Nationals sign Strange-Gordon, Franco to minor-league contracts

While Major League Baseball is still in a lockout, the Washington Nationals on Sunday signed two former major leaguers to minor-league contracts.

The Nationals signed former Marlins All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon and former Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco to minor-league contracts on Sunday. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Strange-Gordon signing, while The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty was first to the Franco news. MLB 40-man rosters are frozen during the lockout, but minor-league deals are still allowed.

Strange-Gordon, a speedy utility player, was an All-Star with Miami in 2014 and 2015, while Franco was the starting third baseman for Philadelphia from 2016 to 2018.

They join Cesar Hernandez as veteran infielders the team has signed this offseason. Hernandez, who hit .232 and 21 home runs with the Guardians and White Sox last season, was inked to a one-year, $4-million contract right before the lockout was initiated and could be the leading candidate to start at second base.

Strange-Gordon, 33, spent time in the minors with the Brewers, Cubs and Pirates last season, but he didn’t appear in a major league game. He’s a career .286 hitter with 333 career stolen bases in 10 seasons. He led the National League in stolen bases in 2014, 2015 and 2017, collecting 58-plus bags in each season, and won the NL batting title in 2015 with a .333 average.

Franco, 29, hit .210 with 11 homers across 377 at-bats in Baltimore last season.