The Washington Nationals have reportedly inked another reliever, this time a former NL East player, to a minor league deal
The Washington Nationals have reportedly added another arm to the bullpen on the day of the first full team workout.
Michelle Margaux of SNY TV reported on Monday morning that former New York Mets reliever Drew Smith will stay within the NL East in 2026 after inking a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals. Smith will earn $1.75 million if he makes the team with an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses, per Margaux.
This marks the second major league team that Smith has a chance of suiting up for after beginning his career in the minor leagues.
Smith last pitched in 2024 where he finished with a 3.06 ERA in 17.2 innings and 19 games, tossing 23 strikeouts against nine walked and a pair of home runs. But his season would be cut short after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, sidelining him for the entirety of the 2025 season with 2026 as the expected return. Still, Smith signed a one year, $1 million contract with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season, though the Mets exercised the club option for 2026 to make him a free agent and set the stage for his late signing with the Nationals to add a possible late offseason addition to the bullpen.
But now with Washington, Smith joins the organization with a bit of familiarity with the Nationals coaching staff with Grayson Crawford now serving as Washington's director of pitching starting this season after just over two years with the Mets, including as assistant pitching coordinator in 2026.
Smith began his major league career with the Detroit Tigers as a third round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. After spending two seasons in the minor league, Detroit traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in April 2017 before being sent to the Mets three months later where he returned to the minor league ranks.
Smith made his major league debut in 2018 before undergoing Tommy John surgery during spring training ahead of the 2019 season to sideline him for the year, then returning to the Mets in 2020. He was part of a combined no-hitter back against the Philadelphia Phillies in April 2022, while he notched his first career MLB save against the Nationals in May 2023.
Across six seasons with the Mets, Smith posted a 12-13 record with a 3.48 ERA while tossing 196.1 innings and 191 games.