The Washington Nationals have officially announced the signing of 28-year-old right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli to a four-year contract extension that includes a club option for the 2031 season, the team announced today in a tweet. Robert Murray of FanSided reported earlier that a contract extension agreement between Cavalli and the Nationals was in the works and getting close. Cavalli is 28 years old and is having a breakout season, posting a 12-5 record and a 3.12 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 164.2 innings pitched and a 1.17 WHIP.
Washington Nationals senior reporter Spencer Nusbaum reports the deal is for “$47 million guaranteed but could be worth up to $70 million,” Nusbaum states.
Nationals Homegrown Talent
The Nationals drafted Cavalli in the first round of the mlb.com/player/cade-cavalli-676917″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>2020 MLB Draft (22nd overall) out of the University of Oklahoma. Still, he has dealt with several injuries since then that affected his big-league timeline.Cavalli made his big-league debut in 2022 but made only one appearance before later undergoing Tommy John Surgery, which kept him out for the entire 2026 season. He’s had a leg injury this year after being hit on a comebacker in a start on August 29th, and he previously had a shoulder injury in 2022. 2026 was really Cavalli’s first full season of big league action. He pitched in only ten games during the 2025 season, posting a 3-1 record with a 4.25 ERA.
The Nationals released a statement on X after the signing news in which Paul Toboni, the President of Baseball Operations, stated, “We couldn’t be more excited to have Cade with us for the long haul. We’ve seen firsthand the work he’s put in, the challenges he’s overcome, and the way he continues to grow as a pitcher, person, and leader,” stated Toboni in a released statement. Toboni’s language here checks out. Cavalli has worked hard to bounce back from several significant injuries and become a dominant starting pitcher this year.
What’s promising about Cavalli is that he can use both velocity and spin to induce weak contact, along with swing-and-miss. Cavalli’s fastball averages 96.7 mph in 2026, which places him in the 84th percentile amongst pitchers, but what really stands out is his positive 14 breaking run value, which ranks in the 99th percentile this year amongst pitchers, according to Baseball Savant. Cavalli is also an efficient ground-ball pitcher with an 87 percent ground-ball rate, placing him in the 87th percentile, per Baseball Savant.
Cavalli’s Promising 2026 Season
Cavalli has also shown the ability to generate swing-and-misses and limit walks. He throws an array of pitches, including a four-seam fastball, knuckle curve, sweeper, sinker, changeup, cutter, and slow curve. The Nationals, with a 71-82 record and in 4th place in the NL East this year, are looking toward the future and building a promising cornerstone of talent. Signing Cavalli to this contract extension is certainly a sign of them moving in such a direction both for now and the foreseeable future. And for Cavalli, it shows that hard work can really pay off in retrospect.
Nationals reporter Danielle Allentuck posted a tweet stating that Toboni also mentioned that; “he hopes Cavalli’s extension sends a message to other homegrown players that there could be a path to stay with the team longterm if there’s interest on both sides”, reported Allentuck.
Nationals Sign Cavalli To Four Year Contract Extension