Report: Nationals add former All-Star Winker on minors deal
The Washington Nationals signed outfielder Jesse Winker to a minor-league contract, a source told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post.
Winker is coming off easily the worst season of his seven-year career, hitting just one homer with 23 RBIs and a .567 OPS across 61 games for the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, the 30-year-old was a 2021 All-Star after slashing .305/.394/.556 with 24 long balls and 71 RBIs across 110 contests for the Cincinnati Reds.
Have to think Jesse Winker has a strong chance to mark the Opening Day roster if healthy. Nats need another experienced left/handed bat. He could pair up with Stone Garrett (if he’s healthy) as a DH combo and fill-in in LF when Joey Gallo moves to 1B.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 13, 2024
Winker also amassed a .902 OPS with a 134 wRC+ over a combined 277 games from 2019-2021 but dealt with multiple injuries over the last few years.