The Washington Nationals have continued to invest into the pitching staff with another free agency move on Saturday.

Shared on social media, the Nationals announced that they had agreed to terms with relief pitcher Jorge Lopez on a one-year contract. That deal will be worth $3 million plus incentives per Jon Heyman.

This is the third pitcher that Washington has signed this offseason, with Michael Soroka brought in as a free agent and Trevor Williams receiving a new deal to say.

They also added another reliever, Evan Reifert, as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lopez made headlines last year with his infamous exit from the New York Mets. He caused a stir after a loss when he referred to himself as ‘the worst teammate on the worst team in baseball.’

For a lot of players, that might spell an end to the season. The fastball-heavy reliever was able to bounce back. He was released and then signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.

The 31-year-old came back from controversy as strong as ever, posting a 2.03 ERA over the final 26.2 innings of work.

With the loss of Kyle Finnegan, Lopez makes sense as a potential replacement at closer. He does have some closing experience, but has not been his main role for much of his career.

That season, 2022, was the year he made his first and only All-Star team.

He is a ground ball machine that loves to force bad contact. Keeping him in a situational role could also be a smart idea, given that he struggles against lefties.

No matter how he is used, this is another good signal that the Nationals don’t want to throw any season away.

For Michigan basketball, the recent West Coast trip went about as well as hoped.

The No. 24 Wolverines (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) picked up a pair of double-digit wins against the Big Ten’s Los Angeles-based teams — topping USC, 85-74, last Saturday and then defeating No. 21 UCLA, 94-75, Tuesday night as wildfires raged a few miles away — and now return home looking to make it three consecutive wins against league newcomers, welcoming Washington (10-6, 1-4) to Ann Arbor on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m., Big Ten Network).

GUT IT OUT: Michigan’s Dusty May didn’t expect Tre Donaldson to play in L.A. Then he set career-highs

The Huskies’ first trip to the Midwest hasn’t started well; they were dog-walked by Michigan State in East Lansing, 88-54, on Thursday. U-W trailed by 29 points at the half (42-13) and by more than 40 points in the second half (82-41 with less than five minutes to play) in an utter annihilation.

After two tight wins in conference play — by three points over Wisconsin and two over Iowa — U-M has won four games in a row by double digits and could make it five straight, with one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten coming to town.

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Great Osobor with not-so-great help

U-Dub forward Great Osobor made headlines this offseason when he transferred from Utah State to Washington (following head coach Danny Sprinkle) for a then-record NIL deal worth $2 million.

Apparently, money doesn’t buy wins, because while Osobor has been decent, it hasn’t been nearly enough for the Huskies.

The senior leads the Huskies in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4) but his efficiency has taken a large drop, as he has shot just 45% from the floor on 3s after hitting at least 57.7% in each of his first three college seasons. Some of that might be attributable to his increased 3-point tries — after attempting just 18 3s (and making four, for a 22.2% success rate) in his first 104 games, he has 14 3-point tries in 16 games this season (with only two makes, a 15.3% rate). More concerning is his 2-point shooting percentage: After hitting 59.1% last season, he’s at 47.7% inside the arc this season.

He has scored in double figures in 11 games with the Huskies, though much of his success came in a weak nonconference schedule. Though he put up 20 points and 14 rebounds vs. Maryland, he had just nine points and three boards vs. USC and a combined 15 points and eight rebounds vs. Illinois and MSU.

Sophomore guard Tyler Harris (Portland) is next at 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while freshman point guard Zoom Diallo, a top-50 recruit according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, averages 10.8 points per contest for Sprinkle’s team.

Overall, U-Dub is simply not up to Big Ten standard. On defense, the Huskies are No. 7 nationally in limiting 3-pointers (28%) and No. 69 in efficiency (99.9), per KenPom, but on offense, the Huskies are No. 149 in efficiency (107.4), No. 201 in 2-point shooting (50.1%) and No. 240 on 3s (32%).

JALEN ROSE: Ex-Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard ‘should’ve stayed out’ 2023-24

Depth on display

The Wolverines, meanwhile, continue to flex their depth and balance with each passing game.

Michigan just defeated UCLA by 19 on the road and did so by scoring 94 points (the most a Mick Cronin team has ever allowed at home) without perhaps its most proven guard: Roddy Gayle Jr. (knee bruise) missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Bruins. U-M coach Dusty May said then it was too early to say if he’d play Sunday.

“Long-term health is priority No. 1 for us,” May said. “But I would say he’ll be back relatively soon.”

Gayle is one of five U-M players scoring in double figures for May in his first season in Ann Arbor. After putting up a career-high 36 points vs. the Bruins, center Vlad Goldin now leads the Wolverines at 15.8 points per game. Point guard Tre Donaldson (13.1 points) is next while Danny Wolf, Goldin’s frontcourt partner, averages a double-double at 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

All three had standout games on the trip; Wolf started the L.A. double-dip becoming just the third NCAA player in more than 20 years with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks, and Donaldson made a career-high four 3-pointers vs. USC, then topped it with six vs. UCLA.

‘BIG TEN GOES THROUGH CRISLER’: Michigan basketball makes West Coast statement

And then there’s Gayle (12.4 points) and Nimari Burnett (10.5 points), who are both shooting better than 50% from the floor. Every starter has led the team in scoring at least once this season, a major reason U-M leads the country in 2-point shooting (62%) and effective field goal percentage (60.2%).

“I mean numbers don’t lie,” Donaldson said. “We’re shooting over 60% inside the arc, I mean just continuing to do that. We got big guys out here … with Danny doing what he does in and out. It’s hard to guard. Nobody’s seen nothing like that before.”

Prediction for Michigan basketball vs. Washington

The Wolverines’ outlook is worlds away from a year ago, when it was often U-M on the wrong side of the talent and coaching ledger. U-M is better than Washington in every facet. As long as the Wolverines don’t have a horrendous shooting night, or commit an egregious number of turnovers (they’re 16th nationally, at 15.2 per game), they just have too much talent and depth for U-Dub to slow down. The pick: U-M 88, Washington 68.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

Washington’s citizen legislature kicks off its 2025 session Monday in Olympia. 

Lawmakers will have 105 days to make multi-billion dollar shortfalls disappear from state operations and transportation budgets. They’ll wrangle over policies for capping rent hikes, purchasing guns, providing child care, teaching students, and much, much more. With many new faces, they’ll spend a lot of time getting to know one another as well.

Here are six lawmakers and one statewide executive to keep an eye on when the action begins.

Sen. Jamie Pedersen, Democrat, of Seattle 

This is Pedersen’s first session leading the Senate Democrats. He takes over for the longtime majority leader Andy Billig, of Spokane, who retired last year. Pedersen represents one of the most progressive areas in the state, including Seattle’s Capitol Hill, which could indicate a shift in where his caucus is going politically. His new gig won’t be easy as he navigates the needs of 30 Democrats, seeks compromises with his 19 Republican colleagues, and deals with a gaping $12 billion budget hole. He takes the position after years as the majority floor leader, where he was well known for his efficiency, organization and Nordic sweaters.

Rep. Travis Couture, Republican, of Allyn 

As the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, Couture will be the point person for his caucus as it looks to block tax bills and push the Legislature to tamp down state spending. This is a new responsibility for him. It will test his mettle to work with Democratic budget writers in both chambers while simultaneously carrying out his role as a vocal critic of Democratic initiatives his caucus opposes most strongly. For Couture, a conservative who some say can at times “sound like a Democrat” it might not be as difficult as it seems.

Sen. Noel Frame, Democrat, of Seattle

Frame stumbled into the spotlight last month after mistakenly sending an email to all senators — instead of just fellow Democrats — outlining ideas for new taxes. Those include taxing wealthy individuals and large businesses — proposals that are getting traction with her progressive colleagues. She also mentioned an excise tax on guns and ammunition sales, a lift of the 1% cap on annual property tax increases and a sales tax on self-storage unit rentals. Frame takes on a new role this year as vice chair of finance on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, giving her power to explore new revenue ideas and making her a central player in talks about how to solve the budget shortfall.

Sen. Matt Boehnke, Republican, of Kennewick

Boehnke, the top Republican on the Senate Energy, Environment and Technology Committee, is out to retool climate change laws passed by Democrats and outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee. He wants, for example, to repeal a law requiring Washington to adopt California’s tough vehicle emission standards for trucks. And he wants to cut the governor out of decision-making on major clean energy projects. Inslee stirred controversy when his actions led to approval of the state’s largest-ever wind farm, near the Tri-Cities, despite concerns from the community where it will be built. That community happens to be in Boehnke’s home county.

Rep. Emily Alvarado, Democrat, of Seattle

Alvarado will be a key lawmaker leading the charge to pass a cap on rent hikes. This was one of the more controversial bills to fail last year, passing the House but failing twice in the Senate. After the bill died, Alvarado said “momentum is building, and next year, I believe we will pass this bill.” She may have more success this time around, especially if she makes her way over to the Senate to fill Sen. Joe Nguyen’s vacancy (Nguyen is leaving to lead the state Department of Commerce. The appointment process for his seat is still ongoing). Democratic leadership said the rent proposal is a priority for their caucuses, and Pedersen said he believes the idea has more support in his chamber this year. But Alvarado still has her work cut out. The bill, which would cap yearly rent increases at 7% for existing renters, is sure to draw fire from powerful real estate groups and Republicans, who warn that capping rents could undercut the construction of new housing and end up hurting renters.

Rep. Jim Walsh, Republican, of Aberdeen 

Walsh made The Standard’s list of lawmakers to watch in 2024 because he was a legislator, the chair of the Washington State Republican Party and author of six initiatives, half of which are now law. He makes the cut again because he still wears two political hats giving him two separate pulpits to convey the Republican message. While he’s not pushing any ballot measures, yet, he did launch the state party’s “Project to Resist Tyranny in Washington” as a vehicle for opposing incoming Democratic governor Bob Ferguson.