The Nationals sign Patrick Weigel to a Minor League deal

The Nationals signed the right-hander Patrick Weigel to a minor league deal, as noted by Talk Nats. The deal supposedly includes an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Weigel, 30, was a seventh-round pick of the Braves in 2015. The righty worked his way through Atlanta’s minor league system to make his big league debut during the shortened 2020 season, but bombed in his only appearance to the tune of two runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch during an outing that saw him record no strikeouts and just two outs overall. That rough big league debut turned out to be his only job in the majors with Atlanta, as he was shipped to Milwaukee as part of the Orlando Arcia trade in 2021. Weigel has been used as a reliever on and off with the Brewers, for whom he has provided three decent but unremarkable relief appearances. In four innings of work that year, he pitched to a 4.50 ERA with nine strikeouts and four walks.

Despite that serviceable work in his brief stint in the majors in 2021, his time at Triple-A Nashville was nothing short of disastrous. In 43 1/3 innings of level work, Weigel posted a brutal 7.27 ERA while walking 17.6% of opponents. That complete lack of command led the Brewers to designate the right-hander for assignment on trade deadline day in 2021, leading him to elect minor league free agency during the offseason. He eventually managed to reach a minor league deal with the Mariners for the 2022 season and hit a decent 4.21 ERA in 62 innings of work, though his 13.9% walk rate still left a lot to be desired .

Since leaving the Mariners during the 2022-23 offseason, Weigel has bounced between independent leagues. He pitched for the American Association’s Kansas City Monarchs in 2023, and his solid work led to him splitting the 2024 season between the Reds’ minor league system and the Mexican League’s Saraperos de Saltillo. Weigel dominated the Double-A level with the Reds (0.90 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate) but lit up at the Triple-A level for a total of five runs in just two innings of work. Now he’s ready to try his hand at a fifth MLB organization. The Nationals are certainly hoping to be able to help Weigel keep his command in check, and if he can get his walk rate into a more manageable range in the future, it’s easy to imagine him as a useful depth option not on the roster for the club outside. of the bullpen this year.