Nationals, Cade Cavalli Nearing Agreement On Contract Extension

The Nationals and right-hander Cade Cavalli are closing in on a contract extension, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Murray says the deal is not done but there is optimism about getting something across the finish line. Cavalli is in the first of four arbitration years as a Super Two player, so he is currently under club control through 2029. Cavalli, now 28, was the club’s first-round pick in in 2020, getting selected 22nd overall. His initial minor league results were impressive, vaulting him onto top prospect status. He also made his big league debut late in 2022, barely two years after being drafted. However, the next step was a lengthy injury odyssey. He required Tommy John surgery in March of 2023, wiping out that entire season. He tried to get back on the mound in 2024 but hit various setbacks. He made three minor league appearances but otherwise missed that season as well. Even as the 2025 season began, Cavalli was still not ready, getting placed on the injured list to start that campaign. He was finally activated from the IL in May of last year but the Nats then optioned him to the minors in order to monitor his workload after so much missed time. He was recalled in August and made ten decent starts down the stretch, posting a 4.25 earned run average, though with a subpar 18.3% strikeout rate. Here in 2026, he has finally become the pitcher he was expected to be, stepping up as Washington’s ace. He has taken the ball 31 times and logged 164 2/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA. His 28.2% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate are all really strong figures. He has racked up 3.7 wins above placement in the eyes of FanGraphs, which puts him ninth among pitchers in the National League, so he may receive Cy Young votes. While the Nats had legitimate reasons to want Cavalli in the minors last year, it’s probably not a total coincidence that he was held down long enough to prevent him from getting to three years of service time. He did become a Super Two guy and qualified for arbitration but his path to free agency was pushed by a year. Since he missed so much time, his earning power in arbitration was minimal. The filing deadline in January passed without Cavalli and the Nats having an agreement in place. The pitcher and his reps filed at $900K, not much more than this year’s $780K league minimum. The Nats countered at $825K. Rather than go to a hearing over that paltry difference, the two sides agreed to a deal shortly thereafter. Cavalli was guaranteed $870K on that new pact, in the form of an $862.5K salary and a $7.5K buyout on a $4MM club option for 2027. More to come. View Comments (4)