News broke Sunday morning that the last key player on the free-agent market has been signed. The Washington Nationals reportedly signed starter Zach Little to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2027.
When the offseason begins, Little is expected to receive a two-year contract worth approximately $24 million. So why is there such a big change? Why wouldn’t the San Diego Padres be willing to bid against the Nationals for his services?
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Throughout his career, Little was primarily a reliever. His performances have been met with varying degrees of success, but have been mostly inconsistent from season to season.
His best years were with the Minnesota Twins in 2019 and 2021, when he posted ERAs of 2.68 and 2.92, respectively. But the ERA in those seasons was 6.20 in 2018, 9.95 in 2020, and 5.08 in 2022.
Due to poor performance, Little didn’t become a starter until 2023 when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays. He started 14 games for the club and had a 3.93 ERA. The Rays retained him through 2024 before trading him to the Cincinnati Reds at the 2025 deadline.
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In 32 starts between Tampa Bay and Cincinnati in ’25, Little compiled a 3.81 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, performing well as a middle-rotation starter before entering free agency.
Why are you hesitant to sign?
After Little’s projected valuation for most of his contract was so high, his agent may have been waiting on the market for a better offer that never came.
It’s unclear how much the Nationals are paying Little, but that number will likely be revealed once the team announces the signing. Reports of his signing have not been confirmed.
Given that, it’s surprising the Padres didn’t suddenly sign him. Earlier this offseason, there were rumors that San Diego was scouting Little (although those discussions apparently did not come to fruition). It seems that the price is not suitable to be higher than Washington.
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This will hopefully make more sense once the amount of Little’s contract is revealed. But for a team still in need of reliable pitching, it’s surprising general manager AJ Preller didn’t offer the 30-year-old’s services.