The Washington Nationals announced a roster move ahead of their game against the Texas Rangers. The club has activated Matt Waldron and designated Trevor Williams for assignment, reports Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic.
Williams, 34, has spent the last four seasons with the Nationals. In 68 appearances (60 starts) for Washington, the right-hander has a 4.81 ERA across 310.2 innings. He’s in the middle of a two-year, $14 million contract he signed after the 2024 season.
He’s been used mostly as a veteran innings-eater in the rotation for those four years. But as the club is turning to younger arms in a noncontending season, he’s pitched exclusively in relief.
The veteran starter underwent an internal brace procedure on his elbow last year. Williams returned to pitch in eight relief appearances before his DFA. He has a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings, with an impressive 22 strikeouts vs. six walks.
Nationals DFA Trevor Williams After Reaching 10 Years of Service Time
GettyTrevor Williams spent the 2023-2026 seasons with the Washington Nationals. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Nusbaum adds important context to the timing of Trevor Williams’ DFA. The club waited until the right-hander crossed the 10-year service time threshold before cutting ties with him. They also extended the same courtesy to Miles Mikolas.
The importance of hitting that service-time threshold is critical. Less than 10% of MLB players last 10 years in the big leagues, but they receive full retirement benefits if they do.
While Mikolas and Williams haven’t been viable starters for a contender in a while, this goodwill gesture helps the Nationals’ standing across the league. It makes them a potentially more attractive destination for free agents. That’s an important piece of roster building if the Nationals aim to be a competitive club in the near future.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni has done a solid job rebuilding the Nationals as an organization. The hitters have already bought in; it’s just a matter of getting the right pitchers.
As the club continues to improve their reputation, they’ll attempt to leverage it into landing the type of pitching they need to contend. Right-hander Cade Cavalli is developing into a young ace, so it’s a matter of acquiring more frontline starting pitching.
What’s Next for Trevor Williams?
GettyTrevor Williams’ tenure with the Nationals came to an end when the club DFA’d the veteran starter on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
The Nationals will have five days to either outright or release Trevor Williams. Given the 34-year-old’s service time, it’s likely the Nationals will just grant a straight release.
It’s unlikely another club will pick up the rest of his $7 million salary, so he should pass through waivers before his release. But a contending club might be interested for league minimum ($780K) and see if he can continue his solid run as a multi-inning arm.
He’s thrown as many as 3.1 innings in a single relief appearance and regularly stays stretched out. However, it’s also worth noting most of his appearances are mop-up duty, as Washington is 1-7 in his eight appearances.
Williams will likely latch on to a team in need of a multi-inning reliever for the postseason. He’ll need to be on a club’s 40-man roster by August 31 to be eligible to pitch in October. That gives Williams about a week to find a new team.
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