The Washington Nationals have brought back two key pitchers from their 2019 World Series championship.
The Nats have agreed to deals with left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle and right-handed starter Anibal Sanchez, according to MLB.com's Jessica Camerato.
Per Camerato, Doolittle has agreed to a Major League contract with the Nats while Sanchez has agreed to a minor league deal.
Doolittle went 3-1 with a 4.53 ERA on the season in 2021. He began the year in Cincinnati, where he struggled in his limited save opportunities, with four blown saves in five chances. He was designated for assignment in August by the Reds with a 4.46 ERA in 45 appearances.
Doolittle finished the year in Seattle, pitching to a 4.76 ERA in 11 appearances for the Mariners.
Doolittle, 35, previously pitched for the Nationals from 2017 to 2020, posting a 3.03 ERA while recording 75 saves in 147 total appearances. His most memorable moments came during the 2019 postseason, when he made nine appearances for the Nats (nine of them resulting in wins) with two saves, three holds and a 1.74 ERA.
Sanchez, 38, was out of baseball in 2021 after going 4-5 with a 6.62 ERA in 11 starts for Washington during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. In 2019, Sanchez went 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA in 30 regular-season starts and a 2.50 ERA in three postseason outings.
Sanchez famously opened the NLCS by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against St. Louis, allowing only one hit with one walk and five strikeouts in 7.2 innings in the 2-0 Nats victory. Washington went on to sweep the Cardinals in four games.
