Photo via primetimesportstalk.com
You know we’re getting close to Spring Training when the annual press release goes out announcing Non-Roster Spring Training Invitees (NRIs). The Nats announced the initial crop this week, immediately forgot at least a couple guys who have ST invites on their transactions page, and probably will add more as they sign up veteran FAs, but for now here’s who we have:
(Note: the NRIs are color coded purple on the Big Board for tracking)
- Starting Pitchers: Brad Lord, Tyler Stuart, Konnor Pilkington, Jarlin Susana, Joan Adon,
- Relief pitchers: Daison Acosta, Marquis Grissom Jr., Clay Helvey, Jack Sinclair,,
- Catchers: Andrew Knizner, Caleb Lomavita, Max Romero Jr., and Brad Lindsley (left off Nats announcement)
- Infielders: Brady House, Yohandy Morales, Cayden Wallace
- Outfielders: Daylen Lile, Andrew Pinckney, Franchy Cordero (left off press release)
The list includes a huge chunk of our projected AAA roster: i’d say of the 16 NRIs listed here, 14 of them will be in AAA to start the year. In fact, the only ones who won’t be in AAA are Susana and Romero, both probably heading to AA.
NRIs are important. Believe it or not, more than a dozen of 2024’s NRIs eventually played in the majors last year, some with pretty significant roles. So this group collectively will play a big role for the 2025 team. Traditionally 3-4 will make the team out of ST to open the season, while others get called up.
NRIs generally fall into several categories:
- Top Prospects getting their first shot with the big boys: this describes at least Susana, Lomavita, House, Morales, Wallace, and Lile. I suppose Pinckney is here as well since he doesn’t qualify for any of the other categories.
- Starters to eat split squad innings: I would throw Lord and Stuart in this bucket, along with Adon.
- Catchers, because we need people to catch all these ST bullpen sessions: Knizner, Romero, Lindsley
- Veteran MLFAs who were promised the NRI as a condition of signing: Helvey, Plington, Cordero
- Under-the-Radar relievers who might be useful middle relievers: Acosta, Grissom, Sinclair
Is Adon still a prospect? After four option years, what exactly does the team need to see here? Perhaps they’re planning on converting him to relief, so he’d fall into category #4.
The team has already signed a dozen MLFAs for 2025, but only a couple have NRIs. This in and among itself is a message, but some of the non-NRIs are surprising.
- We have a MLFA 28yr old catcher CJ Stubbs on the AAA roster right now: no NRI.
- Andrew Alvarez is slated to be in the AAA rotation; no NRI.
- We’ve heard people rave about reliever Carlos Romero: no NRI.
- The only lefty reliever in AAA Garvin Alston? no NRI.
- We’ve signed several aged 28-30 MLFAs who got assigned to AA straight away, an indication they’re just org arms.
- We’ve also signed several younger relief arms this month, all in the 23-25 range, newly 6-year FAs after being young IFA signings; these kind of guys may need more seasoning and aren’t candidates to join the bullpen.
- A few rule-5 candidates we talked about at length but no NRI include Solesky, De la Rosa, Made, and Shuman, which probably tells us what we need to know about the organization’s thought about these guys.
Who’s likely to make the team out of this list? Probably a bit early to predict, but I only count 9 total relievers on the entire 40-man right now, one of whom is out with TJ. So, there’s opportunities here for especially the arms who can slot into bullpen spots.
We didn’t really talk about the top prospects in camp. Of them, House seems the most likely to win a starting job, based on the lack of a FA 3b signing. We’ve litigated him to death; no he’s not ready, he probably needs to prove himself for a half season in AAA. The rest of the prospects all seem slated for either AA or AAA to get more time in the minors. I’m intrigued by Morales’ potential … but the team has basically bought itself enough 1B/DH cover that it seems unlikely for him to break camp.
Thoughts?