The Washington Nationals have officially reached a four-year contract extension with right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli, securing the 28-year-old through the 2030 season. The agreement, announced Friday by Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, also includes a club option for 2031.
The deal will reportedly pay Cavalli $47 million in guaranteed money and could reach $70 million if Washington exercises the 2031 option. The extension covers Cavalli's three remaining arbitration years and his first year of free agency.
Cavalli is in the midst of the best season of his career. Through 31 starts, he is 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 194 strikeouts and a .233 opponents' batting average across 164.2 innings. He has also recorded a 3.33 FIP, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.6 walks per nine and a career-best 3.4 WAR.
His production ranks among the National League leaders in a number of categories. Cavalli is second in starts, fourth in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings, eighth in ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio, ninth in WHIP and 10th in opponents' batting average. He has recorded five games with at least 10 strikeouts, tied for the fifth-most in MLB.
Article Continues BelowCavalli has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 29 of his 31 outings, the most such starts among MLB pitchers. Since the All-Star break, he is 7-1 with a 2.05 ERA and .184 opponents' average over 11 starts, striking out 84 batters in 66 innings.
His standout performances have included a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings against the Boston Red Sox on June 30 and eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 13. He followed that outing with 11 strikeouts across six scoreless innings versus the Texas Rangers on Aug. 19.
The extension marks Washington's first major financial commitment under Toboni. Cavalli was selected 22nd overall by the Nationals in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma and was named Washington's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022. After making his MLB debut in 2022, he returned in 2025 following Tommy John surgery and entered 2026 as a pitcher the Nationals intended to build around.

