The Nationals have claimed right-hander Gus Varland off waivers from the Diamondbacks, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Arizona designated him for assignment last week after signing righty Taylor Clarke to a one-year deal.
Varland, 29, is the older brother of Blue Jays setup man Louis Varland. He missed most of the 2024-25 seasons due to injury, most notably a significant lat strain. He didn’t pitch in the majors this past season but logged 26 1/3 frames between the Dodgers and White Sox in 2024, turning in a 3.42 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. Varland sits 95-96 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with an 88-89 mph slider and a rarely used show-me changeup that he’s tossed at only a 5% clip in the big leagues.
Varland has generally been hit hard in the upper minors but still throws relatively hard and shows a penchant for missing bats and limiting walks at a passable clip. Home runs have been a modest issue, but he’s also been plagued by lofty BABIP numbers and low strand rates. Assuming he’s healthy now, there’s little harm in a rebuilding club like that Nats taking a speculative look in hopes that he can hold down a bullpen spot. Varland still has a minor league option remaining, so even if he doesn’t break camp with the Nationals, they can send him to Triple-A Rochester without first needing to pass him through outright waivers.