Nationals Shake Up Pitching Staff Ahead of Trade Deadline

In the days leading up to the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Washington Nationals were busy reshuffling their pitching staff. The team traded away several key arms, including starter Michael Soroka and relievers Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia, and Kyle Finnegan, who were sent to playoff-contending teams.

With these players now gone, the Nationals have had to find new arms to fill the gaps in their roster. One pitcher who has been given a golden opportunity is Shinnosuke Ogasawara, a Japanese import signed this past offseason to a two-year, $3.5 million contract.

Ogasawara was unable to break into the Nationals' starting rotation during spring training, but was recently called up from the minors to make his MLB debut on July 6th. Though his initial two starts did not go well, Ogasawara has since impressed interim manager Miguel Cairo with his ability to adapt to a bullpen role and generate crucial groundball outs.

"It was nice to see someone come in from the bullpen and attack the hitters, throw strikes, keep the ball down," Cairo said. "He got a few ground balls, double plays. It was a big help, to have someone you can count on that you can bring in for two innings and hold the other team's offense."

With Soroka now gone, Ogasawara is expected to factor into the Nationals' rotation plans for the final two months of the season. The team will need to carefully manage his workload, but the young pitcher has shown he can be a valuable asset as they navigate the stretch run.