The Washington Nationals added two new faces to the organization during the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings. First was Griff McGarry, the club’s lone selection in the Rule 5 Draft. The second move came Monday night, when Paul Toboni swung a deal with his former organization, sending Jake Bennett to Boston in exchange for Luis Perales. With that in mind, let’s dive into the two newest members of the Nationals system.
Luis Perales
Perales arrived as part of the Red Sox’s 2019 international free agent class. Long viewed as a lively arm with command questions, he dominated early in 2024, posting a 39% strikeout rate between High-A and Double-A and vaulting onto top-100 prospect lists. That surge was halted when he underwent Tommy John surgery that summer. He returned to a professional mound at the very end of the season, logging 2.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A before heading to the Arizona Fall League.
From a stuff standpoint, Perales came back from surgery even more explosive, now sitting in the high 90s and touching 101 with his four-seam fastball. In terms of velocity, spin, and movement, the pitch grades as a true plus-plus weapon, capable of missing bats both in and out of the zone. He pairs it with a plus cutter in the mid-90s, then rounds out the arsenal with a mid-80s slider and changeup. Both secondary pitches flash promise but remain inconsistent and need refinement. The largest concern for Perales is still his control. While his 2024 walk rates looked solid, previous seasons featured walk rates north of 10%, and he struggled to find the zone consistently after returning. That kind of rust is common post–Tommy John, but command is likely something Perales will always need to actively manage.
The clear positive in this move is that Perales offers more obvious upside than the departing Bennett. Only 23 at the start of the season, he remains young with developmental runway. If the secondary pitches sharpen and the control takes a step forward, Perales has a realistic number-two starter ceiling. If those elements don’t fully click, he’s more likely to settle in as a back-end starter or a late-inning bullpen weapon. Even in relief, that kind of velocity late in games is something Nationals Park hasn’t seen in quite some time. This is a strong upside swing by Toboni.
Griff McGarry
Griff McGarry was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia. When he’s on the mound, he can be nearly unhittable—either because hitters can’t touch his pitches in the zone or because they refuse to chase offerings that sail well outside it. With both high strikeout and high walk rates, McGarry profiles more naturally as a bullpen arm, with the potential to grow into a high-leverage option.
McGarry’s main offering is a mid-90s fastball with strong life, grading out as an above-average pitch. The heater is effective, but it’s not his primary swing-and-miss weapon. That distinction belongs to his low-80s gyro slider and sweeper, both of which generate well above-average whiff rates and can be true putaway pitches. His stuff also benefits from roughly seven feet of extension off the mound, making a mid-90s fastball play a tick faster as he releases the ball closer to the plate. As with Perales, command is the limiting factor: McGarry’s fastball control isn’t consistent enough to fully unlock the slider and sweeper. Still, as a Rule 5 pick, he is absolutely worth the lottery ticket. On paper, he’s more intriguing than the Nationals’ previous two Rule 5 pitching selections, Thad Ward and Evan Reifert. Now the question is whether this one can finally stick.