Towards the end of the offseason, Paul Toboni went on a spree of waiver claims. In particular, he added quite a few bullpen arms to the mix. With the number of guys he got, odds are that at least one of them hits and makes an impact for the team. I took a look at my three favorite claims he made.
My favorite pitcher Toboni acquired from this process is Andre Granillo. While he technically was not a waiver claim, he came to the Nats as part of the waiver process. The Nats claimed pitcher George Soriano from the Braves on January 30th, then quickly DFA’d him on February 5th.
However, the Cardinals wanted to cut the waiver line to get Soriano. To do that, they just traded reliever Andre Granillo to the Nats in exchange for Soriano. Honestly, I do not really get this move from the Cardinals perspective because I think Granillo is the much better pitcher. In his first taste of MLB action last year, Granillo posted a 4.74 ERA, much better than Soriano’s 8.35 ERA. Granillo is also the younger pitcher.
In addition to mostly holding his own at the MLB level, Granillo was dominant in AAA. He posted a 1.29 ERA in 42 innings at the Triple-A level. Granillo’s bread and butter is a wipeout slider he throws well over half the time. At the MLB level, Granillo threw the slider 65% of the time. Despite the heavy usage, the pitch was still effective and got whiffs almost 35% of the time in the MLB.
While Granillo’s fastball sits at about 95 MPH, the quality of the pitch is not great, so he has to rely on that slider. However, that slider is good enough to make him a solid middle reliever. Granillo also showed an occasional changeup to lefties which had some promise. If that can become a real weapon, there could be higher leverage upside for the 25 year old.
I just think Granillo has everything you want in a waiver claim reliever. He dominated in the minors, is still young, has intriguing stuff, has minor league options and held his own at the MLB level. At worst, Granillo will be a solid up and down relief arm. However, I think he is fully capable of grabbing a full time spot in the bullpen.
Another pitcher who has the talent to grab a full time bullpen spot is Gus Varland. He looked like he was on his way to doing that with the White Sox back in 2024. That season, he posted a 3.42 ERA in 26.1 innings with 27 strikeouts. However, Varland’s 2025 was ravaged by injuries.
He did not appear in the MLB and only made 8 appearances in the minors. If he can get back to what he was in 2024, that is a big league reliever though. Unlike Granillo, Varland’s bread and butter is the fastball. He sits 95-96 MPH and the pitch has great shape. It has explosive life at the top of the zone at its best.
Varland’s heater gets both run and ride. It has 18 inches of ride and 11 inches of run. Both of those numbers are above average. That life is why he was able to throw his heater 55.6% of the time and still get quality results. To go with the heater, Varland has a hard slider that is a bit inconsistent. It can be good at times, but is also susceptible to damage.
Like Granillo, Varland has experimented with a changeup, and making that a consistent third pitch would be helpful. I just think Varland has the ability to be a solid middle reliever who can make 60 appearances in a season and put up an ERA around 3.50. That is nothing flashy, but the Nats need guys like that.
The last potentially impactful waiver claim I want to talk about is a slightly different profile. Paxton Schultz, who the Nats claimed from the Blue Jays, is more of a multi-inning relief arm. He is even able to make some spot starts if needed.
The 28 year old was solid when called upon for the Blue Jays last year. He posted a decent 4.38 ERA in 24.2 innings. Schultz struck out 28 batters and only walked 8 in that time as well. He does not have elite stuff, so he got hit at times, but he always competed out there.
Schultz also performed in multiple roles. He made 13 appearances for the Jays last year, with two of them being starts. Schultz went at least two innings in 6 of his 13 outings. Like Varland, Schultz has a fastball with good carry. He does not get as much ride as Varland, but he also throws from a lower slot. The lower slot and still good ride makes his fastball shape strong.
The heater averages just under 94 MPH, but that shape helps it play up. As someone who goes multiple innings, Schultz has a deeper pitch mix than most relievers. In addition to the heater, Schultz throws a cutter, a changeup and a slider. None of them are elite, but the cutter and changeup are good pitches.
Schultz is a bit like Brad Lord. He can just do whatever you need him to in a bullpen and can even make starts. Lord is more of a real starter than Schultz, but you get the point. The Nats have quite a few pitchers who can fill that long relief role, so Schultz needs to pitch well to make the team.
Even if he does not make the team out of camp, I have a hard time believing he will not make an impact at some point. Schultz is a very valuable optionable arm to have. When the bullpen is tired, you can call him up and he can absorb innings for you.
In a sea of waiver claims this offseason, I think Andre Granillo, Gus Varland and Paxton Schultz will be the most impactful. They all have a history at the MLB level and do not require much projection. None are likely to be stars, but all of them are capable of being solid contributors.