The Washington Nationals signed right-hander Cade Cavalli to a four-year contract extension Friday, keeping him in Washington through 2030 with a club option for 2031.
The deal guarantees Cavalli $47 million, The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum reported. It rises to $70 million if the Nationals exercise the 2031 option.
FanSided’s Robert Murray first reported Thursday that the sides were closing in on an agreement.
Cavalli is the first player to sign an extension under Paul Toboni, who took over as president of baseball operations last September. It is also the club’s first long-term deal with a player this early in his career since catcher Keibert Ruiz signed an eight-year, $50 million extension in 2023, The Washington Post reported.
Washington already controlled Cavalli through 2029. He qualified for arbitration this year as a Super Two player and was on track for free agency after that season. The extension buys out at least one of his free-agent years.
The raise is significant. In January, Cavalli and the Nationals avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to an $862,500 salary for 2026, with a $4 million club option for 2027 and a $7,500 buyout.
His season made the case for more.
Cavalli is 12-5 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP through 31 starts. He has struck out 194 batters in 164 2/3 innings.
He needs six more strikeouts to reach 200. No Nationals pitcher has done that since 2019, when Patrick Corbin, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg all cleared the mark.
His 3.7 wins above replacement by FanGraphs’ measure ranked ninth among National League pitchers, MLB Trade Rumors noted Thursday.
Cavalli made his first Opening Day start in March at Wrigley Field. He has not allowed more than three runs in a start since July 5.
Getting here took years.
The Nationals drafted Cavalli 22nd overall out of Oklahoma in 2020. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 26, 2022, then had Tommy John surgery in March 2023.
Setbacks kept him out of the majors for 1,076 days. He returned Aug. 6, 2025, and went 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA in 10 starts the rest of that season.
Cavalli is 28.
The Nationals have been reshaping their roster under Toboni. Over the winter, he traded former ace MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers and dealt projected closer José A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners. He moved Luis García and other veterans before the trade deadline.
Toboni, manager Blake Butera and the coaching staff made clear before the season that Cavalli was someone they wanted to build around.
Washington’s pitching staff has allowed the fourth-most runs in the majors this season, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies, Athletics and Cincinnati Reds.
Aside from Cavalli, Ruiz is the only player on the roster with guaranteed money for next season.
The extension covers Cavalli’s age-31 season in 2030, and his age-32 season if the option is picked up.
Cavalli is scheduled to start Friday night against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
