Arbiter’s decision on Erick Fedde complicates the state of the Nationals’ bullpen

There’s a lot to dig through here. But the most important point is that, until Monday, the Nationals thought Fedde was a flexible piece for their rotation or bullpen. They could have used him as a long reliever or their fifth starter. Or, since Joe Ross and Austin Voth are out of options, too, they could have stashed Fedde at their alternate site and kept him stretched out.

Now, though, they have to choose between carrying Fedde, Ross and Voth or making one of them available to the 29 other teams. This further complicates the state of a banged-up bullpen.

The rule at the center of this reads as follows: “Players typically have three option years, but those who have accrued less than five full seasons (including both the major and minors) are eligible for a fourth if their three options have been exhausted already. For the purposes of this rule, spending at least 90 days on an active Major League or Minor League roster during a given season counts as one full season.”

So Fedde received the fourth option in 2020 because, by last spring, he didn’t have five seasons of 90 or more days between a major or minor league roster. He then spent all of last summer with the Nationals, notching eight starts and three appearances out of the bullpen. The catch was that the shortened schedule fell well short of that 90-day mark.

As a result, Fedde entered spring training expecting to have a fourth option. But he still filed a grievance to have 2020 count as if he’d logged 90+ days with the Nationals. Then an arbiter granted that wish.

That’s one way to force Washington to put him on the roster. A first-round pick in 2014, Fedde has been trying to stick with the club since debuting at 24. He bounced between the minors, rotation and bullpen in 2019. He then bounced between starting and relieving last summer, at times replacing Stephen Strasburg in the rotation, at other times recording six or more outs of the bullpen. He has a career 5.10 ERA in 194 innings.

Fedde will start against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. The Nationals are again weighing Ross, Fedde and Voth as fifth starter candidates, though Ross has emerged as the front-runner. Fedde and Voth are potential long relievers for a team that could need a lot of bullpen help in early April. There is a chance that, options aside, all three pitchers have a shot to make the team.

But had Fedde kept his fourth option, Ross and Voth would have had the inside track to begin the season in Washington. Any consequences of sending Fedde to the minors would have been minimal.

In the next nine days, the Nationals have to decide on the right sizes for their bench and bullpen. They could head north with a basic eight relievers and five bench players. Or, if they’re worried about the strength of their starters, they could tap nine relievers before facing the New York Mets on April 1.

Either way, Fedde has likely upped his chances of being at Nationals Park for that game. It just had nothing to do with his pitching.