Washington Nationals news & notes: Stone Garrett; Jacob Barnes; + more from Davey Martinez…

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ manager and GM and some other things…

GARRETT BUILDING UP:

Stone Garrett, who turned 28 this past November, signed with Washington’s Nationals as a free agent in November of 2022, after making his MLB debut with Arizona’s Diamondbacks as a 26-year-old in the ‘22 campaign.

Garrett suffered a season-ending injury (fractured left fibula) in August, but he finished the year with a .269/.343/.457 line, 17 doubles, nine home runs, 82 Ks, and 26 walks over 89 games and 271 plate appearances, and managed to impress the Nats’ brass with his work.

“I challenged him early on to be a better outfielder. He’s done it,” Davey Martinez said, when the Nationals’ manager spoke about Garrett in the immediate aftermath of the injury.

“I challenged him to put the ball in play more, he’s done that, drive in more runs.

“Everything I’ve asked him to do, he went out of his way to go and try to get it done, and I love guys like that.

“So for me, he meant a lot not only to me, but to this clubhouse, to this locker room, to the fans, he’s one of the fan favorites, I know, he means a lot to us.”

“He improved greatly, I thought,” GM Mike Rizzo said at the Winter Meetings this past December.

Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

“We brought him in there to be — really — my thought was for him to play against left-handed pitching and maybe a defensive replacement in left field, and he took that and ran with it and then Davey started getting him in there against some right-handed pitching and did well there too. I thought he was on the verge of really becoming an all-around player for us that definitely could be in the plans for the future.”

Garrett was hard at work and well into his rehab at that point, and Rizzo and Co. in the front office were looking forward to seeing how he’d bounce back from the injury.

“He’s coming along and he’s exercising and rehabbing,” Rizzo said in December.

“We’ll take all the measurements and all the physical testing, and then the eye test, is the stride the same? Is the stride length the same? Is he favoring it at all? And then it comes down to — if he passes all those tests, when you have to go from rehabbing to working out to instinctively, [at] game speed making it work, that’s often when you tell, and he’ll know when he does it with no fear.”

On Day 1 of Spring Training 2024, Martinez talked to reporters about bringing Garrett along slowly and making sure he’s good to go when it’s time to.

“We’re going to build him up. I’m hoping he’s going to be ready for Opening Day. He’s done a lot,” Martinez said.

“We got to check all the boxes with him. It’s going to be a progression, but we’re going to push him. He wants to be pushed. He’s been hitting, and he looks really good hitting. And so we’re not going to hold him back. He’ll determine when he’s ready to go, and we’ll keep a close eye on him. So every day we’re going to progress and see where he’s at towards the end of [Spring Training.]”

BARNES SIGNS:

Right-hander Jacob Barnes signed a minor league deal with the Nationals on Friday.

Barnes, 33, is a veteran of eight major league seasons, who has posted a 4.76 ERA and 4.13 FIP over a total of 265 games in the majors (264 of them in relief).

He made 13 appearances in 2023, for the St. Louis Cardinals, posting a 5.93 ERA, a 3.91 FIP, three walks, eight Ks, and a .316/.361/.474 line against in his 13 appearances between late August and the end of the season.

“We signed Jacob, he should be here in the next day or so,” manager Davey Martinez said in his daily meeting with reporters on Friday afternoon in West Palm Beach, FL.

“Another guy we feel like should still have something left in the tank.

“We’re going to give him an opportunity. He’ll strengthen our bullpen. He’ll be here soon. I can’t wait to get eyes on him.”

“Here’s a guy that’s been a competitor. I think he’ll fit right in too. You can’t have enough arms. We’re going to give him an opportunity in Spring Training and see what he can do.”

With the concerns about Mason Thompson’s elbow, it makes sense to add depth, and as the old saying goes, “You can never have enough pitching.”

“We can’t ever have enough pitching,” Martinez said, “especially when you’re starting Spring Training.”

CAVALLI 2024:

“I’ve watched him throw a few bullpens now,” Davey Martinez said this week when asked about Cade Cavalli’s progress following Tommy John surgery last spring.

Cavalli, 25, and the Nationals’ 2020 1st Round pick (22nd overall), tore the UCL in his right elbow pitching in Spring Training last year, after he made his MLB debut with one start in 2022.

Happy as he was to see Cavalli back on the mound, Martinez preached caution.

“We’ve got to understand where he’s at. He did have Tommy John. So, there is a progression.”

While Cavalli is eager to get back on the mound in the majors, Martinez and his coaches, everyone in player development, and the pitcher all know they have to stick to the plan.

“He’s rip-raring to go, but he understands what he still needs to do to get to where he needs to be. When he’s back? It’s going to be exciting,” Martinez said.

Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images

“I think he’s on track,” Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, as quoted by MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato, when he spoke on the first day of Spring Training:

“His progression has been great. He’s a diligent worker, and he’s a really good patient. He follows the protocol to the T, and our guys always know you’re going to have to pull him back a little bit. He follows them up to the edge, and we pull him back a little bit. That’s how I think we want our guys. We want them [champing] at the bit, and we want to pull them back and tell them to trust us enough to know what’s in your best interests.

“You look at him, he’s strengthened every part of his body, including his elbow. I think he’s looking forward to teeing it up and getting ready to go. I’m sure looking forward to seeing him pitch. I think he’s going to help us immensely, one of those starting pitchers we all covet.”

“He’s been looking good,” Martinez said on Friday. “I said, you look at him, and you think, ‘What was wrong with him?’ Right? But we’ve still got a long way to go, but he’s progressing. He’s on the right track, so hopefully we’ll get through this and we’ll see him help us this year.”