The Nationals will select a lefty contract Tom Cosgrovereports Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. The Nats have an open spot on the active roster as they field a right-hander Brad Lord in the list of 15 days injured yesterday with a left side injury and could not do the same year. The 40-man roster is full, so the Nats will have to make room there.
Cosgrove, 30, was recently discovered at Astos last week. He had started his season with Houston on a minor league deal. He logged 29 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.30 earned run average and an average-ish 21.3% strikeout rate. However, he walked 21 of 136 batters, a terrible 15.4% rate. He also struck out nine batters, so it was actually 22% of opponents getting a free pass to first base.
Despite that lack of control, the Nats sent a cash consideration to the Astros and took Cosgrove. Since then he has played one game at Triple-A Rochester, striking out three of the five batters he faced.
Cosgrove doesn’t throw hard, reaching 87-89 mph with his four-seamer and sinker, but he bounces off a low pitch that has worked for hitters. With the Padres in 2023, he posted a 1.75 ERA in 51 1/3 innings. That was the result of some luck, as his .205 batting average on balls in play and 84.6% strikeout rate were both on the lucky side. Regressions hit hard in 2024, as Cosgrove posted an 11.66 ERA in 14 2/3 innings.
He was designated for assignment in 2025 and turned to the Cubs. He only played two games for Chicago as they kept him in the minors. He was delisted in September and became a free agent at the end of the season, leading to his aforementioned deal with the Astros.
More to come.
