The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a four-year contract, including one team option, with right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli today. The contract begins in 2027 and runs through the 2030 season with an extra year via a team option for the 2031 season. That could keep team control of Cavalli through his age-33 season.

This was a deal that had to get completed after news leaked last night that an extension was being discussed. That put pressure on the Lerner ownership group to get signatures on paper. The good news is it got done before the clubhouse opened for the Nationals team that is on the road in St. Louis.

Per our sources, the deal will be worth up to $70 million for the 5-years if the team option is picked up for the 2031 season. This is now the largest deal on the Nationals books. Both sides, per our source, tried to negotiate additional years at Cavalli’s request. This is where they finished, and this deal as reported is what both sides could agree on at the time for the 28 year old Cavalli on a deal that could take him through the 2031 season when he will be 33.

“It’s not a bad thing to go dream and have high expectations of yourself and hold yourself to a high standard every day. When you stack a good day on top of a good day for a long time, some good things can happen.”

“It was more like, ‘Hey, let’s do the longest deal possible because I want to be here truly forever.’ I really love this organization.”

— Cavalli said about the new contract

In conversation with the former Face-of-the-Franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, the words exchanged about staying with one team resonated with Cavalli as Zim played his entire career with the Nats. Those years had its downs, and also the ups with many years of winning, and of course a 2019 World Series win.

Speaking of going back in time, credit to former scouting director Kris Kline who was a key person in drafting Cavalli at pick No. 22 of the first round in 2020.

Currently, Cavalli is 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA, with 194 strikeouts and a .233 opponents’ average in 31 starts this season. He ranks in the Top-10 in the National League in starts (2^nd, 31), strikeouts (4^th, 194), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (4^th, 10.60), ERA (8^th, 3.12), strikeout-to-walk ratio (8^th, 4.04), WHIP (9^th, 1.17) and opponents’ average (10^th, .233). He has recorded five games of at least 10 strikeouts, tied for fifth-most in Major League Baseball.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Cade with us for the long haul. We’ve seen firsthand the work he’s put in, the challenges he’s overcome and the way he continues to grow as a pitcher, a person and a leader. … We’re so excited to watch the next chapter of his career unfold here with us.”

“We want homegrown players to know that if they come here and carry themselves the right way, go about their work the right way, and go out and perform and be great teammates and great leaders — there’s a pathway to be here for the long-term, especially when there’s interest on both sides. Cade is an example of that.”

“Hopefully this sends a message,  not only to our major-league group — but to players throughout the whole organization  — that this is something that’s on our minds, and it will continue to be on our minds going forward.”

— said Paul Toboni, Nationals’ President of Baseball Operations in a media session

Cavalli has allowed just three earned runs or fewer in 29 of his 31 starts this season, the best mark among Major League starters, ahead of the New York Yankees’ Cam Schlitter (28), Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (27) and Cleveland’s Parker Messick (27). He trails only Max Scherzer (30, 2018) for the most such outings in Nationals history (2005-pres.).

This season’s second half has seen Cavalli emerge as an ace with a 3.12 ERA overall with 194 strikeouts in 164.2 innings. On June 20, Cavalli was still trying to figure everything out with a new cutter, and he had a 4.07 ERA at the time. But since that point, Cavalli has mastered the cutter, and changed the shape of his knuckle-curve to give him a much-needed putaway pitch. His ERA was a miniscule 2.27 in his past 16 games.

Cavalli is repped by Jay Franklin of the BBI Agency. Coincidentally, Franklin got his start as an employee at the Boras Agency before he went out on his own. This deal is potentially the biggest on the current books for Franklin’s agency.

Cavalli, 28, went from a forgettable debut at the end of August in 2022 with a 7-run disaster, and not only did he pitch poorly — but he also tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow that required TJ surgery. Cavalli would miss all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons and didn’t return to the MLB until nearly three years after the injury.

In 2025, Cavalli’s season was a middling 4.25 ERA of a two month sample size. This year, Cavalli was Super-2 eligible for salary arbitration because he was accruing MLB service time while injured and on rehab. He signed a $4 million deal for next year for his second year of arbitration and the 2028 and 2029 years would be his final two years of team control.

With Cavalli’s extension completed, that gives the Nationals more certainty for what could be shaping up as a window of contention. James Wood is team-controlled through the 2030 season, and that gives the Nats a projection with some of their top prospects who should start matriculating to the big leagues in 2027 to 2029.

Right now, the only locks for next season’s starting rotation are Cavalli and Andrew Alvarez. You hope that the team can count on Connelly Early, DJ Herz, and others to that mix. The jury is still out on Jake Irvin and Jackson Kent. Then there is Josiah Gray who is set to pitch for the Nats this weekend. Certainly that is a lot of question marks to go around.

In the minors, Travis Sykora will be working his way back from his own TJ surgery, and he is the team’s top prospect pitcher. And there is still the debate over what Jarlin Susana will be as to whether he is a starter or a bullpen arm.

The obvious choice would be to sign a top free agent starting pitcher this offseason to add to the mix — and maybe two pitchers. This would certainly help the outlook on the 2027 season and beyond.

This is obviously huge for the Lerner ownership group to push this across the finish line. Their first big signing to get down since they did a long-term extension for Keibert Ruiz.

“We are thrilled that Cade and his family will remain part of the Washington Nationals for years to come. Since we drafted Cade in 2020, we’ve been continually impressed with who he is as a baseball player and as a human being. He’s shown that he not only has the talent to excel as a Major Leaguer, but he also possesses the high character and leadership qualities that make him a beloved member of our clubhouse and in the community.”

— said Mark Lerner, Managing Principal Owner

Some highlights of Cavalli’s breakout 2026 season include:

• Facing the Chicago Cubs on March 26 in his first career Opening Day start, Cavalli allowed two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
• Back-to-back 10-strikeout games on April 23 vs. Atlanta and April 29 at New York (NL). He combined to strike out 20 batters and issued just two walks between the two starts.
• A career-high 13 strikeouts in 7.0 innings of one-hit ball on June 30 at Boston. He allowed a leadoff double to start the game before retiring the next 21 batters he faced.
• A career-high 8.0 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and just one hit allowed on Aug. 13 vs. Chicago (NL). In doing so, he joined Max Scherzer as the only two pitchers in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record two or more games in a single season of at least 7.0 innings pitched, one hit or less and 10 or more strikeouts.
• Striking out 11 batters in 6.0 shutout innings in his next start on Aug. 19 at Texas. Between the two starts, he struck out 21 batters and allowed just four hits in 14.0 scoreless innings.

Cavalli was the Nats’ first-round pick (No. 22 overall) in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma, Cavalli was named Washington’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year two consecutive years (2021-22). In 2021, he led all of Minor League Baseball with 175 strikeouts and a 0.33 home runs per innings pitched. He rose as high as the No. 2 prospect in Washington’s system and the No. 27 prospect in baseball in 2022, according to Baseball America.

With that 5^th year of team control of Cavalli for the 2031 season, that extends the window for all of the key players on team through the 2030 season, except for CJ Abrams who is set to be a free agent after the 2028 season.

Since June 20, Cavalli ranks as the 6th best pitcher in that span and coincidentally, Kyle Leahy is the 2nd best pitcher in that timeframe, and he and Cavalli will face-off tonight in St. Louis.

Photo by Marlene Koenig/Nats.Talk