The Washington Nationals have added another potential starter to its 2026 rotation after signing veteran Zack Littell on Sunday.
The Washington Nationals have added another arm to its starting pitching rotation ahead of the 2026 season.
Reports broke on Sunday afternoon that Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with starting pitcher Zack Littell, giving the team another experienced arm in hopes of upgrading the 2026 rotation.
Littell is coming off a 2025 season where he finished 10-8 overall with a 3.81 ERA while tossing 130 strikeouts to 32 walks across 32 games and 186.2 innings pitched. He opened the 2025 season with the Tampa Bay Rays where he finished 8-8 overall with a 3.58 ERA before he was shipped to the Cincinnati Reds on July 31 in exchange for a pair of pitchers, Adam Serwinowski and Brian Van Belle. By the time of the trade, Littell also led baseball with 26 home runs allowed, though his 1.42 walk rate also ranked second across starting pitchers.
“He’s consistent, a strike-thrower. Keeps you in the game," Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said of Littell at the time of the trade. "We decided to make the move. We looked at the relief market where we could have added to the bullpen. And this is the best of both worlds where we got to add starting depth."
Of course, there is familiarity between Littell and the Nationals given he was traded to the Boston Red Sox midway through the 2025 season when current Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was still with the organization, though Littell made just two relief appearances before being designated for assignment within one week of being acquired.
Littell began his pro career as an 11th round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, bypassing college to begin his MLB career before eventually being traded to the New York Yankees in 2017. His MLB debut came back in 2018 when he went on to appear in eight games with an 0-2 record and 6.20 ERA with the Minnesota Twins before he moved to the bullpen full time in 2019. Littell also spent two seasons with the San Francisco Giants and opened the 2023 season with the Texas Rangers after inking a minor league contract and opening in Triple A.
Now in Washington, Littell will look to prove serviceable in a rotation that is anchored by Miles Mikolas and Cade Cavalli with the Opening Day starter still unannounced.
Littell also becomes the third free agent starting pitcher signed by Washington this offseason after Foster Griffin as the first free agent signing under new management, while Miles Mikolas became the first post-MacKenzie Gore signing to upgrade the rotation.