August 14: Washington announced on Wednesday that theyve placed Ramirez on unconditional release waivers. August 13: The Nationals announced that they have selected the contracts of infielder and right-hander , two moves that were . In corresponding moves, they designated infielder/outfielder and right-hander for a signment. Ramirez, 29, enjoyed a pair of productive seasons with the 2022-23 Rays, hitting a combined .306/.348/.432 in 869 trips to the plate, but he stumbled badly out of the gates in 2024 and yet to recover. The righty swinger posted a nice .268 batting average in 169 plate appearances with Tampa Bay but couldnt couple that with any on-base or extra-base value; he managed only a .284 OBP and slugged just .305. Ramirez was designated for a signment on June 7 and released after no team wanted to acquire/claim the remainder of his $3.8MM salary. Following his release, Ramirez signed a minor league deal with the Nats and was back in the majors just a couple weeks after his release. Hes appeared in 25 games with Washington but hasnt fared much better at the plate, hitting .243/.273/.365 in 77 plate appearances. The rebuilding Nationals will now use his roster spot to take a look at Deandre Ayton Jersey the younger Chaparro another right-handed bat that they acquired in the sending reliever to Arizona. Weems, 31, has been a regular presence in the Washington bullpen since 2022. Hes piled up 136 innings as a Nat but logged a combined 5.03 ERA in that time. Weems sandwiched an impre sive 2023 showing between a pair of lackluster seasons in 2022 and 2024. Hes pitched 41 2/3 innings this season but been rocked for a 6.70 ERA with a career-low 17.9% strikeout rate and a career-worst 12.2% walk rate (excluding the 20% walk rate he notched in 5 2/3 innings back in 2021). Weems reached three years of big league service in 2024 and is out of minor league options. That means the Nats wouldve had to tender him a raise in arbitration this winter and carry him on the big league roster to begin the 2025 season. Theyll instead move on from the right-hander and, as with Ramirez, turn that roster spot over to a more youthful option whos posted some interesting numbers in the minors this year. With the trade deadline now behind us, the Nationals only course of action with Ramirez and Weems will be to place them on either outright waivers or release waivers. The other 29 clubs will all have a chance to claim them. (Ramirezs salary is still being paid by the Rays, so hed only cost a new team the prorated league minimum.) Both will have the right to reject the a signment in favor of free agency, by virtue of their MLB service time. Dario Saric Jersey