In an interview with 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier this Spring, Mike Rizzo told the show’s hosts how the Washington Nationals ended up signing right-hander Trevor Rosenthal to a 1-year/$7M free agent deal after watching the veteran in a showcase staged to prove he was healthy and ready to return following a year-plus out rehabbing after Tommy John surgery in 2017.
“I’ve seen enough of Rosenthal over the years to know that I’d rather have him with us than against us,” Rizzo said.
“He’s been remarkable in his career, got hurt, Tommy John, rehabbed it really, really well, 18 months later we had one of our best scouts go out there and see him pitch, and he was really, really excited about him, and a guy who when I read that scout, he very rarely gets as excited as he was, so when we hung up the phone about three hours later we had Rosenthal signed.