According to reports, the Washington Nationals have agreed to a contract with veteran left-hander Richard Bleier.
Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
Lefty reliever Richard Bleier to Nats @andrewcgolden on it
At the time of this posting, the financial details are not known.
The 36-year-old has spent parts of eight years in the big leagues with the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox. He was acquired by Boston before the 2022 season and lasted 27 games, going 1-0 with a 5.28 ERA. He worked 30.2 innings, his lowest total since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Lifetime, he's 15-6 with a 3.27 ERA. He's been nearly exclusively a reliever, making just two starts out of 335 appearances. He worked a career-high 68 games with the Marlins in 2021.
With Washington, there would figure to be opportunity in the bullpen. Hunter Harvey portends to be a big part of the 'pen, but multiple additional spots will likely be open.
The Nationals finished last in the National League East last season but do feature several exciting, young players including C.J. Abrams, Keibert Ruiz and MacKenzie Gore.
Furthermore, after the trades of Max Scherzer, Juan Soto and Trea Turner, the Nationals have a well-stocked farm system. They currently have Dylan Crews, who is a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball, in the system. He could possibly make his major league debut in 2024.
While the Nats are expected to finish last in the division once again this year, there are brighter times ahead.
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