The Washington Nationals’ recently signed catcher gave the opportunity to earn a starting role – Sports Illustrated

The Washington Nationals made team history when they signed Shinnosuke Ogasawara.

It was the first time this franchise had landed a player directly from Asia, and given all the talent that has come through in recent years, this is as good as any to start increasing their footprint overseas.

The Nationals signed him to a two-year, $3.5 million deal.

It’s not a huge commitment by any means, but it signals the lefty factors into their plans on some level, whether it’s this season or next.

But with a crowded rotation that already has other young pitchers on standby, what exactly does Washington envision for Ogasawara?

According to Mike Rizzo, they see him as a starter.

“We signed him as a starting pitcher for us in the big leagues,” he said of Mark Zuckerman of Mass.

This is interesting on the surface because the Nationals brought back Trevor Williams on a two-year deal and added veteran Michael Soroka for this campaign. Behind ace Mackenzie Gore are Jake Irwin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Hertz. They have Cade Cavalli and Josiah Gray in the pipeline.

It’s crowded.

That’s why Ogasawara was expected to potentially be a bullpen option for them when his signing was first announced, but Rizzo has made it clear they’re giving the Japan international a chance to earn a starting spot.

“Obviously, he’s going to have to earn that rotation spot. I think there’s going to be a lot of competition for the top five rotation spots from some good, young, talented players. If he’s not ready for the big leagues, then then we could always he the three options and we brought him up sometime during the season.

It looks like only one spot is up for grabs.

Parker, Hertz and Ogasawara will battle it out to be the fifth option, as both Williams and Soroka were said to be involved when their contracts were signed.

There is a good chance that Washington has their new signing start his career in the minors, adding his name to the list of Standbys that will be called up in case of injury or poor performance.

But this is not as dried up as it first appeared.

The Nationals will have huge competition for that final starting spot in the spring, and Ogasawara will be given a chance to earn it.