Nationals Sign Veteran Relievers, Perez Impresses

0:00You're listening to Washington Nationals News today. Subscribe now for fast daily updates on your team. The Washington Nationals signed two veteran relievers, Drew Smith and C&L Perez to minor league deals just as spring training began. Both have proven big league experience, but injuries and a dip in form knocked them down lately. With plenty of bullpen spots open, the team hopes they can compete for jobs. Early in camp, each has pitched two scoreless innings and impressed. Perez looks especially strong, touching mid to upper 90s with his fastball and sharpening his breaking pitches. He even fooled Ronald Okuna Jr. with a wicked slur of recently. Perez, a 29-year-old lefty, locked down high-leveraged spots for the Orioles from 2022 to 2024, appearing in at least 60 games each season. Last year's rough patch tied to unlucky batting average on balls and play way above his career norm. Smith, 32, missed time after a second Tommy John surgery in 2024. Analyst C. Perez as a near-lock for the roster, with his low-expected batting average and few hard contacts signaling a rebound.

1:11Smith shows good shape on his pitches, despite slightly lower velocity, but he might need AAA time to ramp up safely. These hungry arms add experience to a thin bullpen that ranked last in baseball last year. If they stick, it could steady things for a squad eyeing improvement. The Daily News Now is made possible with support from our sponsor. Do not just listen to podcasts, get lost in them comfortably. S-O-L-L-I, soleypillow.com