The Nationals announced that they have signed right-hander to a one-year major league deal. They also announced their pact with infielder/outfielder . To open a spot on the 40-man roster, infielder was designated for a signment. Per , Floro will make $2.25MM plus incentives. relays that Floro will get an extra $1.25MM if he pitches in 60 games next year. Floro, 33 this month, has plenty of major league succe s but is coming off a frustrating 2023 campaign. From 2018 to 2022, he to sed 252 2/3 innings for the Reds, Dodgers and Marlins with an earned run average of 2.96 in that time. He struck out 21.6% of hitters faced, i sued walks at a 7.6% clip and kept 50.9% of balls in play on the ground. He was back with the Fish to start 2023 but had an earned run average of 4.54 through 39 2/3 innings. He was then traded to the Twins for another struggling reliever in , with both clubs hoping for a change-of-scenery boost. But Floro posted a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings for Minnesota before getting released as the season was winding down. Theres no denying that those results were le s than ideal, but its po sible that the baseball gods were responsible for them. Floros peripherals were still strong, as he struck out 23.4% of batters for the season as a Artturi Lehkonen Jersey whole, walked just 6.9% and got grounders at a strong 54.4% rate. But his .401 batting average on balls in play and 65.3% strand rate were both on the unlucky side of average. His 2.96 FIP and 3.34 SIERA suggest he may have been closer to his previous self than would appear on first glance. His 37.1% hard hit rate in 2023 was a career high but his 87.1 mph average exit velocity was actually lower than the year before. The Nats are in rebuilding mode and arent expected to compete in 2024. They can give Floro a job in their bullpen and perhaps flip him to a contender at the deadline if he bounces back. This was a strategy the Nats deployed last season, signing , and to one-year deals. The deals for Smith and Dickerson didnt work out, but Candelario bounced back nicely and was flipped to the Cubs at the deadline for two prospects. Downs, 25, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox about a year ago. Once a highly-touted prospect, he was part of the package that the Sox received in the trade. But his performance in the past few years diminished his stock significantly. He played in just six games for the Nats in 2023, spending most of the year either on optional a signment or the injured list. In 60 minor league games this year, he walked in 16.6% of his plate appearances but also hit just three home runs. His .222/.363/.356 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 91. The Nats will now have a week to trade him or pa s him through waivers. He still has one option year remaining and le s than a year of service time. Given his past status as a top prospect, some club could put in a claim and wouldnt even need to commit an active roster spot to him. Alex Beaucage Jersey