Nationals Sign Jeremy Accardo

The Washington Nationals have announced that they have signed relief pitcher Jeremy Accardo to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training..

July 19, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Jeremy Accardo (57) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With Gio Gonzalez currently being investigated by Major League Baseball after being linked to the steroid-supplying clinic Biogenesis back in January, the possibility remains out there that he could face a 50-game suspension. No further evidence has been released that’d back the accusation, but in the event that Gonzalez does get suspended, that could likely mean that a reliever like Zach Duke or Christian Garcia is pushed into the rotation to fill his spot.

A result of this is that the Nationals find themselves even more aggressive in their pursuit of adding depth players, and Accardo fits the bill perfectly. Many of the Nationals’ local fans may remember him from his time as an Oriole back in the 2011 season, but Accardo is most-known across baseball for his four-plus seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he posted two seasons with a sub-3 ERA as well as two games with 60+ appearances. For his career, Accardo owns a 10-20 record with a 4.30 ERA in eight seasons with five different clubs.