The Washington Nationals bullpen will be much better in 2026

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Clayton Beeter #39 of the Washington Nationals poses for a photo during the Washington Nationals photo day at Cacti Park at the Palm Beaches on Friday, February 20, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Last season, the Washington Nationals bullpen was an utter disaster. They posted a 5.59 ERA as a unit, which was comfortably the worst in baseball. However, I do not see that happening again. In fact, I think the Nationals bullpen will surprise people in 2026. There may not be any star names, but I think the unit will be solid.

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Don’t get it twisted, I do not expect the Nats to have an elite bullpen, but I do not think it will be among the worst in the league either. Honestly, I would expect the bullpen ERA to look something like the 4.14 mark the Nats posted in 2024. There will be some breakouts, as well as plenty of trial and error.

There is going to be a lot of churn in the Nats bullpen this year. It is part of Paul Toboni’s philosophy. We already got a taste of that with all the waiver claims this offseason. These waiver claims will continue into the season. If guys aren’t producing, they will be demoted or DFA’d, and replaced by pitchers the front office finds more interesting. The mixing and matching will continue until they find the right combination.

That means we are not going to see Colin Poche and Lucas Sims types get over a month of run despite clearly not having the goods. The fact the Nats do not have a ton of relievers on guaranteed big league contracts will also help them be more flexible. A lot of teams like to just churn through relievers, and the Nats are going to be one of those teams.

However, they will have a few guys who they rely on in high leverage spots. One of those pitchers is Clayton Beeter, who Mike DeBartolo picked up in the Amed Rosario trade. Beeter posted a 2.49 ERA in 24 appearances with the Nats last year. This spring, Beeter has bumped up his slider usage, which could help him out. His slider is an elite swing and miss weapon, which he will lean on this year.

I would not be surprised if the Nats have more of a closer by committee set up this season. However, if they were to have a set closer, Beeter would be my pick. While he has control issues, he has the swing and miss stuff to bail himself out. When batters do put the ball in play against him, they do not tend to make great contact either.

Another high leverage reliever for the Nats will be Cole Henry. The right hander had his moments as a rookie, but faded as the season went on. He posted a 4.27 ERA last year, but I think that will be improved upon this year. Henry has bumped up his cutter usage this spring. I like that a lot because it gives him a bridge pitch between his fastball and sweeper. That cutter makes his arsenal much more complete.

Those two were in the Nats bullpen last year, but I would expect them to take strides forward this year. Brad Lord and PJ Poulin are two more arms that should give the Nats more stability in the ‘pen. Beyond those guys, we should see a revolving door of arms. I am sure a couple of those pitchers they give chances to will blossom under this new pitching development program.

The pitchers I have named so far lack experience, but Paul Toboni did bring in a couple of veterans on minor league deals right before Spring Training. Cionel Perez and Drew Smith are both looking to re-establish themselves as bullpen mainstays. They have success on their resume’s, but Perez struggled in 2025 and Smith was injured the whole year. Both have looked sharp this spring.

If one or both of those guys recapture some of the magic they had a few years ago, that would provide a massive boost. It feels like Smith is getting sharper and sharper as he gets more innings under his belt. Perez has also thrown the ball well this spring.

Honestly, most of the Nationals pitchers have looked good this spring. Some of the usage tweaks the new regime has made seem to have positive early returns. It is still Spring Training, but I like what I am seeing.

I am calling my shot! If the Nats bullpen ERA is not at least a run lower than last year, I would be very surprised. A 4.59 bullpen ERA still wouldn’t be good, but after last year, I would take it. Like I said up top, I expect the bullpen ERA to look much closer to the 4.14 mark they posted in 2024. 

There are no massive names in this group, but there do not need to be. We just need less Colin Poche and Jorge Lopez type blow-ups. Based on what we have seen this spring, I expect that will happen. Even last Spring Training, you could see the cracks in the Nats bullpen showing. We have not seen that so far this spring. Instead, we have seen a plethora of arms who can get outs.

You never truly know until you get into the regular season, but I really think the Nats bullpen will be solid. The pitchers performing well will stay and the guys struggling will have a short leash. I expect the bullpen to be a pleasant surprise for Nats fans in 2026.

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