All three players have excellent ERAs a relievers in the minor leagues. Given their ages (mid 20s across the board), the odds of them developing into anything more than their current role are small. Sometimes, though, it is okay just to be what you are, and be damn good at it. Not only are these guys destined to make the big league roster in the near future, I think they will be major pieces and hold key roles in what could be a great bullpen.
Could Be Starter or Reliever: Jackson Rutledge, Tyler Stuart, Cole Henry
Many pitching prospects begin their careers as starters before ending up in the bullpen. Usually, there is some quality that prevents them from reaching their ceiling. Some of them simply do not have the pitching arsenal (three or more go to pitches is preferred) to hold up, which I think will be the case for the newly acquired Stuart. Some players have good pitches, but tend to throw better in shorter stints. That may be the case for both Rutledge and Henry. Still, these guys have starter qualities that make you want to give them a shot. Given the rotation depth in both the majors and the farm system, I suspect at least two end up as relievers (and quality ones at that).
Young Wild Cards: Alex Clemmey, Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana, Andry Lara
High school and teenage prospects can be quite difficult to project. They have incredible upside, but such a long way to go in their development before we can adequately determine their roles. That is easily the case for the trio of Clemmey, Sykoa, and Susana, all of whom have less than two full years of professional experience. All have exciting arms and potential, although we will have to be patient and let them work their way up. I would be surprised if any of them are in discussion for the MLB before mid 2026. Lara is a little different as he has been with the organization a while after signing as an international free agent in 2019 at the age of 16. He’s still only 21, and has improved every year in the minors. He feels like a starter, but still cannot quite tell.
Washington’s current pitching staff has several players that will factor into the long term plan, particularly starters Mackenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, and DJ Herz (the current bullpen leaves more to be desired). It will be interesting to see how the team manages the abundance of prospects with the existing major leaguers. This is a good problem to have, as not every prospect will work out, injuries will hamper availability, and not every current player will maintain success. If you asked every executive in the MLB whether they prefer to have too many pitching options or too few, I would bet my paycheck that every single one of them would prefer scenario one.
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