Zach

Davies

Davies latched on with Kansas City back in early April on a minor league pact, but never wound up making it back to the majors. The soft-tossing 31-year-old righty will head back to the open market in search of a new opportunity.

Davies was released by the Nationals near the end of spring training. The 31-year-old will likely report to Triple-A Omaha, and if he pitches well, he could make starts for the Royals. It’s very unlikely that he provides any relevance regardless in fantasy leagues even if that takes place.

Davies has been granted his release after failing to land a spot in Washington’s season-opening rotation as a non-roster invitee. The soft-tossing 31-year-old righty was lit up for nine runs over 3 2/3 innings earlier this week against the Cardinals in his final spring start.

That’s probably a wrap on Davies’ bid to land the fifth spot in Washington’s season-opening rotation with Jake Irvin and Trevor Williams presumably getting the last two spots. There’s almost zero fantasy impact here, but it’s worth noting that Davies was likely still in contention until this point.

The right-hander did manage to record five strikeouts on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The Marlins scratched out a run against in him in the second inning, then tacked on another pair in the fourth as they chased Davies from the ballgame. It’s been a rough go for him overall this spring, sporting a 5.06 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and an 8/4 K/BB ratio over 5 1/3 innings.

It’s the least intriguing position battle in MLB, but Davies, who was signed to a minor league deal 10 days ago, could overtake Trevor Wiliams or Cole Irvin for a spot in the Nationals’ rotation. The 31-year-old righty had a 7.00 ERA in 18 starts for the Diamondbacks last season.

Davies struggled to a calamitous 7.00 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 72/39 K/BB ratio across 82 1/3 innings (18 starts) last year with the Diamondbacks before being released in late September. The soft-tossing 31-year-old righty is unlikely to make Washington’s season-opening starting rotation, but will get an opportunity to compete for a spot in spring training. He’s a solid emergency depth option for the Nationals heading into the 2024 season.

Davies will get a head start on free agency after being removed last week from Arizona’s 40-man roster. The soft-tossing 30-year-old righty posted a lackluster 7.00 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 72/39 K/BB ratio across 82 1/3 innings (18 starts) this season after re-signing with the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $5 million pact.

Davies has been bad, no doubt, but it’s one of the unfortunate drawbacks to the current September roster rules that a team’s best choice can be to discard veterans like this at the very end of the year. Davies wasn’t going to start again after his poor showing last night and wasn’t at all likely to be a factor in the postseason, so off he goes in exchange for a fresh arm. The 30-year-old Davies was 2-5 with a 7.00 ERA in 18 starts this season. He had a far more respectable 4.09 ERA in 27 starts for Arizona last year. Still, he might have to settle for a minor league deal this winter.

It’s astonishing that Davies remains in the Diamondbacks rotation. It’s equally astonishing that his presence hasn’t hurt the team. The Diamondbacks have won his last five starts, even though he’s given up 16 runs over 22 innings in those games. They’re 10-8 when he pitches this season, never mind the 7.00 ERA. Davies could pitch again Sunday, for better or worse.