By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Former Eastern Alamance pitcher Zack Littell has signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals.
This week’s move culminated a months-long wait for the free-agent pitcher from Mebane.
Littell, 30, is coming off perhaps his best season in the major leagues.
Nationals beat reporters, citing sources, reported that it’s a $7 million deal with incentives, largely based on the number of innings pitched, that could raise the compensation to $9.5 million. There’s also a mutual option for the 2027 season.
For the past couple of months, Littell was at or near the top of numerous lists of best available free-agent pitchers. For weeks, speculation grew about which teams might strike a deal with the right-hander as he remained on the market.
Littell pitched 186 2/3 innings in 2025 with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds. He posted a 10-8 record and a 3.81 earned run average combined between the two teams, logging at least five innings in 27 of his 32 starts.
Littell’s other past big-league experience includes time with the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox. He spent time with the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers organizations in the minor leagues.
It’s anticipated that Littell will join the Nationals’ starting rotation. Another candidate as a starter with Washington is former Burlington Royals pitcher Foster Griffin.
Reports surfaced Sunday that Littell and the Nationals reached a deal. The team made an official announcement Tuesday.
Littell was added to the Nationals’ 40-man roster at the expense of pitcher Richard Lovelady, whose past teams included the 2024 Durham Bulls.
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