Two Washington Nationals Pitchers Declare for Free Agency

With the Washington Nationals shifting towards the offseason and more stay-or-decisions being made, two more have departed the organization in favor of free agency, yet this time across the pitching staff.

Per the transaction log, both right handed pitchers Max Kranick and Justin Lawrence have filed for free agency, though both were excluded from the Nationals' 40 man roster.

Kranick, 29, wraps up his first season with the organization after he was signed in the opening weeks of the 2026 regular season following a brief stint with the New York Mets. Yet the results never followed as Kranick owned a 9.33 ERA and 2.18 WHIP across 17 appearances and 18.1 innings pitched, instead returning to the mound for the second game in the second half of the season before playing sparingly the rest of the way. After allowing five earned runs in his first appearance, Kranick ended the regular season allowing nine earned runs over his last three appearances and 3.2 innings pitched.

Lawrence, 31, also struggled in his lone season in a Nationals uniform while his last appearance materialized in the first half of the regular season when he tossed a clean inning against the New York Yankees. Similar to Kranick, Lawrence arrived midway through the 2026 regular season after being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, giving the Nationals a hopeful arm that struggled to materialize into a viable solution the rest of the way.

Across 34.1 innings pitched and 37 appearances, Lawrence owned a winless 0-3 record with a 7.34 ERA and 1.95 WHIP. Though he impressed with 11 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched through April, 2026 marked the second time over the last three seasons that Kranick accounted for more hits allowed than innings pitched.

Lawrence previously spent the first four seasons of his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies where he eclipsed a 4.00 ERA in three years, though his best came in 2023 after owning a 3.72 ERA in 75 innings pitched and 69 total appearances.

Kranick and Lawrence become the latest Nationals to declare for free agency, roughly one week after catcher Riley Adams did the same following a productive season in Rochester. Yet the departures pave the way for the front office to uncover the available upgrades to round out what is hoped to be an improved pitching staff in 2027 after a lackluster rotation and subpar bullpen proved to be one of the themes in year one under Blake Butera.