The Washington Nationals made a pair of moves on Friday to solidify its 40-man 2026 roster
The Washington Nationals opened and will end the day with the same number of players on its 2026 roster after a pair of transactions.
Washington announced it claimed right handed pitcher Paxton Schultz off waiver from the Toronto Blue Jays, giving the bullpen another needed arm despite limited experience. Schultz was designated for assignment after the Blue Jays signed Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto, paving the way for president of baseball operations Paul Toboni to make the move.
Schultz becomes the second player that the Nationals have claimed this week after signing outfielder Joey Wiemer off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
Schultz, 28, joins the organization with a limited sample size ahead of a season of opportunity. He tossed 24 2/3 innings in 2025 after making his debut, finishing with a 4.38 ERA. What was impressive despite the sample size was his 25.5% strikeout rate against a 7.3% walk rate. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Schultz "averaged around 94 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a cutter, slider and changeup."
In his MLB debut on April 20, Schutlz posted eight strikeouts against just two hits in 4 1/3 innings.
He also served a multi-inning role on the farm with fairly comparable results. He logged 49 frames over 25 Triple-A appearances last year with a 3.31 ERA. He struck out 23.6% of batters faced at that level with an 8.7% walk rate.
While the starting pitching rotation remains unclear, the move adds a young arm to a bullpen that proved itself as one of the worst in baseball in 2025. The Nationals receivers collectively finished last in baseball with a 5.59 ERA and with Jose A. Ferrar dealt this offseason in exchange for a pair of prospects including catcher Harry Ford, Schultz will have an opportunity to upgrade the room in his first season with the club.
Schultz was a 14th round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to Toronto on May 1, 2021 then selected to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in mid-April in 2025.
To make room for the newest bullpen arm, the Nationals kicked off the day by announcing the release of Sauryn Lao after reports last month pointed to a deal in agreement to send him to the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He reportedly agreed to a one year deal with a club option that could pay north of $3 million.
Lao initially joined the Nationals via the waiver wire in September after making his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2025. Between the two teams, Lao allowed six earned runs against nine strikeouts in 11 innings. He began his major league career with the Los Angeles in 2015 before signing a minor league deal with the Mariners in 2024.