Washington Nationals Make Signing of Star Closer Official, DFA Former Top Prospect

The Washington Nationals just re-signed their All-Star closer, but they had to clear a space for him on the 40-man roster.

In order to make room, the Nationals designated Stone Garrett for assignment, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports.

Garrett made his debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 after spending time in the Miami Marlins farm system. The right-handed hitter slashed .276/.309/.539 during his rookie season. After the year, the Diamondbacks waived him.

Washington signed the former eighth-round pick before the 2023 season. They called him up, and he played really well. Garrett slashed .269/.343/.457 in 89 games played that year. He hit nine home runs, drove in 40 runs, scored 40 runs and finished with a 1.9 WAR. His one downfall was his strikeout rate, which sat at 30.3%.

In 2024, Garrett played in just two games because he was recovering from a broken leg.

He spent the season in Triple-A and he had an alright year.

Still, he was not called up until September when the Nationals had a player join the paternity list. In those two games, Garret went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.

Heading into the 2025 season, the Texas native was hoping to break camp with the team. However, the outfield is crowded, which made Garrett the odd man out.

Washington has their outfield starters all but locked in for the season.

Jacob Young is an excellent, young center fielder who will make an impact defensively at the position. James Wood is one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He will be the everyday left fielder for the team. In right field, the Nationals will have Dylan Crews, their No. 1 prospect.

With those three playing everyday, Garrett, at best, would have been a platoon option.

With the signing of Finnegan, it only made sense for Washington to DFA the promising outfielder.

They can still hang onto Garrett, he just has to clear waivers first.

There are plenty of teams in the MLB that could use the 29-year-old, so it would not be surprising to see another club scoop him up via trade or waiver claim.

Garrett is a player who deserves a chance to play at the big league level, and if he does don a different uniform when the season starts, expect him to have a positive effect for that club.

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