Washington Nationals re-sign Erasmo Ramírez to 1-year deal....

Erasmo Ramìrez, 32, made 71 appearances in the majors between 2017-2021, but the 11-year veteran made 60 appearances out of the bullpen for Washington’s Nationals in ‘22 after the right-handed reliever signed a minor league deal with the team last March.

This time around the righty’s coming back on a one-year contract worth a reported $1M, with incentives which could earn him up to $2M.

As the club noted in their Season in Review, Ramírez’s, “... [86 1⁄3] innings pitched led all National League relievers (2nd in MLB [in ‘22]), while his 27.3% inherited runners scored ranked fifth in the National League.”

“I talk about Erasmo [Ramírez], how good Erasmo is,” Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez said late last season, in explaining how he held Ramírez up as an example for his younger pitchers to watch.

“Erasmo is good because he doesn’t care if guys hit him. He just wants early, weak contact. It doesn’t bother him that he doesn’t strike guys out or whatever. He just wants to get guys out.”

Ramírez finished strong last season, with a 1.50 ERA, 2.90 FIP, five walks, 28 strikeouts, and a .189/.226/.291 line against in 28 appearances and 42 IP after the All-Star Break, after he’d put up a 4.26 ERA, 5.14 FIP, nine walks, 33 Ks, and a .291/.335./474 line against in 44 1⁄3 IP in the first half of 2022.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and then some,” Martinez said back in early September when asked about Ramírez’s contributions, as quoted by MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato.

“He’s been a quiet leader in the bullpen as well. He’s helped out a lot of guys. But he’s a bulldog. He takes the ball every day.”

“To make room for Ramírez on the 40-man roster, RHP Gerardo Carrillo was designated for assignment,” the Nationals announced in a press release on the deal with Ramírez.

Carrillo, a 24-year-old righty, acquired along with outfielder Donovan Casey (who was DFA’d, but cleared waivers, and returned to Triple-A in the organization this past season), catcher Keibert Ruiz, and starter Josiah Gray, in the trade which sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to LA in 2021, pitched at three levels in the Nats’ system in 2022, put up a 3.60 ERA in 10 IP at High A, but a rough 11.32 ERA in 10 ¹⁄₃ IP at Double-A on the year (along with a 3.00 ERA in 3 IP in the FCL).

Carrillo missed time with a right shoulder issue last season, and worked exclusively in relief at High-A and Double-A.

In addition to those moves, the Nats announced on Twitter they agreed to terms on a one-year major league contract with Tanner Rainey, avoiding arbitration with the right-handed reliever who had Tommy John surgery this past summer.

Also, “Lucius Fox has cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to AAA Rochester.”

Fox was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster last week after the club claimed RHP A.J. Alexy off outright waivers from the Texas Rangers.