As it stands today, here is the current pitching rotation:

1. Max Scherzer
2. Stephen Strasburg
3. Patrick Corbin
4. Jon Lester
5. Ross/Voth/Fedde

While spots one to four are as good as you can get, the rotation's fifth spot is a question.

It appears that Rizzo and Co. are currently set with having Joe Ross, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde or some combination of the three taking the mound every fifth game. That seems to be the approach that management is taking. However, I wondered if it is good enough for a team that places such importance on pitching depth. So with that being said, here are a couple of directions that the team can take to fill the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

"Platooning"

As of now, this seems to be the direction that the Nationals are going in. While this direction has some benefits, it also comes with some risks, such as not establishing a consistent routine. As we all know, pitchers and players are creatures of habit that like to have consistent schedules. However, the benefits of this plan include having the ability to take a look at the opposing team's lineup and see what pitcher has performed better against those batters.

In a recent article, Steve Mears from Talk Nats made an interesting point, the Nationals should consider moving Austin Voth to be a long reliever or even work in mop-up duty. "Austin Voth has no options remaining and would be the front runner for mop-up and long-relief, but at this point in his career, he might be down to his last opportunity in a make-or-break chance." So let's focus on the platoon of Ross and Fedde for the point of this article.

Joe Ross

After sitting out in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, Ross will return to the Washington Nationals pitching staff, looking to become even more ingrained in the rotation. During the 2019 season, Ross went 4-4 and pitched in 27 games. Although he had a 5.48 ERA overall, the right-handed pitcher had an impressive 3.02 ERA as a starter. Ross's sole appearance during the 2019 postseason was filling in for an injured Scherzer in Game 5 of the World Series, Ross pitched seven innings and gave up four runs. If Ross can carry over the success that he had from 2019 after a year off, he could be a good option as the Nationals fifth starter.

Erick Fedde

Fedde has been with the Washington Nationals for what seems like forever, even though the Nationals drafted him in the first round back in 2014. Fedde has been bouncing between the minors and the majors for most of his career, which says a lot. While pitching in the Major Leagues, he is 8-11 with an ERA of 5.15. He has pitched in 46 games and has given up 208 hits, 111 runs, and 34 home runs in these appearances. All that being said, the Nationals know what they are getting. I am not advocating for Washington to give up on him. I am saying that it might be time to think about making Fedde a spot starter or sending him back to the minors unless a pitcher gets hurt or needs rest. I don't believe that he should be considered for a fifth spot in the rotation.

Lengthy List of Camp Invites.

During the offseason, Mike Rizzo signed and invited many southpaws to Spring Training, including Sam Clay, Luis Ailvan, and, most recently, T.J. McFarland. The Washington Nationals announced their list of pitchers invited to Spring Training in hopes that a couple of these players can make the roster, be moved to their taxi squad or stashed in the minor leagues.

RHP

Aaron Barrett

Bryan Bonnell

Cade Cavalli

Jacob Condra-Bogan

Tyler Dyson

Tyler Eppler

Paolo Espino

Javy Guerra

Cole Henry

Gabe Klobosits

Todd Peterson

Jefry Rodriguez

Jackson Rutledge

LHP

Luis Avilán

Tim Cate

Matt Cronin

T.J. McFarland

Free Agents

I don't necessarily think that this is the approach that Rizzo would take, but should he want to find a fifth starter from outside the organization , we have some free agents he should consider.

RHP Trevor Cahill

Trevor Cahill will be entering his 12th big league season after signing a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2020. While Cahill hasn't pitched over 200 innings in a season since 2012, it is rare for a starting pitcher to hit that threshold when they're basically being pulled in the fifth inning of every start.

In 2020, Cahill was in the rotation and pitched out of the bullpen with San Francisco, posting a 3.24 ERA with 11.16 K/9 and a 4.19 FIP. After having an abysmal 2019 campaign, he achieved a career-high 29.2% strikeout rate in 11 appearances this past season. Cahill could be a valuable depth piece.

Another option could be:

RHP Julio Teheran

Washington Nationals players are very familiar with the right-handed pitcher as he played for the Atlanta Braves for a significant part of his career. He can be a very reliable starter. Teheran held a showcase for teams alongside Anibal Sanchez about a month ago in Miami.

In 2020, Teheran played for the Los Angeles Angels and pitched 31 innings in 10 games. However, his ERA was extremely high at 10.05. With a 3.67 ERA over his first nine seasons, It seems that 2020 was an outlier for him.

In 2019, Teheran's stats were more "down to earth." During that season with Atlanta, Teheran was 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA in 33 games pitched. His splits are also interesting to take a look at during the 2019 season. Tehran's ERA against left-handed hitters was 3.57, and against right-handed hitters, his ERA was 3.98.

Coming off a tough 2020 season, the 30-year-old Teheran could be an excellent reclamation project willing to take a short deal at a salary that wouldn't break the bank.

No matter what Mike Rizzo decides to do, it is great that the biggest worry about his starting rotation is who will fill the fifth spot. Additionally, based upon some solutions mentioned, the situation should be an easy fix for the short term.

Edited by: Jonathan Mailloux