The Washington Nationals entered the 2018-19 offseason with clear holes to fill in their rotation. Gio Gonzalez hit free agency after being traded by the Nats in August and Jeremy Hellickson’s one-year deal expired at the conclusion of the regular season.
With young arms Erick Fedde and Jefry Rodriguez offering little assurance of any long-term stability and Joe Ross likely sitting on an innings limit as he works back from Tommy John surgery, Washington is forced to look outside the organization to fill out the rotation.
The top two starting pitchers on the free-agent market are Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel, both of whom are expected to cost upwards of $20 million a year.