Obviously, the MacKenzie Gore trade is the biggest move the Nationals have made in the past week. However, there have been a few minor moves that you may have missed. I wanted to take a look at some of
the news items that have been lost in the shuffle. Between minor league signings and spring training invites, there is plenty to talk about.
The first move I want to discuss actually happened today. It was reported that the Nats signed veteran infielder Sergio Alcantara to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. The 29 year old has appeared in 193 MLB games, getting into one for the Giants last year.
Alcantara is a sure handed switch hitting shortstop, who should provide solid organizational depth. He is pretty buried on the depth chart, but if injuries hit, there is a chance that Alcantara could be called up at some point this season.
Another move announced in the last day or so is that the Nats out-righted Andry Lara to Triple-A. Lara was DFA’d on January 20th, but cleared waivers. He will remain in the Nats organization, but is off of the 40-man roster.
This is good for both sides. Lara was clearly not ready for the MLB. Now that he is off the 40-man, the 23 year old can focus on sharpening his craft in the minors without worrying about being shuttled back and forth. It is nice to see that the Nats were able to keep him in the organization. While it has not been announced yet, he should get an invite to Spring Training.
Speaking of Spring Training, the Nats announced their internal non-roster invites. It is not a large list, but notable prospects like Seaver King and Caleb Lomavita will be invited. Interestingly, Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana were also invited to MLB camp despite being injured.
Being in a big league camp should be a good learning experience for these youngsters. The full list of non-roster invites for minor league free agent signings has not been announced yet. We know players like Warming Bernabel and Matt Mervis will be there.
Some other players who will be there are Trevor Gott, Zach Penrod and Tres Barrera. The Nats announced the minor league signings of those three a few days ago. Gott and Barrera have been in the Nats organization before, and have both played for the big league team back in the day.
Out of the three, Penrod is probably the most interesting. He has real control problems, but has a 95 MPH heater with life from the left side. I do not think he will break camp with the team, but it would not be a surprise if we see him at some point.
One more arm the Nats signed to a minor league deal is Bryce Montes de Oca. The towering righty is coming back from his second Tommy John Surgery. Prior to the surgery, de Oca’s fastball lived in the upper 90’s. If he can show that sort of velocity again, he will have a chance to stick with the Nats.
None of these moves are earth shattering, but they are worth going over. Maybe one of these arms has some sort of surprise breakout season. This year is going to be all about players showing what they have. The Nats are not going to be very competitive this year, so plenty of players will get chances. Hopefully a couple of these guys can stick and become pieces for the future.
